Churches Celebrate an 'Amazing' Sunday

By Mark Martin

February 19, 2007

CBNNews.com - The congregation at Light of Life Christian Center in Virginia Beach, Va. was among the tens of thousands of people singing this famous hymn on Amazing Grace Sunday.

"Everybody sings it. Everybody knows it, but it'd be nice to take a listen and see what was behind it," said church member Bob Kies.

What was behind it is the subject of a new film, Amazing Grace, which debuts this Friday.

The movie is based on the life of antislavery pioneer William Wilberforce.

He and John Newton -- the former slave trader who repented and wrote Amazing Grace -- took on the leaders of their day to end the slave trade.

"The Holy Spirit got a hold of him," Kies said. "Then his spiritual eyes opened, and then he could see, and he could see the Truth, and the Truth set him free."

"It wasn't just slavery that just happened," said church member Moses Asamoh "It was my great, great, great-grandfather who was in shackles, and that reality really hit me."

Amazing Grace Sunday gives churches the opportunity to remember the historic battle against slavery. It's also a call to action -- to pray for freedom and pursue justice today.

"As an African-American, it's very painful to me to know that there's still people in bondage, mainly because I have ancestors who came over during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, church Lourdes Webster said.

An estimated 27 million people are living in slavery today.

Through Amazing Grace Sunday, churches are raising awareness and praying for captives to be set free.

"Thank God for Jesus Christ," Moses said. "Thank God that He came to save us, not only from physical bondage, but from the bondage of our souls."

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