March 2009 Newsletter

• Thanks for praying for the Academy Awards. Some people were praying for the focus of the evening to move away from "Oscar" to a celebration of the talent of the individuals who were honored throughout the evening. They definitely felt that their prayers were answered. God is truly working in the hearts of people here and we have to Praise Him for every encouraging story. But don't stop praying for the celebrities and all the people involved in the creation of films and TV shows. God isn't finished yet, for sure.

UPDATES: 

• Keep praying for Joe Eszterhas, the known "edgy" screenwriter who left Hollywood, became a Christian, and now is coming back to speak at the Biola Media Conference in May. Pray that he can reconnect with some old friends while he's here, and God will give him favor to tell his spiritual transformation story. For more information on Joe, check out: http://www.biolamedia.com/speakers.shtml

• Thanks to those of you who responded to our request for help and are volunteering with HPN. We can't tell you how encouraging it is to have people from our own community come and support our efforts. We do still need someone to come along side Gloria Vives as she matches up our "I to I" Prayer Partners, with database work to organize the many intercessors and industry professionals in our 1,000+ prayer partnerships. Just email Gloria if you are interested in helping her at: gloria@hpnemail.org Thanks so much for anyone who can help! Don't forget to email Gloria if you want to be an HPN intercessor!

• It's really time to pray for Hugh Hefner, who, at age 83, has "aged 10 years since his three long-term 'Girls Next Door' girlfriends have moved out of his mansion," says Perez Hilton. Despite denying he's ill, Hef has been looking frail and isn't as alert as he used to be, and he "barely moved" at a recent Masquerade Ball.  Hef, who was the elder son of "conservative Protestant parents," needs the Lord so badly.  Many people have been praying for him, and quite a few Christians in Hollywood have shared their faith with him through the years. It's never too late for a miracle!

• Pray for the people losing jobs in this economy in Hollywood. There have been difficult lay-offs in all of the networks and studios, and the unresolved SAG contract negotiations make it even scarier for the people being laid off and freelancers trying to find the next job. Please pray that fear will not be the driving force of our community and that the Lord will use this time to bring all of us closer to Him!

• Pray for the small percent of our community, yet the most visible, who have power, fame, wealth, control of projects, people, and global influence. They appear to "have it all," but quite honestly, they often struggle with tremendous fear that people are going to discover how "plain" they really are, or that they aren't ever going to work again and will have no value anymore. Some are self-destructive. Many are lonely, insecure, and desperate for love. They don't find significance in their worldly riches, and they don't know how to find inner peace, fulfillment and unconditional love. They are spiritually starving. They will only be complete with the Lord, so your prayers can save lives here in what looks like "the land of plenty."

• Pray for Joaquin Phoenix and the transition he is going through in life. When he appeared on David Letterman last month, he was despondent, unfocused and uncomfortable to watch. He claims to be retiring from acting and wanting to start a music career, but our prayers should be for him to find the hope, joy, peace and fulfillment from Jesus that he so needs. Joaquin's brother River died in 1994, of a drug overdose. River, Joaquin, and their siblings grew up in a cult called The Children of God. Let's pray for the entire Phoenix family, that they come to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord of their lives, in order to find true freedom.

• Pray for Robin Williams, who will be undergoing heart surgery this month, for an aortic valve replacement. Let's pray that the Lord uses this time, as He is healing Robin's body, to also touch his heart with His unconditional love, peace and joy. How incredible it would be if Robin could actually get a truly new heart and a new beginning!

• The HPN team earnestly asks you to stand with us in prayer as we seek to deepen our trust in the Lord. We must discover how to raise funds to replace donors who have had to stop their giving in these difficult economic times. Please remember these donors in you prayers as well. We know God has a perfect plan, but we also know we need to pray. We are so thrilled about all that He is doing to mobilize prayer for Hollywood, to answer prayers for changed lives here and to build our Christian community. But we are waiting for His deliverance with our daily manna. Let's look forward to watching this request move from the seeking to the PRAISE category.

• Kevin, Kenny & Kyle have produced a DVD called "Hollywood On Fire." They interview some Christians in the entertainment industry and talk about what God is doing in Hollywood. They pray that the DVD will be used to get more Christians outside of Hollywood to see how God is moving here. For more info: www.hollywoodonfire.com.

• Scott, an industry colleague, is facing major heart surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN in the next few months. Please pray for him, his wife and two young children as they plan the logistics and embark on this journey. Pray that all health insurance issues work out, that the surgery is successful with no complications, that the recovery goes smoothly, and for provision as they lose their only source of income for at least 6 weeks. 

• Producer Mark Joseph, who produced the rock soundtrack for the Passion of The Christ, recently launched his brand new record label, Bully! Pulpit Records.  Let's pray for Mark as he promotes his first CD under this label, and that he will experience God's strength, wisdom and discernment with all of his decisions.

• HPN Atlanta is involved in a major prayer outreach at the City of Refuge and they will be holding a prayer meeting there on March 18^th for the children and people of this inner city community, with our old friend and HPN member, Pendelton! We want to pray for Cassandra and Kim as they unite with their community and the young people in Atlanta.  Also pray that doors will open for them to be able to start prayer walks on the studio lots there - The TNT Studios, Tyler Perry Studios, CNN and other studio lots in Atlanta.  For info on City of Refuge go to: http://www.cityofrefugeinc.com and see what's going on with HPN in Atlanta, GA at: http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/local-chapter/atlanta.

• HPN Hawaii is undergoing some powerful spiritual battles. Local Dir., Barbara says: "While I have faced some opposition and scrutiny here, (to be expected) with the Local Chapter, the blessings have still been divine. For those who really understand our purpose, gift and calling, we have been able to be a real blessing to the media and film industry through prayer and service to the community." Will you pray for Barbara and ask the Lord to open doors for her to spread the message there about Hollywood and the need to pray for the world's most influential mission field. She is building a relationship with the Hawaiian Film Offices, and she has been able to encourage some of the local talent agencies to place HPN literature in their offices. They are also praying for office space for HPN with the Hawaii Prayer Tower, in downtown Honolulu. This location will open doors for a more consistent meeting place. Learn more about HPN Honolulu at: http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/local-chapter/hawaii.

• Update from HPN in Madrid: "I´ve had some very good responses from people about praying for us regularly and we're very thankful and excited as to what God´s going to be doing through this. Our goal is to have people praying for us and the ministry everyday and so far it looks like it´s not going to be difficult to get that. We're in the process of organizing the list of days and times and are so grateful to have people praying for us." In Him.  Hector & Lilli Ramirez, Aslan Theatre WorkShop and Arts School www.aslanperformingartscentre.org.

• The weekly Thursday night prayer times are growing and wonderful. Any industry pro in LA who wants a refreshing hour of praise, worship and prayer, is welcome to come to the Wiley Chapel, at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, every Thursday at 7:30 - 8:30pm. For more info, email Caren@hpnemail.org

• From now until Easter, Gary Stratton will be leading a one-hour prayer service every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 10 AM at the Act One offices. It will be a time of spiritual direction, fellowship and prayer.  Anyone in our community is welcome to come and pray.  For more info, go to: http://www.actoneprogram.com/contact.htm

• The National Day of Prayer gathering will be at Bel Air Presbyterian Church on Thursday, May 7, 7:30-9:30pm. This year's event promises to be a wonderful gathering of God's people from across Los Angeles. Please consider participating in this great time to of worship and to intercede for our Nation, our state, our city and our industry. For more info. go to: www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org

• Because there are so many upcoming events in our community, other than prayer events, this month we are giving you a link to click on to get the full list, in greater detail, on the Hollywood Connect website. That's the best place to go to get connected to our Christian community. So, be sure to read all that's going on in our mission field at: http://www.hollywoodconnect.com/current-events

That's it for March.  There is so much to pray about and we thank you for your faithful partnership with the Christians in Hollywood.  We need you more than you know.

It is critical that Christians gain tools for discerning the philosophy and religious views present in the media they consume and in the media being consumed by your children.