The founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels is gearing up to share her story of healing and God’s redemption on the big screen.
Anne Beiler, who founded Auntie Anne’s in 1988, announced the movie on her website.
“We’re making a movie!” she said. “I can’t believe those words are coming out of my mouth! My mission in life is to share our story as an encouragement and inspiration to others! An encouragement to keep going, even in your darkest seasons. An inspiration to always believe there is more inside of you than you know.”
According to a video on Beilar’s website, there is no release date for the film at this time, as it is only in the early stages of development.
The upcoming film is based on Beiler’s 2019 book The Secret Lies Within: An Inside Out Look at Overcoming Trauma and Finding Purpose in the Pain, in which she details her struggles with trauma and depression and shares how God delivered her from her pain.
Beiler, who grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and was born to Amish parents, was raised in the Amish Mennonite tradition. When she was 19, she married her husband, Jonas, whom she first met at a Mennonite youth group. They later joined an evangelical Christian church, where they served as youth pastors and began raising a family of their own.
As reported by Faithwire, Beiler would later face several tragedies, including the loss of her second daughter, Angela (Angie), who was killed in a farming accident in 1975.
The founder of the pretzel chain was also sexually abused by her pastor after she approached him for grief counseling following her daughter’s death. The abuse, which her pastor warned her not to report, would go on for six years and would result in Beiler falling into a deep depression. Her depression became so several that her weight dropped down to 92 pounds.
Beiler eventually told her family about the abuse after reading James 1:16, which stresses the power of confession. Around this time, she discovered that the pastor was also abusing her sisters, her best friend and her daughter. He began abusing Beiler’s daughter when she was just four years old. The pastor was ultimately fired from his position.
Despite growing up in a tradition that shied away from sharing emotions, Beiler realized that healing could only occur if she opened up about her pain. Her book highlights three types of confession: bedside prayers to God, journaling one’s feelings and confessing to one another.
In 1987, Beiler began making pretzels to help her husband launch the Family Resource and Counseling Center (FRCC) in Gap, Pennsylvania. A year later, Auntie Anne’s was born. It now has over 1,700 locations in 48 states. Further, it has locations in over 25 countries. In 2006, she sold the business to her second cousin, Sam Beiler.
In addition to starting the pretzel chain, Belier launched the women’s support group Stories x8 and Broken Silence, through which she encourages women to cultivate a lifestyle of confession.
She also writes inspirational blogs on her website and hosts a podcast called Overcome, where women discuss their struggles and journeys to finding freedom.
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Photo courtesy: Westley Nelson B.A./Unsplash
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer. He is also the co-hosts of the For Your Soul podcast, which seeks to equip the church with biblical truth and sound doctrine. Visit his blog Blessed Are The Forgiven.
