Albany, Ga., known as the birthplace of Ray Charles, also is home to Sherwood Pictures, the movie-making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church.
On this sunny May morning, Albany is buzzing with the sounds of “lights, camera, action!” as the Sherwood team is hard at work on its next production. Courageous is the fourth film from Sherwood, following Flywheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof.
“The movie is about fatherhood,” explains co-writer, director and actor Alex Kendrick. “Four fathers who are all in law enforcement–who protect and serve together–go through a terrible tragedy.”
“They begin looking at their role as fathers and they begin challenging one another to fulfill God’s intention for fathers. We believe that a father is given a purpose and he should strategically raise his children to know God, to love God, and to obey God,” Alex adds.
Along with Alex Kendrick, the Sherwood Pictures leadership team includes Michael Catt, who is the senior pastor of Sherwood Church; Jim McBride, the executive pastor, and Stephen Kendrick, the co-writer/producer of Courageous.
I had the opportunity to speak with Alex, Stephen, Michael and Jim this week during a set visit. I also spoke with several actors, visited Sherwood Church, and previewed rough cuts from the film.
It was whirlwind, fun experience and I can’t wait to share the in-depth stories. Look for a video and an article close to Father’s Day, and several other stories as the release date nears.
I can tell you that this movie steps it up a notch from the previous excellent productions—and that the people putting out these films are genuine, godly and exceptionally creative.
Please check out a few photos from the set (gallery is on the upper left), and visit CourageoustheMovie.com. In addition, you can follow the production process on Facebook and Twitter.
Most importantly, pray, pray, pray! This team covets your prayers as filming continues. Even before page one was written or one actor was cast, Courageous has been saturated in prayer. “The key to Sherwood is prayer,” says Senior Pastor Michael Catt.
