Culture

Good News Wants to Know… – Changer

Each month we ask faith, business and nonprofit leaders to answer a light-hearted question designed to help people get to know them better and bridge our community. This month, Good News Wants to Know… What book, story or movie has been a life changer or path changer for you (aside from the Bible)? Nothing Like It In The World: The Men Who Built The Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869 by Stephen E. Ambrose – The building of the transcontinental railroad changed the way people and goods moved across the U.S., ultimately changing the world.  It is important to note that Congress committed […]

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Faith-Based Films Are Returning to Theaters

The last major faith-based film in theaters was “I Still Believe,” an Erwin Brothers production about the inspiring true love story of Christian singer/song-writer Jeremy Camp and his wife Melissa – a story demonstrating hope in the midst of life’s storms. Sadly, less than two weeks after it opened in March 2020, the COVID-driven lockdowns began and most movie theaters shut down. Of course this and other previous releases are now available via streaming, DVD and for licensed Church showings. Thankfully, in many areas most movie theaters have been opening again, and starting this September we will once again see […]

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Calvary Christian Academy Grad Develops Faith-based Film “Death of an Artist”

When we think of faith-based filmmaking, we often think about the content of a film and rarely stop to question the process behind making one. My name is Christopher Schunk, I am a graduate of Calvary Christian Academy’s (CCA) class of 2017, and I am in my final semester of film school at Biola University, a small Christian university in Southern California. God called me to pursue filmmaking around the beginning of my high school career at CCA. I accidentally took a film class due to the cancellation of another class, and I can only say this was the hand […]

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“I Still Believe” tells Jeremy Camp’s Story of Faith in the Face of Tragedy

  “I Still Believe” is based on the true story of Christian singer/song-writer Jeremy Camp’s rise to prominence intertwined with the ups and downs of his real-life romance with Melissa Henning, who eventually became his wife. This movie is being promoted as a love story, but Jeremy and Melissa’s story is so much more. At the center of their story is Melissa’s on and off struggle with cancer, both before and after their marriage. It is in the midst of this struggle that, not only is their faith tested, but also the degree of Jeremy’s commitment to Melissa. As Tom […]

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Orlando’s Wycliffe Discovery Center Named Among Top Religious Museums in the Nation by USA Today 

USA Today has recognized the Wycliffe Discovery Center as one of the ten best religious museums in the United States. The newspaper’s  2020 10 Best Readers’ Choice awards were selected by a panel of experts who partnered with their 10 Best editors to pick the initial nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. The top 10 winners in the category Best Religious Museum are as follows: Ark Encounter – Williamstown, Ky. Creation Museum – Petersburg, Ky. Museum of the Bible – Washington, DC The International Museum of Muslim Cultures – Jackson, Miss. Wycliffe Discovery Center – Orlando Biblical […]

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2020 Faith-Based Films That Inspire And Encourage

There were at least 29 faith-based films in theaters during 2019, such as “Unplanned,” “Run the Race,” “Breakthrough,” and “Overcomer,” and these are now available on DVD and streaming. Churches can also purchase licenses to show these films to their congregations. And in 2020, a number of new and diverse faith-based films are coming to theaters. These movies inspire and encourage believers and provide a special opportunity for an uplifting experience for our families. They can also be used as outreaches, since people who are hesitant to come to church might accept an invitation to see a movie.   Faith-Based […]

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“Blind Eyes Opened” Informs and Equips to Help Stop Human Trafficking

Many are aware of the growing international problem of human sex trafficking, but very few are aware of how prevalent it is in their own communities and how extensive it has become. One of the most important steps that must be made prior to taking effective action towards resolving any problem is to become informed. A new and effective tool to both inform and motivate people to take action in this battle is the upcoming documentary “Blind Eyes Opened: The Truth About Sex Trafficking in America,” which will be showing in select theaters nationwide one-night only on January 23. The film […]

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Songs of Our City

If we could write anthems and prayers for the Church in South Florida to sing in this season, what would they say? This was the question we asked ourselves at a Village Hymns songwriting workshop. We decided to start a conversation about the brokenness we see around us and pulled out a whiteboard to dive into reflection about specific issues and needs. As this filled up with words like homelessness, racial division, affluence and poverty, drug addiction, and many other expressions of brokenness, the question we asked was: “Where is our hope?” We found ourselves confessing to each other that […]

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“The Bomb Heard Around the World” Memorializes The Life and Loss of Civil Rights Pioneers

“What a man does for himself dies with him, but, what a man does for his community lives forever,” said Harry Tyson Moore, a civil rights leader who founded the Brevard County Chapter and was president of the Florida Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1950. Moore and his wife, Harriette, died in 1951 after a bomb placed under their home exploded on Christmas Eve. Harry T. Moore – Civil Rights Icon Harry T. Moore was the first NAACP member and official to be assassinated for civil rights activism. While the murder was […]

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Christmas and Rest

In 1945 Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne penned one of my all-time favorite Holiday tunes, “Let It Snow.” Growing up in Boston, this song meant more to me than any other tune we sung during the winter. When heavy snow fell, schools would close. All of my friends and I would stay in and play. To me, snow brought rest! This song reminds me of those much desired days off. Whenever there was a chance of snow, I would hum that tune because I knew what would come of it: fun, comfort, and rest. Unfortunately, we are far from […]

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