Seated is Irene Harrington, Front Row, left to right, is Raymond Henderson, Queen Clark, Jennifer Greenlee, Back Row, left to right, Eddie Melton, Curtis Hailey, Pastor of First Baptist Church Wadesboro NC Rev. Gregory Everett, and Kelvin Harrington.
Not pictured are Wayne Cornish and Margaret White
Submitted to the Record
Seated is Irene Harrington, Front Row, left to right, is Raymond Henderson, Queen Clark, Jennifer Greenlee, Back Row, left to right, Eddie Melton, Curtis Hailey, Pastor of First Baptist Church Wadesboro NC Rev. Gregory Everett, and Kelvin Harrington.
Not pictured are Wayne Cornish and Margaret White
Submitted to the Record
ANSON —Local author Irene Harrington is trying her hand at a different form of media, the silver screen.
Harrington has transformed part of her book, “A Churchman’s Confession,” into a fictional screenplay that loosely mirrors her family story. A christian themed movie, “A Churchman’s Confession” combines all that matters in life including sin, death, betrayal, faith, forgiveness, mercy, and healing. Relying on a stellar cast, Harrington expertly weaves a message of love through a story of shame.
“I wrote an individual script for each one [of the actors] the Lord led me to,” explained Harrington.
Harrington’s production and directorial debut opens with her ancestor James Bennett falling prey to a bad woman named Betsy from Chesterfield. A newly appointed deacon in the church, Bennett’s soul is crushed to have succumbed to the lust of the flesh. Through Bennett’s anguish we learn that he and Betsy are both married with children, their act devastating two families.
Played by Kelvin Bennett Sr., Harrington says she knew “no one else could play James but my son because he is a natural actor.”
Soon after, Bennett stops to speak with a friend, telling him that he’s done something terrible. His friend wisely counsels Bennett to go to God about it, powerfully asking, “Have you prayed about it yet?”
Following his friend’s advice, the young man finds himself pouring his heart out to his preacher, confessing his ignominy.
Through Harrington’s thoughtfully told story, the audience is reminded that no sin is too big for God to forgive. In reading the Bible one is confronted with a sinner loved by God in every story that graces its pages. Sins of the flesh too often abound in society, and Harrington’s familial tale reminds us that church leaders are human and sometimes fall.
The characters in “A Churchman’s Confession” are faced with deciding the fate of their brother as a deacon and a member of the church. Closing the movie with an author’s flair that truly can only be experienced, Harrington teases, “I have a part two coming.”
“A Churchman’s Confession” can be viewed on Youtube at A Irene Harrington company production (A Churchman’s Confession ).