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Karen Homan heard a voice tell her to build a restaurant in God's name, what would become Do Good Ministries. "Osgood," a movie in development, tells her story.
DAYTON - An Ohio film director, along with an expansive business development team, are developing a movie based on the story of a local woman answering God's call to build a restaurant and the ministry around it.
"Osgood," a movie detailing Karen Homan's mission to evangelize, is in the fundraising phase, said Allen Farst, writer and director.
"Karen built this restaurant to not be one denominational," Farst said. "It's been told to her it's a a gift for everyone. It's there to draw people closer to God because his churches aren't being filled up like they used to. I think when you watch the movie and you see all the things that are going to happen in this story, it's either going to galvanize you further in your faith, one, or two, you're going to have to pump the brakes and do your own digging and investigating."
Farst, who is not new to the film industry, first heard about Do Good Restaurant, a mission-driven eatery in Osgood, about four years ago when his father-in-law visited the establishment and told his wife, who then told Farst.
"I've looked at a lot of scripts and movies over my career. I can't think of anything that's cooler than this story, to be quite honest," he said. "I'm happy to be telling it."
The feature film follows Homan, who was rolling out pie dough in her kitchen nine years ago when she heard the Holy Spirit tell her to build a restaurant.
"The voice was audible and spoke out loud," she said. "I knew I was the only one in the house. It said I was to build a restaurant. It would serve as a ministry. The voice said, 'There are many good people in the world, but they're not coming to my churches.'"
The voice told her people are so busy with work, schedules and family that they don't have time for God. Because of the manic pace of life, they also go out to eat. The voice said it would show Homan how to draw people back to God.
"I think my whole being knew it was the Holy Spirit, but I didn't want it to be," she said. "So, I just said, 'I wouldn't do that. I would never do that, whoever or whatever you are.'"
She said she was scared and tried to brush the incident off, keeping busy with chores and cleaning. Defeated, she sat down with a tablet and pen and asked God to tell her what to do and what he wants.
"The answer was direct: buy the Silver Spur in Osgood, Ohio, call it Do Good Restaurant, and trust that help would come: volunteers, builders, and donors, even people she didn't know yet," information from the film's website reads. "Karen questioned everything, sought wise counsel, and tried to suggest a 'more logical' location. God said no: it had to be Osgood, so it could belong to everyone."
Homan asked for signs, including for the Holy Spirit to give her a photo.
"Karen asked for a sign," the website reads. "The instruction came again and again: 'Look at the picture of the old Osgood State Bank.' She drove to the Silver Spur, prayed, and asked about the bank photo God had mentioned. At first, they said they didn't have one, until the owner's wife remembered a picture someone had dropped off a while back. Three children stood on the bank steps. One of them was Karen, decades earlier - an unmistakable sign."
After raising $2 million, Homan opened Do Good Restaurant in 2019 at the location of the former Silver Spur, 25 W. Main St., Osgood. The ministry, encompassing 6 acres, now includes a splash park and His Walk of Miracles Garden, which come September will consist of a pathway following 14 bronze statues depicting Jesus' miracles.
The Do Good Ministries restaurant is located at 25. W. Main St., Osgood. The facility, about six acres, encompasses the restaurant itself, a splash park and His Walk of Miracles Garden, which come September will consist of a pathway following 14 bronze statues depicting Jesus' miracles.
When Farst, who was born and still lives in Dayton, heard about Homan's story, he asked his assistant to reach out, and after praying, Homan agreed to meet Farst.
After driving up to Osgood and meeting with Homan, Farst was hooked. It took 11 months to gain Homan's trust before she agreed to do the movie.
"I was hooked after that once I was with her," he said.
"I think what happens is you get a little sensation when you know you're going to probably work on a project or not," he said. "You can feel it coming your way. When I heard this, that was kind of the feeling I got. I think I'm supposed to reach out to her. I don't know her, but I think I'm supposed to talk to her."
Farst knew he was going to make the movie, once he got Homan's consent, but wasn't sure on the timeline.
"I knew I was going to make a movie, a feature film. I just knew I would make it. I didn't know how, but I just started building a team of people around me to do it."
The team includes Daniel Kipp, executive producer; Chuck Leavell, musical director; Steven Fracol, director of photography; Andy Shaffer, producer; Adam Swerdlow, strategic advisor and business development; and Catherine Campbell and Martin Alves, business development.
Leavell, a keyboardist, is best known for his decades-long role as principal touring keyboardist and musical director for The Rolling Stones, according to his biography on the film's website. He first rose to fame in the 1970s with the Allman Brothers Band, earning acclaim for his piano work on "Jessica." He has also performed with Eric Clapton, John Mayer, George Harrison and The Black Crowes.
Fracol is a cinematographer whose work includes "Grey's Anatomy." He was also the director of photography on episodes of "Scandal," "Station 19," "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World" and "The Resident."
Swerdlow was the chief operating officer for "The Chosen," and his input is the last missing piece Farst needed, he said.
Farst himself has written and directed two documentaries.
"Triangle Park," which follows the first-ever NFL football game, has reenactments with stars participating such as Troy Aikman, Eric Dickerson, Cris Collinsworth, Joe Buck, Larry Fitzgerald, Kirk Herbstreit, Suzy Kolber, Tony Dungy, Cooper Kupp and Joe Theismann. The documentary premiered at AMC Theatres in all 32 NFL cities the night before Thanksgiving 2023.
"Chuck Leavell: The Tree Man," follows the musician. The film features notable musicians and dignitaries, including former President Jimmy Carter, John Mayer, David Gilmour, Billy Bob Thornton, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. It is the longest running documentary on Delta Inflight, reaching over 200 million travelers in 2023, information from Farst's website reads. Delta added an encore run going through August 2024. Combined, the film reached over 300 million travelers on Delta.
Because of Farst's deep knowledge on the intricacies of filmmaking, he knows how to pace and tell a story.
"This is just an extension of what I do," Farst said, adding that "Osgood" is his first feature-length film. "To keep the pace and keep people's interest and know how to make some content that resonates with the viewer, I think I have that part dialed in."
Now, the team is deep into fundraising for the movie.
Although Farst has written the script for the movie, the team would like to raise more money before it can start casting and filming.
Farst said his goal is to raise $7 million, which would allow him to cast bigger names. The film can be made in a high-quality manner with a budget of $5 million, but the additional $2 million would allow Farst to potentially pursue larger contracts. The movie has raised just over $1 million so far.
Farst didn't want to speculate on actors' names, but is confident the right person will fill the roles.
"Whoever it's going to be, I think, it'll just be the right person," he said. "You make a movie … they're like a miracle to get them done, so this is no different. From our subject matter from above, I think those people are just going to be sent to us."
Farst said he wants to start casting before the goal figure is raised and he would like to acquire local talent for extra roles.
"We're just really excited to steward this story forward," he said. "We feel like there's just so many things in Karen's story that … it's going to be one of the best movies I've ever seen, I just happen(ed) to write it."
At its core, the movie follows Homan, who had a sizable farm prior to the Holy Spirit talking to her.
"She has never run a restaurant," Farst said. "She wouldn't be the logical choice, either, you wouldn't think, but I think that's what God does. He picks people you least expect sometimes. The fact that she's where she's at, running a stressful restaurant, doing all the things she's doing and continues to be told what to do … it's quite the thing. It's quite amazing all the stuff she's being asked to do."
Farst said this process has strengthened his own faith.
"You could believe Karen or you could question the whole thing, but we've all experienced on the team, at one point or another, just the craziest stuff that's happened while we've been working on this thing over the last couple years," he said. "That's not something Karen could control. We definitely feel it's from above and we definitely feel like we're here to help serve the project."
He said a team member was talking with some friends, and upon learning of the team member's role in the movie, the friends revealed they were from Osgood. Additionally, the daughter of one of the executives of the fundraising company told Farst her husband is from Osgood - either a coincidence or a sign.
Throughout the process, Farst has learned obedience and humility.
When people referenced "God's time," he was unsure of what they meant.
"Now, I really realize what that means," he said. "It will happen when it's supposed to happen, but we're all going to work hard and support it the best we can. Ultimately, he's the one calling the shots and things don't always happen when you want them to happen."
Homan also said the experience continues to teach her the same traits, including patience and faithfulness.
She does what she does to spread the gospel and teach others about God.
For more infromation, visit osgoodfilm.com/story.
