5 minute read
Unity Christian School Brings Alex Kendrick To Rome
from March 2020
Unity Christian School Brings Coach Harrison (Alex Kendrick), Amy Harrison (Shari Rigby) and Hannah Scott (Aryn WrightThomspon) talk strategy before a track meet.
Alex Kendrick To Rome “F lywheel,” “Facing the Giants,” “Fireproof,” “Courageous,” “War Room,” and “Overcomer” are incredible Christian films that have touched many lives. Born and raised in Georgia, the Kendrick brothers, Shannon, Alex, and Stephen, have been producing Christian films since 2002. Their journey started as young boys who had a passion for filmmaking and shooting movies on Super 8mm film. As sons of an ordained minister and schoolteacher, Scripture and faith were poured into them daily. Through this strong, faith-based upbringing, they each developed a personal relationship with God. Eventually, Alex and Stephen were in ministry together at Sherwood Baptist Church, where they were led to produce a low-budget, full-length movie as an outreach to their community. This led to their first film, “Flywheel,” which unexpectedly sold out multiple showtimes and was the week’s second highest-grossing movie of the cinema’s 16 screens.
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After months of prayerful consideration, a second film was developed about a high school football team who had to face their fear with faith. God answered prayer after prayer with funding and equipment which were not “formally” sought. “Facing the Giants” had been screened by several distributors but had not received a release date until seeking permission to license a song from Provident Label Group in Nashville, Tennessee. At this time, the film was requested for review, and the president of the company sent “Facing the Giants” to its parent company, Sony. Shortly thereafter, Provident and Sony partnered for the release of “Facing the Giants.” Much to everyone’s surprise, it received a PG rating for “explicit Christian content.” “Facing the Giants” astounded Hollywood by earning $10.1 million in theaters and selling 2.5 million units on DVD. Again, God prevailed. Through diligent prayer, God once again inspired the storyline for “Fireproof,” a marriage-focused film that was produced through partnering with Provident Films. A pivotal part of the film is “The Love Dare,” a 40-day challenge that the husband takes on while endeavoring to save his marriage. Following the production of the film, Alex and Stephen wrote “The Love Dare,” a ministry tool for couples. B&H Publishers published and released it in conjunction with the release of the film. “Fireproof” generated $33.5 million at the box office and was the No. 1 independent film of 2008. Both “Fireproof,” the novel, and
“The Love Dare” were on the New York Times Bestsellers List. Needless to say, Sherwood was inundated with calls and testimonies of lives, particularly marriages, being changed in radical ways. “Proceeds from the movies were used to build an 82-acre sports park and to fund mission work and new church plants.”
After a short sabbatical, the brothers felt a call to produce a film about fatherhood. “Courageous” is the story of four police officer fathers and the struggles they face at work and home. The film challenges them to lovingly lead their families. “The Resolution for Men” was birthed through the production of this film. Matt Catt, Sherwood’s Pastor, and several cast members were sought after to speak about the role of men as spiritual leaders and protectors of their homes. Following “The Resolution for Men,” Priscilla Shirer partnered to write the companion book, “The Resolution for Women.” Again, both books and the novelization appeared on the New York Times Bestsellers list! “Courageous” generated $34.5 million at the box office and was released in 20 countries. When released, the DVD was the No. 1-selling DVD in the country.
At this point, the third Kendrick brother, Shannon, joined his brothers in this amazing journey as Director of Business Operations, and filmmaking moved beyond the walls of Sherwood. The team not only expanded with Shannon but with a long-time volunteer, Kim Sancinito, as executive assistant and Brenda Harris as communications associate. The Kendrick Brothers were set to embark upon the next endeavor. The Lord led them to focus on the power of prayer with the film “War Room.” As the Kendrick Brothers stated, “God orchestrated every detail as we prayed and trusted Him.” With cast members Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, Karen Abercrombie, Alena Pitts, and Michael Jr., this film not only had prayer in its making but exuded the power of prayer on the screen. Again, the Kendrick Brothers were amazed by God’s graciousness with the success of “War Room.” It generated over $70 million at the box office.
Most recently, in 2019, “Overcomer” was released in theaters and has just been released digitally and on DVD. According to Stephen Kendrick, the movie “is about identity, an issue that everyone deals with. Everyone needs to answer the questions: ‘Who is God?’ and, ‘Who am I?’ and the Scriptures deal with both of those things. When a person discovers who they are in Christ, it opens up an
understanding of how they can live that out on a daily basis in what they do in their relationships with others.” While the final financial results are not definitive yet, “Overcomer” had grossed $38 million as of January 2020.
Unity Christian School believes in the message of each Kendrick Brothers film. “Overcomer” resonates most closely with what Unity is all about. Unity exists to partner with Christian parents in the process of preparing their children to impact the world for Jesus Christ and to achieve their God-given potential in academics, leadership, and service. A student’s ability to achieve his or her God-given potential depends on his or her ability to find identity in Christ. Unity Christian School is filled with joy and great expectation as we plan for Alex Kendrick’s arrival on March 30, 2020. There are several ways to enjoy hearing Alex Kendrick at the Benefit Dinner. Unity would love to have you as a sponsor partner at the Gold or Silver level. You may also simply sponsor a table and invite guests to join you or purchase an individual ticket. Ticket information can be found on our website, www.unitychristianschool.org, or simply by using the QR code here.
Please contact Jeannie King at jking@unitychristianschool.org with any questions or to reserve tickets over the phone. For more information on Alex Kendrick and for movie trailers, visit www.kendrickbrothers.com. Coach Harrison (Alex Kendrick), has a pep talk with cross country runner Hannah Scott (Aryn Wright-Thompson).
