‘We Hear You’ film captures how God is using the Church to bring healing in America
A new documentary film titled "We Hear You" shows how God is using Christians to bring hope and healing to the nation in the midst of chaos following the police-involved death of George Floyd.
While many Americans took to the streets to protest racial injustice, Andrew Chalmers, director of "We Hear You," said he decided to pray for direction about what his role could be in it all. His prayer led him to Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the scene where Floyd died.
“'We Hear You' is a short documentary film that captures the story of how God is moving in the wake of the unjust death of George Floyd. In the midst of all the pain, confusion, and unrest, there is an incredible glimmer of hope that is being sparked as the body of Christ is responding with compassion and love. This is a film that aims to answer, in part, what the church can do to respond to the cries of our nation for justice and racial equality,” the film’s synopsis reads.
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Chalmers, who's also the founder and director of Take the City, first set off by visiting his friend JT Thomas in Ferguson, Missouri. While there, the two men filmed conversations with faith leaders who took to the streets in the midst of unrest to preach the Gospel.
"When I started seeing, not only with George Floyd but all the injustices and painful things happening in our nation — my heart was grieved," Chalmers told CBN News in a recent interview. "I didn't really know how to respond or what to do, but I wanted to respond in a biblical way that honored the Lord."
Their next stop was Minneapolis and while there, Chalmers and Thomas listened and learned from other believers who were in the area serving and supporting the community by showing each other love.
"So many people are coming together in this place. People of different faiths, backgrounds — people that look different are flooding the corners and just loving on each other," Chalmers said. "In this city, there were a lot of riots ... a lot of bad was going on, but churches have landed here in the heart of this and are really demonstrating the love of Christ."
Chalmers, who's white, said he took time to listen, learn and show empathy toward his black brothers and sisters. His entire experience is captured in the documentary.
"The first thing I've learned is that I need to listen," he said. "My first response when everything started happening was to just say something. We do need to be vocal as the Church and speak out against racism and injustice. But the first thing we need to do before we speak is to listen."
"One of the main themes of the whole film is that God would give us His heart. I think one of the most dangerous things we can have as Christians is a lack of empathy and turning off our emotions. I believe Jesus would respond the opposite. He would lean into the pain as opposed to turning away," he added.
In order to be empathetic and listen, Chalmers said one must have humility and be willing to hear others, which is something he learned while filming.
The film documents Chalmers' experiences over five days to provide an inside look at the grief of so many, as well as how the Church can effectively respond.
"With God's love and an open ear, I'm able to see healing begin," he said. "I'm learning to engage with those who are hurting rather than turning the other way. I'm discovering that there are opportunities to share the Gospel in the midst of that pain."
"We Hear You" premiered on Facebook Live and is now available to stream on YouTube.
