Area churches bring movie about teen issues to Clovis

Courtesy illustration Churches in Clovis and Portales are working together to bring the movie “To Save A Life” to Clovis. The movie addresses life issues teenagers deal with daily.

Churches in Clovis and Portales are joining together to bring a movie to town. A movie they are hoping will move the area’s youth to want to make a difference.

Wally Yeager, student ministries pastor at Living Stones Community Church, said he saw the movie To Save A Life in Los Angeles in September at a youth workers convention. He said the movie moved him and he hopes it will move others who see it.

“It’s not your typical B type Christian movie,” he said. “It speaks to anyone who works with teenagers, lives with a teenager or comes in contact with a teenager.”

He said the movie deals with several aspects of teenage life such as loneliness, popularity, cussing, cutting, suicide, teen pregnancy, teen drinking and a young person’s relationship with God.

“This is a good opportunity to provide something for the youth in the community on a Friday and Saturday night that could have a positive impact,” Yeager said.

One line in the movie hit home for Yeager.

“At the usual mid-week Wednesday night youth group, the youth are playing games and the youth pastor says ‘Students are dying and we’re busy sipping coke through socks.’ That really hit me,” he said.

Yeager said the plot centers around two high school boys who have been best friends from elementary school. In high school, one becomes the all-star basketball player and the other becomes a loner. In the depths of his despair, the lonely teen brings a gun to school and shoots himself.

His best friend Jack sets off on a journey to find out why his friend killed himself.

Yeager said the message the movie sends is two-fold.

“This movie provides hope to those who find themselves in a hopeless situation,” he said. “It also speaks to students who are active in a church life but don’t share it and kind of lead two different lives.”

Yeager said the project to the bring the movie to town is bringing churches together, kind of echoing the effects the High Plains Fall Festival held in November. The Master’s Center, North Plains Mall, Parkland Baptist Church, the Chaplaincy on Cannon Air Force Base, Central Baptist Church, First Christian Church, First Baptist Church in Clovis and Portales have been involved in bringing the movie to Clovis. Yeager said several churches are supporting the film by purchasing tickets.

“This is becoming a major outreach event,” he said.

Tammy Garner, owner of the Master’s Center, said she saw the movie at the International Christian Retail Show in July.

“The movie gives you an insight into lots of different types of students, from the star athlete to the loner,” Garner said. “It’s not just for kids either. It displays adults as good and bad influences. It shows the difference we as adults can make in their lives.”

Garner said she works with the theater to bring Christian movies to town. She said a free showing is usually offered for pastors and then they can get their congregation to support the movie.

“We want to send the message to Hollywood that we want more movies like this,” Garner said.

To bring the movie to Clovis, the group promised 1,000 tickets. The movie is showing nationwide but was to be shown in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Parkland Baptist Church put down the $700 deposit to the bring the movie to town.

Advance discount tickets for the movie can be purchase at the Master’s Center and regular priced tickets can be purchased at the movie theater.