Jimmy Jenkins, a writer-director from Glenarden, Maryland, opens God With Us, a contemporary retelling of the Nativity set in a Black neighborhood, in select theaters Friday, November 13.

The film follows childhood sweethearts Mary Anne Thomas and Joseph “Junie” Love. Their relationship is tested when Mary Anne finds she is miraculously pregnant.

Ashley Olivia Fisher plays Mary Anne, and Aspen Kennedy plays Junie. The ensemble includes Lil Rel Howery as Gabe, Rotimi as Walter Moon, Clifton Powell as Willie Earl, Gregory Alan Williams as Dr. Amos, Roger Guenveur Smith as Boozer, and Ashley Rios as Rosa Lee.

The idea started with a conversation. Word In Black reports that an incarcerated 16-year-old asked Jenkins whether God could forgive someone convicted of murder. The teen, who knew Jenkins made movies, asked whether he could tell Jesus’ story in a neighborhood the young man would recognize.

“Just because the world puts labels on you doesn’t mean they ring true,” Jenkins told Word In Black.

Jenkins co-created the story with his brother, Joshua Jenkins, and his father, John K. Jenkins Sr., pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden International. Howery and Rotimi are also among the executive producers, along with Mike Locksley.

First Baptist hosted a premiere on October 24 at its Worship Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, that drew more than 4,000 people, and members of the church’s drama ministry appeared onscreen.

Jenkins, a 2013 Salisbury University graduate, worked at BET and Tyler Perry Studios before producing his own films. His first narrative feature was Sinners Wanted. He also co-directed and produced Basketball County: In the Water, a 2020 Showtime documentary, and created Playwatch Kids, a streaming venture for Black children.

For now, God With Us is set for a limited release, with tickets and group sales available through the film’s website.