'Courageous' star speaks out on fatherhood, community involvement, hope

GAINESVILLE - An crowd of more than 500 showed up Wednesday night to hear actor Ken Bevel from the recently released movie "Courageous" speak at a Montgomery Memorial Baptist Church in Gainesville.

Before he spoke to the audience, Bevel took a few minutes to share some thoughts on his unexpected movie career that developed when he became a member of a church in South Georgia. Bevel said he does a good bit of traveling on behalf of Sherwood Baptist, the Albany-based church behind the movies "Flywheel," "Facing the Giants," "Fireproof" and now "Courageous."

"Prisons to traveling to talk to major companies are all in that spectrum," said Bevel. "I really enjoy doing that and just giving people hope."

All of the movies produced by Sherwood are low budget, especially compared to Hollywood standards, and all of the players...on screen and off...volunteer their time and talents for the films. Each film has a Christian focus, and "Courageous" is no different. Bevel said this time, fathers are the target audience.

"Nobody wants to have a child and say, 'You know what, I'm going to have a child tomorrow and I'm just going to be a bad dad.' No man says that. Every man wants to be a good father, but what we're lacking today is the tools, which is God's Word," said Bevel.

As far as another film production for Sherwood Baptist Church, Bevel said it's likely, but there's a process involved.

"We usually pray about 18 months before the next movie or the next idea to come out," he said. "We don't want to just be known as that movie church, just kind of cranking out a movie every two years."

Bevel spent a few hours in Hall County Wednesday and toured some of the more impoverished communities in the Gainesville area. He said Gainesville is not unlike other cities he sees all over the country.

"There are so many needs in our communities, needs for fathers, needs for families, most of all the need for loving our communities," said Bevel.

And, he said those needs provide the outline for the speeches he shares in his travels.