Having no shame, I asked a few friends to review People of Faith: Christianity in America for the Vision Video website. If you are planning an adult Sunday school curriculum, consider these recommendations.

Time flew by
People of Faith Christianity in America presents an outstanding overview of the history and practice of Christianity in America with all of its rich diversity and profound complexity. Respected religion historians excellent narration and skillfully edited video move the story forward compellingly covering a lot of territory in six short episodes. I watched the entire series in one sitting and the time flew by. I highly recommend this program.
– Robert Black, 30 Good Minutes

Excellent tool
For those who are fascinated by the relationship between religion and culture in the United States the video series People of Faith Christianity in America is a trustworthy guide. Each of the six sessions guides the viewer to follow an issue or trend in the history of Christianity in the United States and see its manifestation in religious social and political events throughout our history and today. The clear and focused narrative along with the superb visuals and commentary by universally respected scholars makes this an excellent tool for use in classes for adults and teenagers in the congregations of all denomination.
- Claire Buettner St. Luke’s Lutheran Church Park Ridge Illinois

Excellent history
People of Faith does for the history of Christianity in America what Ken Burns has done for the history of the Civil War baseball and jazz. Steve Rabey’s scripts are carefully researched and easy to follow. This isn’t just a dry chronology. Rather each episode follows a thematic view of the last two centuries in a way that would allow that episode to stand alone in a classroom setting or fit seamlessly into a viewing of the entire series.Coproducer editor and videographer Tim Frakes is a consummate storyteller who has kept the episodes visually captivating through impeccable variety and pacing. Interviews with scholars help the viewer not just to grasp what happened in the past but to understand how the church institutions and organizations we know today have come to be. This series belongs in every congregational collection and university library.
- Rev. Mark D. Johns Ph.D.Associate Professor of Media StudiesLuther College Decorah Iowa

Order on DVD or download electronically through Vision Video.

People of Faith: Christianity in America is available through Vision Video. Call 1-800-523-0226 or log on to
www.visionvideo.com/peopleoffaith.html to order the 2 DVD set for home or congregational resource library.

The scope of this project is massive. Larry, writer Steve Rabey and producer Paul Butler began the project in 2006, but the sheer weight of the material brought production to a crawl.  Larry and Paul asked me to drive the length of the field and move the ball over the goal line (to use a sports metaphor)!  My role has been as producer, videographer and editor.  Paul did quite a few scholar interviews early on.  He also began the editing process on episode 3.  Steve Rabey wrote the scripts for all six episodes.  After taking over the project I contributed with additional scholar interviews, hours of new worship footage, historical landscape exteriors, hours and hours of editing including narration recording with Tim Lundeen and narrator Maurice England.

Synopsis
Episode 1. Faith in America: From Monarchs to the Marketplace
The people who arrived on the shores of the New World came from many places. They came for many reasons. And most of them brought with them traditions of Christian faith that had been practiced in Europe for centuries. But an interesting thing happened once these new arrivals settled down in this vast and fertile land. The regulation of religious practices that had long been controlled by kings and governments in Europe was now up for grabs.

Over time these people of faith created something in America that had never been seen in the history of the world. They created a nation where this religious freedom gave birth to unprecedented levels of religious diversity, experimentation and competition among churches and religious groups.

These spiritual pioneers laid the foundation for a spiritually diverse New World where faith and practice were no longer controlled by monarchs, but by common, everyday men and women.

Episode 2. Many Mansions
Jesus once told his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.” And many Americans have embodied this diversified vision of heaven in the way they look for churches. But how did American religion become so diverse? The answer has a lot to do with the people who came here, and the policies they established.

Episode 3. Rebels with a Cause
Christians have played an important role in American public and political life from the beginning, but that doesn’t mean people of faith always speak with one voice on social issues. In fact, members of various churches and faith traditions have frequently found themselves on opposing sides of these issues—often pursuing different priorities and outcomes. The one thing they do have in common is that people of faith share a common desire to battle principalities and powers to usher in their vision of a better world and often see themselves as “rebels with a cause”.

Episode 4. Challenges and Change
For generation after generation, Americans worked to create a place for faith at the center of public life. But you know what they say: “The only thing that’s constant is change itself.” As times changed, culture changed. So churches and religious groups responded to cultural change by focusing on new issues and challenges.

While Christians applied their faith in new ways to new problems, other people suggested that faith was irrelevant for modern times. But Christians in America were not about to give up. Instead, they reached down deep, re-examined their faith, and explored ways to apply their values to the changing social landscape.

Once Christians in America felt they had created the ideal church or the good society, new developments and challenges arose which upset the status quo and forced them to rethink their beliefs and find new ways to apply them to current conditions.

Episode 5. Home Grown Saints
More than any other nation, America has given its citizens the freedom to shape their religious lives as they see fit. Centuries ago in Europe, religion was largely controlled by popes and potentates. But America has taken a more open approach that has leveled the playing field, allowing anyone and everyone to play a role in the country’s thriving religious life.

America has been home to so many people of faith that it’s challenging to pick out ten of the most influential Christian leaders of the past two and one-half centuries. Home Grown Saints is a short list of ten men and women of faith who had a great impact on the shape of Christian faith in America.

Episode 6. The Future of Christianity
Christianity spread throughout the world over the past 2,000 years. And it has thrived in America over the past two centuries. But what does the future hold for faith? We asked Catholic, Protestant and evangelical experts eight questions about the future of Christian faith in America.

People of Faith: Christianity in America is designed for use in congregational settings, adult forums and Sunday school classes. Featuring leading authors and scholars of American Church History including:

Martin Marty: University of Chicago
Curtis Evans: University of Chicago
Mark Noll: University of Notre Dame
Scott Appleby: University of Notre Dame
Jean Bethke Elshtain: University of Chicago
Joel Carpenter: Calvin College
Philip Gleason: University of Notre Dame
Thomas Kidd: Baylor University
Darren Dochuk: Purdue University
Kathryn Long: Wheaton College.

HAPI Executive Director, Valerie Mossman-Celestin and my friend, photo journalist, Paul Jeffrey asked me to help with this project. The footage will be woven into a short documentary. “Let’s Hear it from the Girls” (working title) will connect the voice of girls in a rural Haitian community to touch us with stories, music and dance that convey the joys and challenges of growing up female in Haiti. The film will also capture the subtle messages of hope emerging from a dream that the community recognize the value and equality of girls and women.

We will be working in Mizak, a mountainous, rural section of La Vallee in South-East Haiti, 80 km south of Port-au-Prince and 12 km west of Jacmel. The total population is just over 35,000. Seventy percent are peasants living under the poverty level of less than $1 US per day, and 63% of the population is under the age of 18. There are no jobs available, no electricity, no telecommunication system, no plumbing, and no water filtration. The majority of households have no measurable income and they rely on system of barter and trade.

HAPI plans to make this DVD available as a teaching resource to folks in the United Methodist Church. The project is funded in part through a grant from the United Methodist Women’s organization.

Look for more in the coming days and weeks!

Emmy lived with his mother and siblings on the outskirts of Kitgum. A bright student, Emmy worked his way into a management position at a store-front cafe on the main street of this dusty, provincial town. Not only did he run the store, he also served as an IT educator for friends and older Ugandan customers unfamiliar with the internet and computer technology.

After high school, Emmy enrolled in Gulu University and studied computer science. Despite considerable financial struggles, the burden of being the oldest male child, (Emmy’s father passed away several years earlier), theft of his computer and concerns about his mother’s health, Emmy emerged from Gulu with a bachelors degree.

Today Emmy serves as the IT manager for St. Josephs Hospital. In June, 2011, he launched their new web site. Check it out! http://www.sjhkitgum.org/

Emmy is a great example of the kind of talent, vision and energy possessed by many young Africans. He is a sign of hope in a world in need of something to hold on to.

Cary brings an impressive skill set to this summer position including video production, script writing and Final Cut Pro editing skills. Cary is an aspiring film artist with lots of stories to tell.

This summer Cary will be assisting in production of stories for Lutheran Life Communities, 30 Good Minutes (WTTW Channel 11, PBS, Chicago), and many other projects. You can reach Cary via email at: brownm@huntington.edu or check out his web site at: http://www.caryslivingportfolio.com

In the years following the 1956 Cuban Revolution, a hand full of scattered churches of Christ that began in late 1930?s, dwindled to a few hundred members. Today, revival is spreading across the island.

Download this presentation here.

The Consortium is a network of over 120 endowed parishes distinguished by innovative and effective programs and approaches to leadership education for lay and clergy in the Episcopal Church. The Consortium’s mission is to bring leaders from endowed parishes together to foster the development and use of endowments for mission and ministry in our communities and in the world.

One year after the January 12, 2010 earthquake, Haiti struggles to rebuild. Yet, signs of hope emerge through sustainable development and rural agricultural co-operateves. Chris Herlinger, Church World Service, reports from Haiti.

It’s not all bad news coming out of Haiti. As workers put on the finishing touches, Pastor Livenson Lauvanus of the Haiti Evangelical Lutheran Church shows off their new office space in Port Au Prince. The new space will provide offices space, guest lodging, a chapel and meeting space. Funding for the rental property was provided through the ELCA.