March 2008 Newsletter

PRAISES:
• The Pastor's breakfast last month in Minneapolis at the Twin Cities was a hit with 40 people coming to share the vision of praying for Hollywood. Here's a link to the radio interview that Karen did prior to the breakfast: http://www.kkmslive.com/MP3/15020608-Karen%20Covell.MP3

• HPN’s FIRST FRIDAYS 24/1 is launched! The first Friday of every month we are mobilizing people to pray, around the world for 24 hours that day, focused just on Hollywood, the people, the projects, the influence and for God to do miracles here. Would you join us in praying some time during the day or night on the first Friday of the month? Our first 24/1, this past Friday, was wonderful. For more info email Caren at Caren@hpnemail.org.

UPDATES:
• A clarification from last month - Warner Bros threatened to lay off 1,000 employees, but because the strike ended, they did NOT lay off that many people. They laid off dozens, but not 1,000. Praise God!

• Continue to pray for Carl Vogel's son Luke who is paralyzed. He's coming home from the hospital finally, and is slowly getting little signs of mobility, but needs a miracle, patience and continued support as he forges ahead in his recovery. (Correction - Carl is the Vice Chair of EchoStar.)

REQUESTS:
• Please pray for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards on Saturday, March 29th. It lifts up and celebrates the kids and adults who impact children around the globe. Pray that there will be wisdom in the decision of choosing the winners and discernment in the audience watching. A list of top stars will appear, Miley Cyrus and the Naked Brothers Band are set to perform and Jack Black will host. Click on our HPN Kids Prayer Calendar to pray for some of these people being awarded at: http://www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org/prayer/hpnKids.php

• The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is coming up to it’s time for contract negotiations on June 30th, so we ask for your prayers, that they don’t STRIKE. Our industry can’t handle another strike right now. So, please pray for the Lord to intervene and for the negotiators to agree on the issues PRIOR to the June 30th contract expiration date. We ask for quick, wise and fair conversations.

• The networks are already starting to choose this year’s TV pilot season. Of the five pilots ordered last week, four were based on international formats; the British drama “Ny-Lon” and the Israeli drama “Mythological X” at CBS and British comedies “Outnumbered” and “Spaced” at Fox. The possible reason: “Most foreign series don’t rely on big production values but on storytelling, which also proves attractive to US studios that have been searching for ways to lower production costs in the wake of the writers strike.” (Hollywood Reporter 3/5/08) Please pray for the decision makers at the networks as they choose the shows that the world will be watching in the Fall. May they be full of truth and beauty.

• Drew Barrymore, who is an Ambassador for World Food Program, is donating $1 million to help fight hunger through WFP. She announced it on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last month. Please pray for Drew’s giving heart, for her to know that God is the source of her finances, and that her effort will inspire others to be generous and give freely.

• Pray for the Actor’s Co-Op, which is a Christian ministry that offers an award winning season of plays in Hollywood. They are going through leadership changes and they ask for us to pray that the Lord is glorified and that the right people are chosen to run the company.

• Steven Spielberg is said to be preparing to launch an online social network focusing for people who claim to have encountered ghosts or aliens. The network may include original video content investigating alleged ghost and UFO stories. Please pray for Steven and ask the Lord to nudge Steven to fall in love with Him.

• Pray for the people involved in ShoWest, a huge industry convention in Las Vegas that ran this March 10-13. Many film execs and creators gathered there to bring independent and specialty films to our culture and decisions are made as to which films will be picked up. Robert Redford received the ShoWest Visionary Award for his work in supporting independent films at his Sundance Film Festival (which took place last month). Independent films are becoming more and more of the common fare in our theatres and on TV, so please lift up the filmmakers and the buyers as they choose what stories to produce and distribute.

• Pray for the powerful impact that TV has on our culture. Researchers clearly acknowledge this; for now a monitoring device has been created that can be attached to children’s computers and TV sets that gradually reduces their TV time by 50%. By cutting down on sitting in front of the TV, researchers at the Univ. of Buffalo found that it helps overweight children eat less and lose weight. “30% of the children using the TV diet device went from overweight to not being overweight,” experts reported.

• Please pray for Patrick Swayze, who has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Let's lift him up and ask the Lord for healing and for his salvation. There are conflicting reports as to how serious the cancer is right now. Some say he has only weeks or months and others say his treatment is doing well. HPN is sending him a Bible and a love note.

REQUEST FROM HPN INDIA LOCAL CHAPTER DIRECTOR:
• The Atlanta Chapter had their first meeting last month and it was GREAT. They praised the Lord for the end of the strike, as they prayed for the needs of Young Hollywood, in light of the recent deaths and ongoing troubles with Britney Spears. They are also asking us to join them in praying for the serious problem of predators on the internet. Let's join them in this concern. Locally, they prayed for Art Within which is going through a restructuring for Tyler Perry who tapes his TV show "House of Payne" in Atlanta, for a local Hip Hop Gospel radio announcer and his outreach to youth, as well as Canton Jones, who released a new album on the night they had their meeting. We thank the Lord for Cassandra and her leadership there!

• "The Berlin Local Chapter hosted a series of "Berlinale Prayer Breakfasts" last month, that provided a gathering place each morning for filmmakers attending the 58th Berlinale Film Festival. Over the eight-day period almost fifty different screen writers, actors, directors, producers, musicians, film technicians, and students of film-making from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and the USA (an average of 16 per day) came on one or more mornings to become acquainted, share experiences, network, enjoy coffee, fruit and muffins, meditate on a Psalm of David, and pray. Each day a different person from the film sector was interviewed. At the last breakfast a German actress/screen writer/film-producer was interviewed, and she shared her experiences and beliefs about her involvement in the area of film art. When Psalm 34 was read aloud, another young actress beamed because "that Psalm is the actors' Psalm!" she exclaimed. (Read for yourself: a psalm of David after he pretended to be insane in front of Abimelech, who then drove David away.) Praise God for a great time of outreach and fellowship. And thanks to Mary Boy for her leadership!

• The Bollywood Local Chapter asks for continued prayer for their summer outreach, with Ravi Zacharius, to the entertainment community there. Also, if you want to get a copy of the India Media Leader Prayer Calendar, go to: http://www.galilean.org/pco.htm and sign up to receive it.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
• The new book, “Branding Faith,” just hit the shelves on March 1st and HPN wants you to know that it’s written by our dear friend Phil Cooke. Phil is an expert on Branding and his new book is about making an impact in a media-driven culture. Check it out at www.brandingfaith.com. And Phil says to HPN, “I need all the prayer I can get!”

• The Act One Seminar: Screenwriting and the Business of Hollywood is coming to Phoenix, Arizona on Fri. and Sat., April 11-12, 2008 at Scottsdale Christian Church.! Act One, Inc. presents Act One Seminars - intensive, practical workshops for aspiring and professional writers and entrepreneurs who are serious about their Christian faith and who dream of creating culture that respects and enriches a global audience. These two-day seminars are taught by Hollywood professionals. Dates: Please pray for that week-end, along with ACT ONE's deadlines this week for their LA summer month long program. For more info on both, go to: www.actoneprogram.com

• The National Day of Prayer is celebrated on Thurs. May 1st and for the 15th year in a row HPN will be gathering the Christian community in Hollywood to pray for our nation and for our industry and it’s impact. Will you join us in praying that day, and even joining us that evening? Also pray that we will be able to have a satellite feed to the main Washington DC event so that they can know that Hollywood is praying as well! For more info go to www.HollywoodPrayerNetwork.org.

Thanks so much for praying with us and have a GLORIOUS EASTER! Bring a friend to church and tell someone who may not know that CHRIST IS RISEN!

In Him,
Karen, Caren, Gloria, Kelly and Rhonda
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“I remember a couple years back, I was up for an Academy Award. I could see a lot of the politics and the things involved in it. And I just remember my mother saying, "Just remember, man gives the award. But God gives the reward." So I understand that what I've been blessed to do is a part of God's plan. And as long as I please Him, then I'm pleased.” Denzel Washington - Bullypulpit interview

VERSE OF THE MONTH:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10