In the bonus track of the DVD version of "All Saints," the major theme of the film was described by the film artists as one of "hope and faith." The film was shot on location of the actual All Saints church in Smyrna, Tennessee, that is the subject of the film. It was interesting to meet a number of the real people alongside the actors performing them.

The main narrative focuses on the attempt to save an episcopal church in rural Tennessee that is about to be shut down and sold, due to lack of parishioners and funding. The improbable story that unfolds is a bold (or hare-brained?) plan of a dedicated pastor, Michael Spurlock, and the newest members of the congregation, a group of Karen immigrants who have fled the civil war and genocide in Burma (Myanmar),located between Bangladesh on the west and Laos and Thailand on the east. The idea is to pool their efforts in starting a farm on the church property, and sell the crops to pay off the debts and save the church.

By far, the most interesting character in the film is a young man named Ye Win, who organizes his family members and friends to become an integral part of the congregation and save the church. The best scene in the film is when Ye Win delivers a speech to the bishop and church administrators in an effort to buy time in saving the church. He wins over the elders by arguing that "we are one family."

The film was not as successful in developing how the members of the Smyrna community rallied around the farm idea that ultimately gave the church a new identity. Much of the action was overly sentimental and melodramatic. And, for an episcopal church in the south, it was surprising that there was very little church ritual presented in the dramatized church services, which were far too informal and unstructured.

In the bonus track, it was noted that the struggle to develop the farm and race against the clock was not merely an effort to save the church, but to save each other. But, as depicted in the film, the characters were so resourceful that it really did not appear that they needed any "saving." The more important drama was how they came together in a shared purpose and inspired others who eventually flocked to Smyrna to be a part of something that is all but vanishing in today's world: the vital importance of people working together and developing a unique bonding as a community.

This is the true story of Michael Spurlock, a salesman turned Pastor of a small Smyrna Tennessee Episcopal church. It traces what happens after he's been told by the diocese he must close his church due to low attendances. The events that transpire over the difficult months that follow are as unlikely as they are remarkable. Nothing runs smoothly for Michael, his struggling family or his small band of supporters. The hardships they encounter are at times soul destroying but, hardships can also push people to work against impossible odds - in an attempt to turn them into goals that build community bonds. The outcome of this curious story is one that needs to be seen and won't be readily forgotten. What can be achieved by people of different cultures - when their ongoing communal existence is threatened - is powerful indeed. An unusual story of survival against the odds, told with intelligence, quality production values, good performances and a better than average music score.

All Saints (2017) is a terrific movie about hope and faith, but it's more about how God shows up in ways we don't expect. Even when one believes that he has received a clear calling and is obedient to it, one has to leave the results to Him.

Based on a true story about a church that's about to be closed in Smyrna, Tennessee, the film begins with Michael Spurlock (John Corbett) getting sworn in and receiving his instructions from the Bishop (Gregory Alan Williams). Michael is to oversee the closing of the All Saints Church over 2 months time because its dwindling membership can't afford the mortgage payment to the diocese. Cara Buono plays Michael's wife Aimee; Myles Moore is their son Atticus.

It's a sad event for the few remaining members, especially a widower named Forrest (Barry Corbin),a retired farmer-Vietnam veteran that's a bit of a curmudgeon. He 'convicts' Michael of his duties as a pastor. So Michael posts some flyers to grow the congregation and, the following Sunday, is pleased to see a handful of Karen refugees from war torn Burma (Myanmar) attend. However, only Ye Win (Nelson Lee) speaks English, so Michael enlists Win - who has already assumed many of his fellow countrymen's responsibilities - as a translator.

The Karen - mostly farmers by trade - are poor and in need of jobs and food. Win asks if they can start a garden on church property to help feed their families. Michael pleads with local businessmen to help and finds only Boyd (David Keith),who's willing to supply some jobs at a chicken plant. When Michael is offended by the crassness of some prospective buyers of the church, he runs them off. Meanwhile, he institutes a second service for the Karen, which has become a growing population in the area.

It's at this point that Michael receives what he believes is a call from God, to turn the church's acreage into a farm, to provide food for the Karen while selling the rest to pay the mortgage. He successfully sells the idea to the Bishop - to delay the closing of the church - for a season.

While Aimee - with help from Atticus - educates and teaches the Karen children to sing English-language songs etc., Michael becomes a farm foreman. The Karen work the fields in the early morning before Win has to drive the men to the chicken plant for a 12 hour day, which causes his marriage to fall apart.

Also, there's a lack of rain which causes the fields to be watered by hand, a difficult and time consuming process for Michael. But because of Win's budding friendship with Forrest, the old farmer joins in, and proves invaluable to Michael, especially when negotiating the price for a tractor. In order to pay for the tractor, Michael has to take out a loan that would force him to leave the clergy and go back to his prior sales job if the farm fails.

Despite these difficulties, it appears that everything will work out okay until a rainstorm washes away most of the crops before they're harvested despite a tremendous effort by the entire community. Another unforeseen event destroys their only remaining hope, the sour leaf that was to be sold to Asian restaurants in nearby Nashville.

However, from Proverbs 19:21 "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." I won't spoil what God does, but it's consistent with His character (and involves the Bishop).