Henry Presbyterian Church to host screening of ‘Amazing Grace’

The Henry Presbyterian Church will host a screening of “Amazing Grace” at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, April 27.

Pizza, popcorn and soda pop will be provided.

Most Christians are familiar with the hymn, “Amazing Grace.”

Some know John Newton, the composer, as a man who once captained a slave ship, and later penned one of the greatest hymns of the faith.

On March 10, 1748, Newton was steering his ship through a fierce thunderstorm when he prayed to God. When he made it through the storm, he attributed his safety to the grace of God and was dramatically converted to Christ while on the high seas. It was this event that started his conversion and led to him eventually becoming an Anglican clergyman in 1764.

His connection to this film is based on the life story of William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), a leader of the British abolition movement. The film chronicles his struggle to pass a law to end the slave trade in the late 18th century. Several friends, including Wilberforce’s minister, John Newton (Albert Finney), a reformed slave ship captain who penned the hymn “Amazing Grace,” urged him to see the cause through.

One man sacrificed so much to help others because he knew God called him to accomplish a mission, according to the film. The closing sequence with the band playing “Amazing Grace” is one of the musical moments in the film.