Open image in fullscreen

“Climbing, for me, is a super cool space where you can find growth and push yourself in so many ways,” says Zach LeClerc, junior nursing major, as he ascends a sheer rock face at the beginning of the film Walls of Faith.

LeClerc has always loved the outdoors, but it wasn’t until he came to Southern that he began rock climbing and formed a new passion. He also discovered that the faith it takes to climb mountains reflects the faith we need to have in God.

“The funny thing is I’m actually afraid of heights,” LeClerc shares. “It took me a lot of time to experience how the equipment was protecting me, and then I got more comfortable with it. I think that’s such a cool reflection of a relationship with God.” He shares that learning from his professors and being mentored also shepherded his climbing journey, and his experiences at Southern have not only strengthened his climbing skills but also deepened his faith journey.

“I would say that my relationship with God has become a lot more tangible from my time at Southern, and I’m very grateful for that,” he says.

Walls of Faith

LeClerc decided to share his insights on climbing and Christian faith in a film called Walls of Faith. The idea for the film arose in response to a creative prompt for Connect With the Creator, a film festival at Walla Walla University, Southern’s sister school in Washington. The thought-provoking question was “How do you connect with God through the outdoors?” LeClerc worked with friend and filmmaker Calvin Serban, ’23, film production alum, to create the piece.

In the 17-minute film, LeClerc draws parallels between climbing and Christianity. “I realized that just watching friends fall and be caught by the protection they placed wouldn’t make me any more confident in the gear when I used it,” he says. “I think it’s the same thing with God. You have to experience Him personally.”

He also shares that trust in the climbing gear will directly impact how high someone can climb, just like how faith in God will impact how much He can make a difference in someone’s life.

Sharing Faith

In addition to submitting the film to Connect With the Creator, Serban also entered Walls of Faith into the 2024 Lookout Wild Film Festival (LWFF), based just 10 minutes from Southern in Chattanooga. He notes, “I wasn’t sure how a faith-based film would be perceived by a festival that tends to lean toward a secular lifestyle.” Months later, word came back that the film was accepted. “I was stoked, especially since I knew ours was one of 60 films selected from 300 applications,” he adds.

After the film was shown in Chattanooga, LeClerc and Serban participated in a Q&A panel where they shared more about the inspiration and faith aspects of the film. LeClerc says his favorite part about the setting was being able to share his faith because everyone had the common bond of loving the outdoors. “The amount of people who told us that they love the spiritual tie to our film was amazing. And then they asked about what church we go to or what we believe,” he says.

“It was an amazing experience to present a bit of what went on behind the scenes to an audience that had just watched our film,” says Serban. “It was also a great opportunity to share our faith and why we chose to make a film about it.”

Watch the film online by visiting YouTube.

---