October Newsletter

Dear HPN members,

It's October, with Halloween, and the big pre-election month flurry.  Hollywood is revved up with political movies coming out and celebrities taking stands. Let's pray that Jesus is lifted up this month in the world's most influential mission field.  It's time for us to fall before our Lord and tell Him that we need Him desperately - - for that's just where He wants us!

SUMMARY:

• HPN's 5 minute DVD is now on YouTube!
• Joe Eszterhas's Christian testimony is beautiful!
• HPN is praying for you to donate toward our $18,000 matching grant
• HPN is now using Good Search!
• Pray for Bill Maher and his militant pro-atheism Doc Religilous
• Pray for the producers of the pro-faith film An American Carol
• Pray for the new study by Baylor called What Americans Really Believe
• Please pray for Christian singer Ray Boltz and his family
• Pray for Paul Newman's daughter, Nell, after her father passed away
• Pray for Paul McCartney and his salvation
• Pray for the Annual meeting of the Mission America Coalition (MAC)
• HPN is in need of a volunteer to help us write Spiritual profiles
• Pray for Keith and Martin's inde film, thriller "Double"
• Joe Eszterhas will speak at the upcoming Act One Conference
• The National Media Prayer Breakfast is moved to March 6, 2009

PRAISES:

• HPN is excited to announce that our 5 minute DVD is now on YouTube.  Here is the link.  Enjoy it and pass it on to your friends, neighbor's and pastors! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSnGyi7mvyY

• Joe Eszterhas, has published his beautiful testimony.  Pray for him as he becomes more public with his new book, "Crossbearer: A Memoir of Faith."  It discusses his 180 degree turn away from Hollywood and hard living, when he converted to Catholicism.  Read his testimony at: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2008/09/my_base_instincts_and_gods_lov.html

UPDATES:

• HPN is still praying for friends and members to donate toward our $18,000.00 Matching Grant by the end of this year.  Thanks so much to those of you who have helped us.  We are praying that all of you will ask the Lord if you are to be a part of our financial team, so that we can double your donation in the next three months.  We can't do anything that we do without your prayers and your financial gifts!

• What if the Hollywood Prayer Network earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to GoodSearch.com and be sure to enter the Hollywood Prayer Network as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

REQUESTS:

• Pray for Bill Maher and his militant pro-atheism documentary Religilous, directed by Larry Charles (Borat), the purpose of which is to support the view that people of faith are pretty wacky. Bill says "We are a nation that is unenlightened because of religion. I do believe that - I think religion stops people from thinking. I think it justifies crazies."  May Bill's film supernaturally lead people to the truth of the Gospel as they watch.

• On Oct. 3rd, the same day of the release of Religilous, the film An American Carol also opened. Pray for Director David Zucker and his pro-American, pro-faith comedy.  It's produced by two members of our Christian Hollywood community. Steve and John are taking the rap for producing this conservative film, so please pray for them and David Z. to be wise in their interviews, conversations, and in response to the attacks they're getting for their film and it's perspective.  And check out the film yourself.  Remember you can vote at the box office.

• A coincidental release of a comprehensive new study by Baylor University called "What Americans Really Believe"  is available for viewing. Movie stars like Maher, Matt Damon, the cast of Saturday Night Live, as well as famous atheists like Richard Dawkins continue to make fun of the "weird" believers.  Their statements support the study which shows that of the 11 percent of America that claims to have "no religion," Hollywood's numbers are higher.  Please pray for the lost in our industry.  For insight into the study, go to: www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story=52815

• Please pray for Christian singer Ray Boltz (most known for his song "Thank You") and his family, for Ray recently announced that he is a homosexual and divorced his wife.

• Paul Newman passed away last month of lung cancer, at 83.  Please pray for Paul's daughter, Nell, who has inherited "Newman's Own," that she may have wisdom in running his successful charity, and that she may find comfort in Jesus during her time of loss.

• Pray for Paul McCartney and his salvation.  He's been attending a Bible study in his search for Truth.  Paul was recently in Israel putting on a concert, after his recent divorce.  Pray that God will use any or all of these things to draw Paul to Himself.

PRAYER REQUESTS FROM OUR HPN MEMBERS:

•  Our little thriller "Double" is finally out and will be screening in 3 festivals in 3 states over 3 days - October 23, 24, 25 -- Pray for us as we pour our focus on the premiere at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood on October 23rd, 7:15 pm.  Thanks.  Keith & Martin

• Minneapolis HPN Local Chapter member, Marcy Grams, was joined by other members, Jerry Gill and Fran Briggs as she spoke at the Annual meeting of the Mission America Coalition (MAC) - Oct. 8 & 9.  MAC has joined HPN in building a National Arts & Entertainment Ministries Network where they are highlighting Arts Ministries for the first time to their other members. Pray that hearts will be touched and eyes will be opened to the mission-field and people of Hollywood.  If you have an arts ministry, please join the growing Network at www.MissionAmerica.org

REQUEST FROM HPN:

• HPN is in need of a volunteer who is able to come into our offices once a week and spend an hour typing profiles of people in our industry to send out to our Incognito Prayer Team facilitating prayer for that particular person.  The information is ready but we need help getting it typed and emailed out.  If you're interested, we would be so grateful and would love to talk to you.  Just email us at Caren@hpnemail.org or call us at (323)462-8486 ext. 106.

UPDATING EVENTS:

• Act One is offering a Storytelling Conference October 17 & 18 (9am - 5pm) in Hollywood!  One of the featured guests is Joe Eszterhas.  Vicki Peterson, director of the Act One Writing Program and conference coordinator, says; "We are grateful to Joe for returning to Hollywood and hope he sees it through new eyes."  There will be six other powerful speakers, including Karen Hall, of "Judging Amy." For more info, go to www.ActOneProgram.com or to their conference page on Facebook.

•  The fifth annual National Media Prayer Breakfast has been moved from November to March 6th, 2009.  We'll keep you posted. 

Thanks so much for praying with us for Hollywood and for Hollywood's impact on our nation and the world.

TIP OF THE MONTH:
Learn what some people in our nation think about Jesus and Hollywood:  http://creativity-online.com/work/view?seed=f03050fe