Karen Covell is founding director of the Hollywood Prayer Network.By Neil Earle
“Do they really pray in Hollywood?”
That was one parishioner’s response when I played a DVD clip from the Hollywood Prayer Network to illustrate a point.
“The Hollywood what?” some will say. “Do people pray in Hollywood?”
The answer is a big “Yes” and the point was immeasurably strengthened last month. The Beverly Garland Hotel and First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood were venues for the Hollywood Prayer Network’s partnering in “The Summons” directed by such evangelical stalwarts as the National Day of Prayer team and Pray for America. John Robb was also there representing his Hollywood Prayer Council and other individual agencies sent delegates as well.
This reporter was able to be squeezed in (graciously) for just one day – Friday, October 3. But that was time enough to get the gist of the event which included bus rides and prayer walks to Hollywood studios, prayer walk testimonials and panel discussions from ministry leaders who hold small group support sessions and two stirring plenary sessions. Friday’s featured speaker was the youngish DeVon Franklin, former intern under Will Smith and now president of his own production company.
Karen Covell is founding director of the Hollywood Prayer Network.Even over breakfast on October 3 it was obvious that some points raised by Christians in the industry had struck home. Gwen from Maryland testified that Christians needed to stop being so judgmental over what goes on in Hollywood. “We need to pray that they would forgive the church for old hardened attitudes towards Hollywood.”
Hollywood Prayer Network, of course, has spend years stressing that Hollywood, for all its oppressiveness, isn’t Babylon. Hardly. At least three thousand Christian film crews, carpenters, electricians, set designers live and work there just like Anywhere, USA. Indeed, there was a special sub-theme throughout of remembering the children of those folk who came from all over the country who feel a call to work in the city.
“Hollywood isn’t Babylon but more like Nineveh – Jonah was afraid of Nineveh and yet it turned out to be a tremendous mission field.” This is a well-known HPN mantra and it was good to see it being picked up by the 200 or so delegates at the Summons. John Robb helped set the table for that rethink by quoting theologian Walter Wink: “history belongs to the intercessors who can believe the future into being.”
“God’s [power doesn't stop at the Hollywood sign," LeVon Franklin added in his passionate keynote that Friday. “The movies don’t come out of people inherently evil. You must pray through the things you don’t understand.”
Later that evening a spiritual punctuation mark was made to this evangelical rethink on Hollywood by a prayer leader who hailed from the Western states. It was not until she saw the statue of Walt Disney on the Disney lot that it hit home how much Disney Studios had influenced her growing up. Of course. As we sat there we couldn't help think of such wholesome gems as “Old Yeller,” “The Shaggy Dog,” “Follow Me Boys,” “Mary Poppins” and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” Her message spoke to all of us. “Hollywood is not evil," one prayer leader confessed, “We have to help it get back to the good quality entrainment it was once known for.”
Many delegates spoke feelingly of their bus trip to the worship service at the Radiance Art Gallery on 8967 Sunset Blvd., right in the heart of it all. Delegates Barbara and Cathy “felt the power” as they prayed and sang there. “Let’s try to remake HBO into His Business Only” one visitor testified in a warm takeaway.
HPN’s leader, Karen Covell held a panel discussion Friday afternoon featuring five leaders of special support group ministries in Hollywood. All had stories to tell of transformed lives in the area, including their own. Kim Dorr-Tilley of the Beacon support group at Bel Air Presbyterian argued that “the church has broken faith with its talented artists. But we’re all broken people.” She urged churches to have film nights discussing non-Christian films, as was done the previous night at First Presbyterian when Reese Witherspoon’s latest effort “The Good Lie,” was screened and discussed. Gary Swanson spoke about the pain of rejection as “the greatest brokenness” among the young hopefuls who pour into Tinseltown and to whom he and his wife take on the role of dad and mom. Shun Lee from Indiana added: “This is a town of orphans. Everyone is in survival mode without fathers and mothers to back them up.”
Los Angeles-based actress and director Nan Schnebly followed up these insights. She showed that Christian artists have to move beyond the "Godspell" image to do challenging work ranging from Eugene O’Neill to Arthur Miller. “What do they say about life, about God? “She offers this theme as a suggestion for lively discussions on Christians and the arts. Saun then stated a frustration of reporting back to his home church on his work in Hollywood and being asked “Why is there so much swearing in the movies?” Kim jumped in with a fine answer to this perennial bugbear: “Jesus never met a Christian. He did not say, ‘Stop swearing and I’ll talk to you. His attitude was, I’ll meet you where you are.’”
Christian Lee Storm at Act One is proactive, inviting professional actors and directors to come to her meetings and teach the craft. “Craft is big in this industry. You have to be professional to gain respect. Then you can have influence as a Christian.” Kim then briefly exegeted what she called a slightly offbeat move, “Magnolia,” as an example of the Exodus being “pitched” in modern terms – it rains frogs at the end. The message, which deeply affected one of her co-workers whom she invited to a private screening, was, “God can intervene for you.”
It was hard not to discern in the midst of the comings and goings and the plenary and private sessions the undergirding spiritual influence of churches such as Hollywood First Presbyterian Church or Bel Air Presbyterian or Fuller Seminary as represented by Professor Robert Johnston, a noted Christian movie critic. The good news is that there have always been Christians in Hollywood determined to make a difference. How well I remember actress Jane Russell speaking at an event across from the Hollywood Bowl and then later reading of how she helped start Bible studies for her colleagues in the 1960s and 1970s. Imagine that! And the time would fail us to tell of Ronald Reagan, Denzel Washington, and Mark Walhberg (pictured, right). One gets the feeling that the Summons has created 200 lively allies for HPN spread across the country.
As DeVon Franklin concluded in his plenary session: “We’re in a big industry but I serve a bigger God. We know the Script Writer and the Master Director. And we know that the hero always wins in the end.” That’s “hero” with a capital “H.”