Hollywood Prayer Breakfast Set for Nov. 3
Posted by Terry White on September 25, 2006
Dr. Larry Poland, a Grace alumnus and former staff and faculty member, is the founder of a Hollywood media prayer breakfast, to be held Friday November 3. Poland’s father, Frank Poland, worked for many years with Grace Brethren home missions and is now a resident of Grace Villege Retirement Community in Winona Lake, Indiana.
The Prayer Breakfast to Transform Hollywood
By Phil Cooke
SANTA MONICA, CA (ANS) — The words “prayer” and “Hollywood” aren’t often seen in the same sentence, but prayer for Hollywood’s leaders will be very much on the minds of attendees of the 2nd Annual National Media Prayer Breakfast in Los Angeles, California this fall.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, joining celebrities, top producers, directors and decision-makers to pray for the 700 most powerful and influential media professionals in the world.
Established in 2004, the National Media Prayer Breakfast (NMPB) was designed to mobilize spiritual support for leaders of global media, and reinforce the value of faith in media and entertainment.
A Christian event open to people of all faiths, NMPB is not political. It is a positive expression of care and support for those leaders of global media who wield tremendous influence across the culture.
“The message to Hollywood’s elite is that there are millions of Christians who care enough about them to pray for them—not boycott, protest or criticize them,” says Dr. Larry Poland, founder of NMPB and CEO of Mastermedia International – a ministry focused on leaders in the entertainment and media industries.
“We want to send media leaders a positive message of God’s love and forgiveness.” Poland feels strongly about creating positive alternatives to the “anger strategies” he says have been directed at the entertainment community by many Christians in the past.
The National Media Prayer Breakfast will take place on Friday, November 3, 2006, at The Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California. The event is open to the public. There is a registration fee, and attendees must register online by October 30.
The prayer breakfast is co-sponsored by the Hollywood Prayer Network (www.hollywoodprayernetwork.org), directed by Karen Covell. Karen is passionate about the power of prayer, and it’s ability to change attitudes in Hollywood.
“The only way that people will see a change in the content that’s coming out of Hollywood is to pray that the hearts of the people creating that content will change. Simply put, I believe that prayer is the strongest tool we have to touch the hearts and lives of decision-makers and to see a change in the content of Hollywood’s TV shows and films.”
Mastermedia International has been positively supporting Hollywood for 16 years through its Media Leader Prayer Calendar, a guide to praying for the 365 most powerful people in media. For more information about NMPB, call 1-866-807-NMPB [6672].
Larry Poland has seen the impact the last few events have had on the industry: “Leaders of film and TV companies in Hollywood are stunned by the National Media Prayer Breakfast. Christians are coming to town to show their love and care for them and to pray for them–not bash, boycott, and attack them. The message is refreshing. After all, Hollywood is a mission field–it’s even in the 10-40 window! It’s time we mobilized the American Church to pray as never before for ‘the most influential unreached people group in the world’ – the leaders of global media.”
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