A special FREE evening exploring democracy and connection, and how they come together in film, in anticipation of the next day’s 2025 Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival.

Twelve diverse Christian leaders find hope and fellowship at a series of boundary-breaking retreats in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Brought together by Michael Gulker of The Colossian Forum, five women and seven men struggle with some of today’s most contentious issues. The divisions between them become apparent and test both their common belief in the universal importance of love and kindness and the bonds they build over the course of a year.

Inspiring and provocative, LEAP OF FAITH explores whether we can disagree and still belong to each other in a divided world. The film is directed by Nicholas Ma, a presenter at the October 15 Elijah E. Cummings Democracy and Freedom Festival hosted by the SNF Agora Institute.

6:00 PM Doors open
6:15 – 6:45 PM Student Meet-and-Greet with Nicolas Ma*
7:00 – 8:30 PM Leap of Faith screening
8:30 – 9:00 PM Post-Screening Discussion with:

Nicholas Ma, award-winning writer, director, and producer; director of Leap of Faith
Nancy Proctor, executive director of the SNF Parkway
Kristen Cambell, Senior Fellow at PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement), a philanthropic laboratory for funders seeking to maximize their impact on democracy and civic life in the United States.

Free popcorn and non-alcoholic beverage to the first 100 attendees!

Registration for film screening (including the student meet and greet) click here.

*Student ID (from any high school, college, or university) required to attend the 6:15pm Student Meet-and-Greet with Nicolas Ma.