January Newsletter
HAPPY NEW YEAR HPN,
We pray for your 2008 to be full of rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving, for that is God’s will for us concerning our lives. Let’s start the year with fervent prayer for the people, issues and projects in Hollywood…
SUMMARY:
• Thanks so much to those of you who helped us financially in December!
• Thank the Lord for Denzel Washington’s faith and for his film “The Great Debaters”
• Keep praying for the WGA Strike that is seriously impacting our industry
• Continue to pray for Britney Spears, her children, and her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears
• Robert Whitlow’s daughter-in-law Katie, passed away in December
• Continue to pray for Karl Vogel’s (VP of Echostar) son, Luke, as he slowly recovers
• The 80th annual Academy Awards is scheduled for Sunday, February 24th
• Dennis Quaid credits prayer for the recovery of his newborn twins
• Pray for Director Scott Derrickson and his new film “The Day the Earth Stood Still”
• Pray for Hulk Hogan and his faith, who is hosting “American Gladiators”
• Nickelodeon might do a “Zoey 101” Special, with pregnant Jamie Lynn Spears
• HPN is in need of industry professionals who want to have an intercessor
• The 168 Hr. Film Festival coming up in February. Sign up to pray!
• Pray for Mumbai/Bollywood, the rising crime and the film stars living there
• Pray for “Care For Hollywood” on Thursday nights
• ACT ONE: Writing for Hollywood is offering a Summer Writing Program Info Night
• Go online at www.HollywoodPrayerNetwork.org & pray for online requests
• HPN needs volunteers! Please email Caren@hpnemail.org to help
PRAISES:
• Thank you sooooooo much to all of you who responded so generously to our ask for financial support last month. It was so very encouraging. Please know that you are making our budget cuts seem a bit easier and we can see God supplying for us through you. We never take one gift for granted and even thank Dwayne so much for your weekly sacrifice that we receive faithfully with great appreciation! We praise God for all of you.
• Praise God for the uplifting film “The Great Debaters” and Denzel Washington’s committed faith in Jesus. Denzel is quoted as saying that he chooses his roles for specific reasons, based on his love for the Lord. Join us in asking God to use both this film and Denzel for His glory.
UPDATE:
• The WGA strike is still going on. They’re in the second month of striking and industry pros are feeling the stress of it: The Golden Globes ceremony was cancelled, ABC let off 30 writing and non-writing producers, agencies and production companies are hit hard, and Warner Bros. let off 1,000 people this week. Please pray for this all month. DGA and studio negotiators claim that they are coming to a quick, fair resolve, so let’s pray for them to come to a decision that will be just, wise and creative for all involved. This strike has a major impact on the upcoming negotiations with the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild, so it’s crucial that they be handled with speed, detail and justice. Chuck, a friend of HPN, is involved in the strike negotiations and we ask that God give him wisdom, favor and the right words to move them to an agreeable conclusion.
• Please continue to pray with us for Britney Spears, her children, and her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. Our heart breaks for all Britney is going through and because of the condemnation she’s getting from Christians and non-Christians alike. Let’s not judge her, but love her as a child of God who needs to turn to Him to heal, protect, and rescue her.
• Robert Whitlow’s daughter-in-law Katie, whom we had prayed for in December, passed away before Christmas. Robert wanted to thank us for our prayers. Please pray for Katie’s young child, her husband, and their whole family as they mourn her loss.
• Please continue to pray for Karl Vogel’s (VP of Echostar) son, Luke, as he slowly recovers from a serious ski accident. He is getting slightly more body movement from his fractured vertebrae and we need to keep praying for his paralysis. May God be a healing and strengthening presence in their family.
REQUESTS:
• The 80th annual Academy Awards is scheduled for Sunday, February 24th. and will be hosted by Comedy Central’s TV host Jon Stewart. Please pray that as people prepare both behind the scenes and to attend, that they will keep this ceremony in perspective, and may it lead some of the people to the Lord through the process.
• Dennis and Kimberly Quaid are now home with their newborn twins, who survived a near-fatal overdose of heparin while being treated for staph infections. Dennis said to the LA Times, “We really do feel that prayer saved them.” Keep praying for the whole Quaid family.
• Please pray for a friend of our community, Scott Derrickson, who wrote and directed “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” He is currently shooting a remake of "The Day The Earth Stood Still" with Keanu Reeves. May Scott have a powerful impact on everyone involved in the film, including the cast, crew, studio executives, etc. Let’s also pray for Keanu's sister Kim, who has been battling leukemia for some time now.
• Please pray for Hulk Hogan, who is hosting “American Gladiators”. Ask the Lord to strengthen Hulk’s relationship with Him, his family, his marriage, and his son, and that he can keep a wise perspective on his fame.
• Nickelodeon is considering a special for its 9 – 14 yr. old audience about sex and love, now that 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. "Zoey 101" is a popular program whose fourth and final season has finished shooting. Let’s pray for Jamie Lynn as episodes are scheduled to begin airing in February. May the Lord give her wisdom and direction in her young life.
• HPN is in need of industry professionals who want to have an intercessor praying JUST FOR THEM! We now have 745 “I to I” Prayer partnerships and we actually have some intercessors waiting to be matched with industry pros. So email Gloria@hpnemail.org if you’re interested. Here is an email that we got from a producer regarding her prayer partner...
“… Words can never express my sincerest appreciation for the Intercessory Prayer support from my Intercessor. Where did you find her? Not only has God answered every one of my prayer's through her ministry, He continues to open doors on the remnant.
I would have given up by now, as this industry is not for the faint of heart. I recently experienced some overwhelming stress and as a result sent my prayer partner an e-mail and she responded within minutes with a prayer that I immediately said aloud so the devil could hear me, and my peace returned to me instantly.
Spiritual warfare is no joke. I haven't had one peaceful moment since I began this project until my partner began praying. Thank you again. You are making a mark!”
In His Love, Kandis Exec. Prod.
• The 168 Hr. Film Festival is coming up in February and we want to offer any of you the chance to pray for a specific Film Team during their week of writing and week of filming and post-production. Please email Caren@hpnemail.org if you’d like to be assigned a Producer and their team to pray for. It’s a lot of fun and we want all 60 teams prayed for during their crazy, hectic, short schedule. Find out more about it at www.168project.com.
REQUEST FROM HPN INDIA LOCAL CHAPTER DIRECTOR
"The crime rate has risen 10-15% in Mumbai/Bollywood this year [2007]. There have been many robberies, thefts, rapes, and threats. Pray for the anxieties of Bollywood stars who have been threatened, such as Shah Rukh Khan, Mahesh Bhatt, his brother Mukesh, and his daughter Pooja. Pray that God would take their fear and that they would come to know God's peace. Pray also that the year 2008 would be a year of less crime and violence in the city, and that God would protect the innocent and the weak." Davita
UPCOMING EVENTS:
• Pray for “Care For Hollywood”, a weekly event starting in Hollywood for anyone and everyone impacted by the strike. It will offer prayer, encouragement and practical help for people in need during this time. Check out the banner on the website: www.arkalmighty.com. Also, if you are from a local church that can offer tangible, practical help to people who need support, counseling, food and housing, please email us at: info@hpnemail.org. We want to be a shining light in the darkness. And join us at the Mears Center of Hollywood Presbyterian Church on Thursday, Jan. 24th from 7:30pm – 8:30pm to help us minister to our friends and associates.
• ACT ONE: Writing for Hollywood is offering a Summer Writing Program Info Night on Wed. Jan. 30th at 8pm. For details go to www.actoneprogram.com. Also, don’t miss the application deadlines if you’re interested in participating.
• Remember to go online at www.HollywoodPrayerNetwork.org and click on our online prayer requests that our members post during the month. We would love to have you pray for all of the important requests coming in that we can’t put in our monthly emails.