Brad Estep, lead pastor of Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene, presented MidAmerica Nazarene University President David Spittal with a gift of $16,500 to contribute toward the production of a film on the life of Phineas Bresee, a co-founder of the Church of the Nazarene in the western U.S. The funds are part of an estate gift given to KC First Church. Estep says the church is distributing the gift to a number of projects.

Phineas Bresee: A Large Souled Man, scheduled for release in summer 2017 at the Church of the Nazarene's General Assembly and Conventions, is being produced by Inversion, a Kansas City-based creative production company. The film about the life and ministry of the first general superintendent of the united church will chronicle this shaper of Nazarene identity and highlight Bresee's commitment to holiness and concern for the poor and marginalized.

“Bresee can teach us some things about the message of holiness and ministry to the broken of this world,” Estep said.

Spittal agrees, adding that the film should become an important teaching tool on Nazarene university campuses.

“Today’s students may not realize the roots of the Nazarenes do not look like the suburban churches we see today," he said. "Long before it became a generational cry to give of oneself in service, the Church of the Nazarene was ministering alongside the downtrodden. This is really how the church started.”

Bryon McLaughlin, editor of Grace and Peace magazine, said the film is part of a larger denominational initiative to introduce to some and reintroduce to others a significant founder of the church.

“There’s a relationship between memory and mission,” McLaughlin said. “When we know where we come from it helps us understand our mission.”

McLaughlin said the 45-to-50-minute film will be made available to every Nazarene church in the USA and Canada. He hopes its distribution will become global.

“We hope when people see the film they will think, ‘if that’s what he [Bresee] was about, I’d love to be a part of that church, the Church of the Nazarene.’”

MNU will distribute the gift from KC First Church to the filmmakers and as such will be a significant contributor to the project. Readers can view a clip of the film here.

--MidAmerica Nazarene University