Moviemaker Testifies of Prayer Changing Movie Making Process
The Awakening America Alliance hosted a special Awaken Our Nation event April 4, 2016, with producer, moviemaker, author, and friend of the ministry, Stephen Kendrick as keynote speaker.
The evening began as emcee Dan Howell, state representative for Tennessee House District 22, welcomed guests, and Sterling Brackett, chair of the board of directors and Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Foursquare Church, gave the invocation. An elegant dinner catered by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and instrumental duet by Alan Wyatt and Shawn Perkinson from Lee University Music Department set the tone for the evening.
Executive Director Kay Horner informed and inspired guests with an overview and future vision of where she felt God was leading the Awakening America Alliance. After Pastor Jamie Work of Candies Creek Baptist Church gave a pastor’s perspective of the value of united prayer and its effects in a city, Stephen Kendrick took the stage with much audience anticipation.
Immediately, Kendrick gave all credit for his success to God and prayer. “I tell people that if you were to spend time with my brother (Alex) and I during the entire journey when we do a film, you would be less impressed with us, and you would be more impressed with the God we serve,” Kendrick said. “We really do not know what we are doing.” Neither of the brothers attended film school. Their first experience with video cameras came as children, playing with their next-door neighbor’s film equipment. While in college, Alex Kendrick saw Raiders of the Lost Ark, and decided he wanted to make movies like it, but with a Christian message. It was while in ministry at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, which places a major focus on prayer, that the brothers began their first film.
“With no film training, no experience, never having been on a Hollywood set, and no money, we launched out with a Philippians 4 belief that God is a better writer than anyone in Hollywood,” Stephen said. The key was we had prayed over every aspect of this film,” he added. More than one million DVD copies of their first movie, Flywheel, have been sold.
This commitment to prayer has remained constant with each subsequent film. “The way Alex and I write is we spend six months to two years asking, ‘God, what’s on your heart?’” Kendrick added that their process of creating a film, including their newest release, War Room (a movie about prayer), has been one answered prayer after another.
This technique certainly resonated with audiences. War Room has been released in nearly one hundred countries. The film produced many spontaneous prayer gatherings in theaters andinspired hundreds to create their personal prayer ‘war rooms’ in their homes.
Kendrick encouraged listeners through many miraculous stories through his years of prayer in filmmaking, but he doesn’t limit prayer to just movies. “Spiritual awakening comes when believers commit to pray together in unity,” Kendrick said. “Every key decision must be made in prayer. Prayer should be first, rather than us just asking for God’s blessing at the end. One of my goals tonight is for you to know that God is alive and well and doing great things.”
After a brief standing ovation for Kendrick’s presentation, Rev. Al Taylor and Iris Ray finished the evening with an opportunity to contribute financially to the Alliance and, of course, a time of prayer.
The mission of the Awakening America Alliance is to serve kingdom initiatives for spiritual awakening and missional living. The Alliance has spawned several initiatives including Cry Out America, a September 11 national prayer gathering and Preach2Engage that provides free resources for churches and pastors.
The inspirational evening with Kendrick was a huge success, inspiring guests to be strategic in prayer and missional living.
For more information or to schedule an interview with Executive Director Kay Horner, contact Allie Miller via [email protected] or (423) 478-7078.
(Source: Center for Spiritual Renewal)
