“We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.” (Colossians 1:3-4)

Dear Mr. Phillips,

May our Lord continue to bless your ministries. This is a belated note of thanks from a family that attended the Film Academy and was scheduled to attend the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival but was unexpectedly called away.

As a homeschooling father, elder in a local church, law professor for a Christian law school, author of a number of federal court opinions, and father of aspiring Christian filmmakers, I was pleasantly surprised by this Film Academy. You and the other members of the faculty laid the proper orientation and sound theological foundations necessary for any Christian’s participation in this powerful medium of communication. Upon this foundation, the faculty then provided effective practical instruction in the art of filmmaking, equipping our children not only to understand the role of the Christian filmmaker today but to carry it out. On top of this, you have facilitated a vital and growing network of these talented and inspired culture changers to share ideas, work together, and increase their effectiveness in advancing our Lord’s messages through film.

Before I attended, I thought I understood the importance of this medium for communicating God’s message, but I was wrong. I now see the critical point in time that our Lord has chosen to lift up this generation of Godly and talented young people to challenge our sinful culture, and the impressive technological tools that He has set before them to confront and transform our nation and our world.

This Film Academy met and exceeded all of our hopes and expectations. Even beyond the excellent instruction and helpful interaction with students, my family experienced firsthand the Godly character of the people involved in these Vision Forum ministries. After the closing session of the Film Academy on Wednesday evening, my dear grandmother died and went to be with the Lord. Therefore, we were not able to stay and see the film that our children had made and that was being shown at the Film Festival....It was a very difficult time for my family, but I never heard one complaint from any of them. I am convinced that this was due to the grace of our Lord, shown in large part by the tremendous outpouring of love and care that we received from all of those serving with Vision Forum, and particularly Pat Roy, Kevin Turley and Kathleen Turley. These ministers of our Lord showed His love to my family at a time when we really needed it. I will always be grateful to Vision Forum for how you cared for us and prepared us to return and minister to the rest of my grieving family.

Thank you Mr. Phillips and Vision Forum for discerning the times so well to prepare a generation of culture changers, for your faithfulness to His word in preparing them for this great work, and for the good fruit that you showed in the way you have done all of this. May our Lord increase your ministry and its effectiveness in transforming our world for Christ.

Gratefully,
Robert S. and Family