PRESS RELEASE

     June 19, 2026

Eastern Sierra United Methodist Church Invites Community to Free Screening of 1946 Film with Special Guest Kathy Baldock

Pride is a time to celebrate the diversity of God’s creation and a chance to affirm our LGBTQIA+ family, friends, and neighbors. What better time to embody the Eastern Sierra United Methodist Church (UMC) slogan – Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors – than Pride Month in June? Just as Pride festivities provide a space for LGBTQIA+ people to feel safe, supported, and celebrated, our church seeks to create a safe, welcoming, and affirming space that supports and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community – all year long.

The Eastern Sierra UMC invites community members of all beliefs to celebrate Pride Month with a special free screening of 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture (www.1946themovie.com) on Saturday, June 27 at 6:00 pm in the church’s fellowship hall at 205 N. Fowler Street in Bishop. The film was so popular last year that the church will show it again with special guest speaker, Kathy Baldock, author, researcher, LGBTQIA+ advocate, international speaker and educator, and Executive Director of CanyonWalker Connections, whose work is featured in the film. The documentary traces the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. Featuring commentary from prominent scholars, including Kathy, as well as opposing pastors, and including the personal stories of the film’s creators, 1946 is at once challenging, enlightening, and inspiring. Kathy will give a brief talk to introduce the film, followed after the film by a question-and-answer session about the translation error in a historical context.

This feature documentary will ask “What if the word ‘homosexual’ was never meant to be in the Bible?” Kathy describes her own journey of shifting perspective, “I’m a straight Evangelical Christian walking a path with God and striving to follow the examples of Jesus. As recently as 2004, if I had been asked, I believed I wouldn’t see any gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender people in heaven. Forming relationships with people who were LGBTQIA+ (many of whom were Christians), along with much questioning caused me to wonder if what I had been told about the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities was accurate.” Kathy will have signed copies of newly released book, Forging a Sacred Weapon (the foundational text for the movie), for sale at the screening.

Director, Rocky Roggio, is an independent filmmaker and production designer (credits include House of Cards, Red Dawn). She is also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and moved out of her home after coming out to her conservative, religious parents. The description of her upbringing is familiar to many, “In a sense, my story is not exceptional. I was raised in a loving home, the daughter of a Christian pastor who believes being gay is a sin. Realizing I was a lesbian at a young age, I carried tension, fear, and spiritual anxiety because of how my family believed. Then came an act of betrayal that robbed me of being able to come out to my family on my own terms. What followed was estrangement, heartbreak, and profound sadness. Through it all was a deep yearning for reconciliation and acceptance.”

The Rev. Dr. Kate Hunter, Pastor of the Eastern Sierra UMC, knows that many LGBTQIA+ people have been traumatized by past church experiences. “I hope this film will encourage understanding and meaningful conversations. It offers practical resources for growth, advocacy, and inclusion.” As Director Roggio explains, “This isn’t just a film anymore. It’s an act of mercy, it’s an act of compassion, it’s an act of justice, and of empathy, not only for those involved in the creation of the film, for those we interviewed, for the audience who will watch it, but for myself as well. It’s an act of Grace.”

The Eastern Sierra UMC invites you to experience that grace at its June 27 film screening. “Here questions are encouraged, burdens are shared, and there is always enough food to go around. You are welcome here,” says Pastor Kate. For more information, please contact the Eastern Sierra UMC at 760-872-7701, [email protected], or visit www.esierraumc.org.