La Croix Church films sermon of forgiveness at Field of Dreams

Local pastor Ron Watts recently traveled more than 350 miles to record a sermon in a corn field for La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau.

But it wasn't just any corn field — Watts and a crew visited the farm where the 1989 movie "Field of Dreams" was made.

"We had a blast, it was just a whole lot of fun," Watts said about visiting the field.

La Croix, a United Methodist church, hosts an annual event in October called "La Croix at the Movies," in which the church shows how films can relate to teachings of their faith. Watts said this year they decided to use classic films, such as "Field of Dreams."

Watts said those planning the event then had the idea to see whether they could film his sermon on the movie's site, located near Dyersville, Iowa. They were able to rent the farm house for a night, so Watts and his film crew traveled to the former film set.

A sunset over the baseball field from the movie "Field of Dreams," near Dyersville, Iowa, photographed by pastor Ron Watts.Submitted

He said they were able to even play catch and have batting practice in between filming shots.

"First off, it's just an amazing sight," Watts said. "I've never been there before, so it was so cool to drive up and actually see the field, you know, and get out and walk on it. And they're so gracious there."

The sermon was based on the main character's relationship with his father. Watts said he related that to a passage from the Book of Malachi.

"It speaks of the Messiah, that He would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, and really made it a message of forgiveness. And the need to heal all the breaches that sometimes exist between fathers and sons and fathers and daughters and parents and children," he said.

Other movies used in this year's series included "Inside Out" and "Sully."