Courageous DVD

Honour Begins at Home - four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Protecting the streets is second nature to these men.

Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.

While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they're quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark. When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God ... and to their children?

Filled with action-packed police drama, COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Viewers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children. Raising their children in a God-honouring way – that's courageous.

Courageous is rated 12 and has a running time of 129 minutes. This DVD is Region 2 and will play on a UK DVD player.

Subtitles on the DVD are Danish, English UK, French, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Spanish Castilian, Swedish and Ukrainian.

To most people’s surprise, the movie makers behind recent big success ‘Courageous’ and 2008 hit ‘Fireproof’, are not a huge Hollywood studio or a commercial TV giant. The creators are among a new wave of independent film producers with a heart and a message. Sherwood Pictures is an adventurous outreach initiative of Sherwood Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. Concerned that church was sliding down the scale of popularity, the leadership team looked around for new opportunities to get the Christian message into the mainstream.

Sherwood’s leaders realised that, for most people, spending time in church was way less important than sport events, education and movie going. With the mindset that it was better to address the situation than complain about it, Sherwood set about the development of a triple barrelled outreach programme: The Sports Park, Sherwood Christian Academy and Sherwood Pictures.

How It All Began

In 2001 Sherwood’s leadership team we went off on retreat to Orlando, Florida but took a day out to visit Disney World. Observing the attention to detail everywhere, they were challenged to think that if a secular company can be this committed to excellence, why can’t the church of Jesus Christ?

In 2002, associate pastor Alex Kendrick founded Sherwood Pictures with $20,000 in donations and a team of visionary volunteers bolstered with a handful of industry professionals. Picking up steam in 2003, the company released its first feature length film, ‘Flywheel.

The simple script about life change in a dishonest car salesman was written by Alex Kendrick and his brother Stephen. With the $20,000 raised from church members they bought a digital camera, boom mike and some lights from Home Depot. 60 church volunteers made up the cast and crew and filming went ahead in the evenings with the cameras running ‘dolly tracks’ made of PVC drainpipe.

‘Facing the Giants’ followed in 2006, and in 2008 Sherwood Pictures released ‘Fireproof’ – passing even Hollywood’s new releases the highest-grossing independent film of the year.

Courageous The Box Office Hit

Sherwood’s latest movie, ‘Courageous’, is a police action drama that explores vital roles of fatherhood in family, church and community. The new movie presents men with the opportunity to step up and take back their responsibilities of husband and father.

Filmed in seven weeks of April-May 2010, Sherwood Pictures have much in common with Calvary Pictures, with their church base in Memphis, Tennessee, and the makers of ‘The Grace Card’. Sherwood used Calvary Pictures using as the model for their work. Both churches rely heavily on the practical, financial and prayerful support of their visionary home church.

‘Courageous’ is filmed in Sherwood’s home town of Albany, Georgia some of it actually in the church where the congregation's 3,000 members gather to sing and pray. - Les Ellison

Continuing the life changing impact of the hit movie Courageous, the producers have linked the films themes to ‘The Resolution for Men’: A book, programme and study course that enables and empowers Christian men, husbands and fathers to take responsibility for their lives, marriage, family, church and community.

Boldly picking up the issues and themes of big screen action movie, ‘Courageous’, ‘The Resolution for Men’ restores the self respect and spirit of responsibility taken away from men in recent years. ‘Courageous’ is the faith inspired police action drama that explores the vital roles of fatherhood in family, church and community that still call out for men of courage in Christ.

Risking their lives everyday, four courageous cops find their toughest call to serve and protect isn’t on the streets, it’s in their own homes. As husbands and fathers they have to make a choice: stay in the comfort zone or show real courage and take up the challenge of what it means to be a father.

‘Courageous’ is a powerful story of strong male leadership and presents men with the opportunity to step up to the challenge of fatherhood in family church and community. The movie is a clear, bold encouragement to men in taking on their responsibilities of home, husband and father.

Calling Men To Be Men

‘The Resolution for Men’ is where men will find the encouragement and inspiration they’ll need if their going to rise to their true calling as men strong in Christ for their own families, church and community.

Taking masculinity back from the bullying chauvinists and self-centred egotists, ‘The Resolution for Men’ equips men to engage as Godly men in marriage, family, church and community. Written jointly by ‘Courageous’  screenwriters Stephen and Alex Kendrick, ‘The Resolution for Men’ stands with men in a world where true manliness has been sidelined.

In ‘The Resolution for Men’, men are given back their right and power to take full responsibility for their wives and children, and to move forward with a bold and clear resolution for their future together. Based on the new film ‘Courageous’ (from the makers of ‘Fireproof’), The Resolution for Men’ is a clear call and guide for men to take full physical, social, and spiritual responsibility as fathers and husbands.

In ‘The Resolution for Men’, men are encouraged to show in themselves the qualities of fatherhood they expect to find in their Father-God. Practical guidance and understanding advice helps them toward becoming a loving provider, a strong protector, a truthful leader, a respectable authority and an intimate friend.

‘The Resolution for Women’ makes the fitting partner to ‘The Resolution for Men’, co-written with Priscilla Shirer. The sister volume inspires wives and mothers to play their part in supporting and energising the new wave of husbands and fathers rediscovering their strength in Christ. - Les Ellison

Stephen Kendrick is senior associate pastor of preaching and prayer at SherwoodBaptistChurch, Albany, Georgia. Screenwriter and movie producer, Stephen co-wrote best seller, The Love Dare, with his brother, Alex. Stephen and his wife, Jill, have four children.

Alex Kendrick is associate pastor of movie outreach for Sherwood Baptist Church. Also an actor, writer, and director, Alex’ film credits include Facing the Giants and Fireproof. He and his wife, Christina, have six children.

Randy Alcorn is founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries and a bestselling author. Andy’s books include ‘Heaven’ and ‘Safely Home’.

Courageous is an all action – yet sensitive story of 4 streetwise cops who spend their workdays serving and protecting their community, but face bigger dangers closer to home. Taking the challenge of courageous fathering, the men realise they have to step out of their comfort zones if they are to honour God at home as well as in church and on the streets.