Katelyn Pavey tells her story in hope of helping people follow Christ
By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com
I will tell you up front that I am not much of a movie goer. My knowledge of most of Hollywood’s biggest names is usually limited to when they make headlines in the news. I don’t follow any actor and really never have.
For the record, I would guess I have seen more movies starring Tom Hanks than any other, but from the late 80s to the early 2000s it seemed like he was in every decent movie out being made.
But I went to the theater for two movies in 2022 and, before Sunday night, one this year. And the one I saw Sunday at the Danville (Ky.) 8 Cinemas is one I am going to remember for a long time.
My wife and I, along with two members of Mackville Christian Church, where I serve as minister, went to see I Can. If you want to be inspired, challenged, or encouraged in your faith, you should too. In fact, I would hope every Christian who possibly can will set aside a couple of hours for this remarkable story.
Someone who hadn’t been inside a theatre in almost a decade before cashing in on a gift card to go see Top Gun Maverick a year ago – that’s me – isn’t about to critique the production, sound effects, visual effects or any other technical aspect of a movie. But what I can tell you is that I Can is a movie like none other I have seen.
Writer Evan Mitchum and director Tyler Sansom have created a motion picture that captures the power of the gospel when one allows it the Holy Spirit to work in his life. It’s a story of the power of God’s grace told in the true story of star softball player Katelyn Pavey. And Katelyn’s home church, First Capital Christian Church of Corydon, Indiana, deserves a huge shoutout for its role in funding and supporting the project.
I had been privileged to meet Katelyn in April 2022 during what was her junior season at Kentucky Christian University. Her coach, Cory Gardner, had told me a little bit about the story of a girl he had originally recruited to Cincinnati Christian University, then was reunited with at KCU. When I saw Katelyn, she was hitting over .400 and played a flawless centerfield. She ignited a game winning rally with a rocket shot up the middle.
And it was impossible not to notice that Katelyn’s left arm is not fully developed, a condition known as phocomelia. While she never wanted to see herself as being different, she was always known as the girl with one arm.
Katelyn showed a love for and extraordinary ability in softball, working to become one of Indiana’s best high school players and earning a scholarship to Cincinnati Christian. By the time her playing career ended last spring, she was one of the top small college players in America. Along the way, Katelyn also suffered a debilitating knee injury but returned to softball much faster than expected.
Yet through all of her success, her father, Eric Pavey, believed his daughter’s disability was a punishment since Katelyn had been conceived as the result of an affair. It took years before he learned God’s grace. He’s turned that into a ministry working with prison inmates, letting them know they do not have to be slaves to their past actions and that God forgives.
Danner Brown plays Katelyn in the movie, while Jeff Armstrong is strong in the role of Eric Pavey. Southern Indiana native Amanda Verkamp is cast in the role of Katelyn’s mom, Selena, while Cameron Arnett takes the role of Cory Gardner. Football fans will recognize former University of Georgia and Miami head coach Mark Richt playing the principal of Lanesville High School.
Throughout the 95-minute movie, the message of each person being valuable in God’s eyes and a blessing from Him rings loudly. Despite Katelyn having one fully functioning arm, her grandmother’s exhortation, “God doesn’t make mistakes” is an oft-repeated line in the film.
If I Can was just a story of a girl overcoming a disability to be an All-American softball player, it would be incredibly inspiring in its own right. But showing the story of God’s grace through this story is a powerful way of sharing the gospel.
Katelyn Pavey’s story is beyond inspirational. It can be life-changing.
When I talked with Katelyn in April, 2002, she said she initially declined when Sansom, who also happens to be her pastor, asked about telling her story through film.
But, she said, “the more I prayed about it and the more I talked to my family, our goal for this and my goal is if I can reach one person and inspire one person and can do something to help others follow Jesus, then I will do it.”
I Can does just that.
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