NAMB sharpens focus: Evangelism, church planting, missions
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--If there is any question about where the focus of the North American Mission Board lies as it enters the New Year, those questions quickly dissipate after talking with key leadership.
‘Facing the Giants’ movie gets
heart from flesh-and-blood locals
ALBANY, Ga. (BP)--This time, when it comes to southern accents, Hollywood gets it right.
But it’s not because a Hollywood studio displayed sensitivity in overcoming stereotypical speech patterns. Rather, it’s due to the Deep South producers who made “Facing the Giants,” which opens in theaters nationwide today, Sept. 29.
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| In “Facing the Giants,” Brooke Taylor (played by Shannen Fields) and husband and football coach, Grant (Alex Kendrick), discuss how their faith plays into their desire to start a family amid infertility issues they face. |
In fact, not only are those real southern accents behind the actors’ voices, those are real flesh-and-blood southerners –- not professional actors -– who stepped onto the gridiron to bring the feel-good movie to the silver screen.
Hollywood will be closely watching the opening weekend to see how a faith-oriented movie such as Facing the Giants will fare on the open market. The box office receipts from the next few days will telegraph an important message to the continued funding of a venture such as this production by Sherwood Productions, the media arm of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.
Lights, camera, evangelize! ‘Facing the Giants’ set for release
ALBANY, Ga. (BP)-—Now comes “Facing the Giants,” following “Flywheel,” from a church where brothers -- and staff members -- Alex and Stephen Kendrick are intent on using the silver screen to showcase family values and the need for a personal relationship with Jesus.
Facing the Giants, slated for national debut Sept. 29, and the earlier Flywheel are ministry tools developed by Sherwood Pictures, featuring the Kendricks’ filmmaking talents and the support of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga.
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| In this scene from “Facing the Giants,” players endure a drill called the “Death Crawl.” All actors in the movie, produced as part of the ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Georgia, worked on a voluntary basis.Photo courtesy of Sherwood Pictures |
After receiving high marks from several test screenings in California, the football-oriented Facing the Giants has been picked up by Provident Films in a joint venture with Sony pictures.
The basis of the film can be summed up in the line on its promotional poster: “Never Give Up, Never Back Down, Never Lose Faith.” And in many ways, that sums up the mindset of the Georgia church that gave support to the two brothers who wrote and produced it while serving there as associate pastors.
