news-record.com

Imagine one of those candy message hearts etched with "I want to work it out" or "Let's celebrate us."

That's the opportunity that local churches hope they are giving couples this Valentine's Day, in the form of free screenings of "Fireproof," the Christian-themed movie that has sold millions of tickets since its opening in theaters in September.

The movie's storyline involves a firefighter named Capt. Caleb Holt, played by actor Kirk Cameron ("Growing Pains"), who lives by the firefighter adage - "Never leave your partner behind." However, after seven years of marriage, he and his wife are prepared to do just that. Holt's father challenges him to commit to a 40-day test, called "The Love Dare," that ends up ministering to the marriage.

The test is a component of the book, "The Love Dare."

"The movie communicated that even though there are struggles, that those difficulties can be overcome with a commitment to each other and the Lord Jesus Christ," said the Rev. Matt Smith, the youth pastor at Gospel Baptist Church on North Church Street, which showed the movie last month.

The ministries are taking advantage of Saturday's public celebration of love and using the film to remind those drifting from each other that marriage, no matter the individuals, requires work - and to give those who have found their groove a good flick for date night.

"A lot of people would like to be committed to marriage but as tough things happen, society, their friends, and maybe even family members encourage people to bail out," said the Rev. Scott Young, an associate pastor at the Kernersville Seventh-day Adventist Church on Old Winston Road in Kernersville. The church will offer two viewings Saturday night.

"We all have struggles and issues, and that's God's purpose for creating the church, to have people come together in their struggles to work on these things together," Young said.

The movie, which has gotten applause from Christian groups, has been shown in other churches during the last couple of months.

"More than half the people were visitors, people we didn't recognize," Smith said. The church sent out 5,000 postcards through a direct-mail service, advertising the free show, he said.

The movie production company made it easy for congregations to show the film, by granting permission and charging only $250 for the print.

The movie's marketing touts that relationship on its Web site (fireproofthemovie.com): "FIREPROOF touched the hearts and impacted the marriages of millions of moviegoers. Churches across the country purchased entire show times to help strengthen marriages in their congregations and to reach out to their communities. And those churches reported increased attendance in response!"

"It's like somebody came in our house and watched us and made a movie about it," reads one of the posted testimonials, from a woman named Jewel. "My husband and I are in the process of a legal separation because I can't live with ‘mean' anymore. The movie has given me hope and assurance that it's not yet too late for us, and for Valentine's Day I'll be giving him a copy."

The two show times will allow people the option of pairing the show times with dinner.

"The statement I hear from everyone is, ‘Even my husband cried,'" Young said. "So it's a very touching issue. As Christians, people really want to live up to the promise they make to God when they get married."

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com