Brought to you in state-of-the-art 3D animation, the voices of an all-star cast (Ralph Fiennes, Julie Christie, William Hurt and Ian Holm) bring an aspiring perspective to the greatest story ever told- the life of Jesus Christ.
FIREPROOF Arrives! It's late November 2007. Sherwood Baptist Church volunteers are out in full force, both behind the scenes and in front of the cameras-another amazing day on the set of FIREPROOF. Real firefighters from the Albany Fire Department stand shoulder to shoulder with volunteer actors playing firefighters in this new film. News media, local residents, and church members anxiously watch as a house burns time and again ... all in the name of moviemaking!
Beyond all of the actors and crew, prayer has been cast in the central role this day ... and every other day of filming. Protection for all involved, the ability to thematically capture the drama, and the desire for these scenes to impact moviegoers months from now are just a few of the prayers.
It's the same day, but two hundred miles away. A small team from Sherwood and Provident has traveled to the WinShape Retreat Center to show two rough-cut scenes from FIREPROOF to the Marriage CoMission, a high-impact group of marriage-ministry leaders from all across the land.
Knowing these people could help build interest and awareness for the movie, and eager to see how the film will be received outside of the set, the team prays ... for these leaders, for the marriages they impact, and for the marriages that might be impacted by this movie.
After the two scenes are shown, tears stream down the faces of the leaders. They have long prayed for a rallying point to help people commit to God-honoring marriages. Stephen Kendrick finds himself choked up as he tells how God has given Sherwood this story of a firefighter, his wife ... and a marriage worth rescuing.
At some point on that day, November 29, 2007, FIREPROOF became more than a movie ... it became a movement.
On this day, September 26, 2008, the FIREPROOF movement takes hold in 839 theaters across the country. Churches, ministries, businesses, and individuals have brought the movie to 98 different communities by committing to purchasing 1,000 tickets. Other churches, ministries, businesses, and individuals have purchased hundreds of show times.
FIREPROOF has consistently been the top-selling ticket on Fandango this week. The Love Dare, originally a plot device in the film, has become one of the 25 best-selling books on all of Amazon. The movie has been highlighted this week on FamilyLife Today ... and The Today Show. It's been the subject of conversation with Dr. Dobson ... and Dr. Phil.
And to think ... it all goes back to that day in November where on the set and at WinShape, the prayers of different groups of people with different focuses really became the same prayer: That God would do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever hope or imagine with FIREPROOF.
Welcome to FIREPROOF ... Opening Weekend!
A Word from Sherwood Pastor Michael Catt "I am encouraged by the hundreds of emails I've received from pastors around the country regarding FIREPROOF. To know that pastors and church leaders have taken up the cause and believe in the message of this movie is encouraging to me.
"It is my prayer that every pastor, church, and ministry that uses this film will find that it helps them in their desire to change the world from where they are. I hope and pray that all across this land, churches will seize this God-sized moment and use it to impact homes and the culture."
And a Big Thanks From the beginning, we've asked you to support this movie. And you've responded in amazing ways ... and numbers. You have caught the vision of how this film could make an impact in your home ... in your neighborhood ... in your community ... in your world. Thanks for all you have done.
As with all members of the FIREPROOF team, our final ask of you as the film opens is similar to what those people did on that November day last year:
As you experience FIREPROOF this weekend, please pray for each and every couple and single person in the theater with you. Ask God to do exceedingly abundantly more than they could ever hope or imagine in their relationships.
