BEATTYVILLE – This Thanksgiving Day, WLJC-TV in Beattyville will air the documentary “An Appalachian Dawn” in its entirety beginning at 7 p.m.
To promote the show, WLJC will also host a live discussion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23. WLJC host Margaret Drake will be joined by special guests Paul Hays, deputy law enforcement director for Operation UNITE, John Becknell with CCM Productions, Clay County Pastor Ken Bolin, and others.
Produced by The Sentinel Group, “An Appalachian Dawn” explains how local churches and residents have united through prayer and a common goal to fight back against drugs and corruption, and how this movement has made a dramatic change to their image.
The lives of a former drug addict and a notorious drug dealer, both of whom found salvation and a reason for living because of their community’s actions, are chronicled in the movie.
“This film is relevant to every community across America – rural or urban, small town or large city,” said Karen Kelly, director of the regional anti-drug initiative Operation UNITE (Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education). “It is a thought-provoking, emotional story documenting how citizens from all faiths can, with a collective voice, successfully confront any challenge.”
Isolated in the heartland of Appalachia, the city of Manchester seemed the unlikeliest place for societal breakthrough to occur. Clay County was the sixth poorest in the nation and part of a region dubbed the “Painkiller Capital of America.”
In May 2004, however, faced with escalating problems from substance abuse and corrupt public officials, 63 churches and 3,500 people marched through town publicly declaring their desperation. Turning their prayers into action, community members joined forces with the then-new UNITE organization and have transformed Manchester into the “City of Hope.”
The Sentinel Group, headquartered in Lynnwood, Washington, is a Christian research and information agency comprised of cutting-edge researchers, filmmakers and ministers dedicated to helping enable communities to discover the pathway to genuine spiritual revival and societal transformation.
Watch a 17 minute trailer, read a story about the transformation and get a behind-the-scenes look at the documentary. Click here.