July 2008 Newsletter

We pray that your summer is beautiful, peaceful and relaxing. We're trying to figure out what that means in Hollywood, but we know your prayers will help. Let's jump in to this month's requests:

SUMMARY:

• HPN has just received a wonderful matching grant to help our ministry budget.
• Continue to pray for the Christians in Hollywood as we work and minister here.
• Pray for "Hancock" star Will Smith and his wife and children.
• Pray for families and friends of Hollywood professionals who have recently passed away.
• Pray for Katie Couric, one of America's most known News Anchors.
• Pray for the Jewish professionals in Hollywood to experience God's unconditional love.
• Pray for the people at NBC as they sell advertising air time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Pray for industry professionals who are trying to find financing for their projects.
• Pray for industry professionals in Bollywood
• Check out the upcoming events in Michigan and Illinois....

PRAISES:
-HPN is excited to announce an incredible answer to prayer. We have just received a WONDERFUL MATCHING GRANT for our ministry! A dear friend and supporter of HPN has committed his company to match up to $18,000 of all monies that we receive at HPN through the end of 2008. That means that any donations made to HPN will be doubled, with the potential of raising up to $36,000 for the ministry. With your help, we can do it! Would you prayerfully consider how you can be involved either through a personal donation or by presenting this opportunity to other people who may be interested? We PRAISE GOD for this donation and for the consistent support you give us throughout the year - thank you! To make a donation, go to our website at http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org./section/support and click on SUPPORT to double your gift through paypal or a check. Thanks for being a part of this wonderful opportunity!

UPDATES:
-Continue to pray for the Christians in Hollywood, that they will experience God's peace, honor, hope, heart for others, encouragement, love from our community and favor with their co-workers, associates, and bosses. Pray that we are salt and light and full of joy as we work and minister in the entertainment industry.

REQUESTS:
-As "Hancock" continues to be at the top of the box office revenues, let's pray for Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith (married 11 years) and their three children. Will and Jada have just opened a private school in LA where they live and they have been in the news because of the controversial hiring of some teachers who are Scientologists. May the Lord wrap His arms around the Smith family and fill them up with His love, truth, faith and a hope that will not disappoint them.

-We've lost some men in our industry who have left their mark on America and we ask that you lift up the friends, media peers, and family members who have been impacted by these deaths. May the Lord touch their hearts and use this loss for His glory, drawing them to seek Jesus as they struggle with the issues of life and death. Tim Russert's unfortunate passing from an unexpected heart attack reminded many of the uncertainty of life. George Carlin died in June at the age of 71. He was known for his edgy humor. And people are remembering Heath Ledger as he appears as the Joker in "The Dark Knight", which is expected to be the biggest movie of the year. May the Lord do miracles in the lives of these men's families, associates and friends.

-Please pray this month for Katie Couric. She is one of the most famous American News Anchors who has worked on all three major networks in her career. Katie's husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998. Her sister, a Democratic state senator of Virginia, died of pancreatic cancer in 2001 at the age of 54. Because of these losses, Katie has been extremely outspoken in her fight for cancer cures. Katie was raised Presbyterian, though her mother was Jewish. Let's pray for her to experience the unconditional love of Jesus and for Him to reveal Himself to her.

-Let's pray for the Jewish professionals in Hollywood. We are seeing more and more Jewish people seek for their Messiah and we ask for more opportunities to share our faith with them, to love them to Jesus, and to see a revival within the Hollywood Jewish community. We all know the same God, but we want them to experience His personal, unconditional love.

-NBC will be the network to air the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August. They are working hard to take in more than $1 billion by selling advertising time at $750,000 per 30 second commercial spot. They will air prime-time from Aug. 8 - 24^th, along with some midday and late-night time slots as well. Let's pray that NBC chooses their advertisers wisely and that America is well-represented on network television during the Olympics airings.

REQUESTS FROM HPN MEMBERS:
-Please know as you pray for this request that this is a common prayer for so many of us in Hollywood. There are many good ideas and good scripts but funding any movie is a miracle that only God can cause or allow to happen. We put in this request so that you know the personal struggle that so many Entertainment professionals go through every day: "I would greatly appreciate it if you could put me on your prayer list. I'm praying earnestly about funding for my feature film, which I would like to shoot in the fall. If nothing else, I am saving money to shoot it myself low budget in spring. An actor/producer in LA pledged 50K for the film, but I am waiting on confirmation from him. I've come close several times and had a lot of interest in the past; I've been trying to get this film made for 10 years. I feel the Lord is leading me to do it soon. So please pray that God will bring the project together financially, etc. Thank you." Deborah

-Pray that those in Bollywood would have a heart for the less fortunate of India and those who model Christ's compassion. Sonu Nigam, the famous playback singer, recently met some children in the street who asked him to sing for them. He san AND he also brought them to his concert. May this be an ongoing trend in the entertainment industry in India." Davita (for more prayer requests for Bollywood, click on http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org./chapter/bollywood

HPN LOCAL CHAPTER UPCOMING EVENTS:

-A new Internet Radio show, designed to prepare Christians who are media producers and media consumers, for integrating their faith with culture, especially TV and Film, has begun in Grand Rapids Michigan. HPN member Eric Bumpus has launched Cease Fire Strategies (CFS), which was born out of the themes within the book "Cease Fire, the War is Over!" by Bumpus and Tim Moranville. The show interviews Hollywood Christians and they discuss practical ways that Christians can get involved with Hollywood, no matter which side of the screen they are on. They'll be interviewing Karen Covell on Sunday, August 17th, from 4:00-5:00pm EST about the work of HPN and the spiritual climate of Hollywood. You can either listen to the show live at: www.blogtalkradio.com/ceasefirestrategies, or call them at 347.945.5783 if you have any questions for Karen during that episode's time slot. The number is local to New York.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-This Saturday, July 19th, (1pm - 6pm) there is a one-day Seminar for those in the entertainment industry entitled: UNDERSTANDING & SHARING YOUR FAITH with JEWISH FRIENDS & COLLEAGUES. It's for Christians living or working in Hollywood who want to learn how to understand and interact with your Jewish friends and colleagues on matters of faith. For more information or to sign up e-mail Nikki H. at info@PRISMHollywood.com. Seminar Topics Include:
* Cultural and religious influences shaping Hollywood today
* Biblical foundations & the Jewish people
* Different branches of Judaism
* Christian misconceptions of Jewish people & their faith
* How Jews perceive Christians
* Breaking down cultural barriers to the Gospel

-The ACT ONE Program brings Hollywood to Rock Island, IL for a seminar on Sept. 19^th & 20^th. The Act One program for writers and executives is partnering with Pepperdine University and Heritage Church. Each year, thousands of hopefuls flock to Hollywood, with the hopes of making it big in the film and television business. This year, Hollywood comes to them. If you're in the Illinois area and are interested in participating in this intensive week-end training for Christians who are aspiring writers and producers, contact info@actoneprogram.com or call (323)464-0815.

Thanks so much for praying for us this month.

Karen, Caren, Gloria and our summer intern, Melissa!

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QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." ~Calvin Coolidge

VERSE OF THE MONTH:
"I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14