The post Goodbye Mr. Zee, Hello New Helen Plum Library appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

WCFC-TV38 was in some ways, a typical television station. Cameras, studio, set’s, lights, video tape machines, a master control, offices. But in other ways it was different. The call letters, W-C-F-C stood for “Winning Chicagoland for Christ.” At the time, TV-38 was the largest, independent Christian television station in America and part of an emerging trend that saw the rise and public fall of famous televangelists like Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggert, the emergence of the religious right on the conservative political landscape, and a mainstreaming of the American Pentecostal movement.

TV-38 also nurtured a grass-roots ecumenical movement that crossed ecclesiastical, racial and economic barriers that had divided Christians in Chicago for decades.

The post Live in Three States, The Story of WCFC TV-38 Chicago appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Sheldon Peck, Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times from Tim Frakes on Vimeo.

Register Here

Please join Tim Frakes Productions Inc. and the Lombard Historical Society for an exclusive premier showing of the new documentary, Sheldon Peck: Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times this Thursday night in Lombard, Illinois. Admission is free.

The Sheldon Peck Homestead will be open for tours from 6:00-6:45 p.m., followed by the film at 7:00 p.m. at the Lombard Community Building across the street.

Tim Frakes, of Tim Frakes Productions, Inc., a Lombard resident and business, produced the documentary and will introduce the film and entertain questions after the screening.

Board members and staff from the Lombard Historical Society will also be available for questions regarding Sheldon Peck, the documentary and the upcoming exhibit of original Sheldon Peck paintings, Sheldon Peck: Footsteps of His Life.

The post Rescheduled: Community Showing of Sheldon Peck: Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Here is a video I helped Michael Jordan from 31 Lengths and Susan Mooney Cusick produce from Chicago Theological Seminary‘s Leaders for the Next campaign.

The post Chicago Theological Seminary Leaders for the Next appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Sheldon Peck, Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times is now complete! A 28 minute broadcast version of the documentary began airing on the Live Well Network in Chicago every Sunday in December, 2018 at noon. Check local listings for Sanctuary, Greater Chicago Broadcast Ministries.

Here is a link to the broadcast version:
http://www.frakesproductions.com/2018/sheldon-peck-an-ordinary-man-in-extraordinary-times/

The full, 37 minute documentary will be offered beginning in January, 2019 on DVD for a $20 donation to the Lombard Historical Society.

Here is the script for the documentary.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R4SVOKIDCro9UOckPP0HYlifiMzZmHyytfqIEJKoPHs/edit?usp=sharing

Sheldon Peck, Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times is the is a story infused with a humanity that resonates today. Largely forgotten in the decades after his death in 1868, Sheldon Peck and his legacy have seen a revival and renewed appreciation that recognizes his talent, passion, courage and vision. It’s a story of American Western expansion in the days of manifest destiny, and how one man embraced the important issues of his day and was not afraid to speak out or get personally involved where he saw injustice. “What Sheldon and his spouse Harriett Corey Peck did, the way they are sharing their values…. It spreads” says Sarah Richardt from the Lombard Historical Society.

The post Sheldon Peck, Portrait of an Ordinary Man in Extraordinary Times appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

With all the talk this week relating to the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, I decided to dig up Peace, Arms and a Test of Faith, a 1992 documentary I produced for Jean Martensen and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, through the ELCA Department for Communication and the Division for Church in Society.

We recorded most of this program in the Rocky Mountain Synod of the ELCA at a conference attended by ELCA members who were actively engaged in social opposition to the nuclear arms industry and specifically the re-opening of the Rocky Flats Nuclear Arsenal near Boulder, Colorado. The conference was also attended by members of the ELCA who were then employed in the U.S. nuclear defense industry either in formal military roles or as scientists.

The keynote speaker at the event was the late Dr. Timothy Lull, then Academic Dean and Professor of Systematic Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. Lull was a prolific writer and widely sought speaker with a particular interest in the life and work of Martin Luther.

During filming at a protest, I was nearly arrested along with peace activists as we recorded their provocation of Rocky Flats security personnel and successful attempts to get arrested themselves. At the time, I was struck by the contrast in costumes between the two groups; the peace activists with their Birkenstock sandals and tie-dye shirts and the security personnel with their camoflage uniforms and aviator sunglasses. Everyone has their herd.

Interviews included:
Mag Seaman, American Friends Service Committee
Dr. Gary Rochau, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rev. Nelson Bock, Araria Higher Education Center, Denver, Colorado
Melody Buck, Peace and Justice Activist
Dr. Timothy Lull, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
Janet Miller, Hill Air Force Base, Utah
Lorne Matheson, NOAA Space Environment Lab Boulder, Colorado

Typically I misspelled Matheson’s title using the name “NOAH” instead of NOAA, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Oh well, it was a church video…

The post Peace Arms and a Test of Faith appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Five hundred years ago, Martin Luther kicked off the Protestant Reformation, which contributed to the birth of our modern age. In this one-hour special — filmed on location in Europe — Rick Steves tells the story of a humble monk who lived a dramatic life. Rick visits key sites relating to the Reformation (including Erfurt, Wittenberg, and Rome) and explores the complicated political world of 16th-century Europe — from indulgences to iconoclasts, and from the printing press to the Counter-Reformation. It’s a story of power, rebellion, and faith that you’ll never forget.

The post Rick Steves’ Luther and the Reformation appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Here is a promo for a film I produced with Larry Eskridge, “A Gathering of Souls: The Billy Graham Crusades”. The Rev. Billy Graham passed away on February 21, 2018. In 2012 I worked with Larry Eskridge from Wheaton College to produced a documentary, A Gathering of Souls: The Billy Graham Crusades. It was produced for the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College through a grant from the Lilly Endowment. You can order a DVD copy through Vision Video.

We recorded the open to this 50 minute documentary in Moshi, Tanzania. The site was chosen for two reason. 1. I was already in Tanzania with Godparents for Tanzania. 2. The 1960 Graham East African Crusade was a great example illustrating the enduring global impact of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association on the lives of individual people from across the globe.

While producing this documentary, the possibility of actually meeting Graham came up. I declined to pursue it, mainly because Rev. Graham was in declining health and I didn’t want to be just one more person wanting a selfie with a famous person. Also, and most importantly, the Billy Graham Crusades were never really about Billy Graham. The BGA was a team effort from the get-go. Beyond the professionals, tens of thousands of local churches, pastors, and fundamentally, volunteer laypersons, poured years of effort into each crusade. Yes, he was the featured speaker, and yes, the organizations bore his name.

But my sense was that Billy Graham recognized that his public personality was nothing more than a useful tool in achieving his larger goal… evangelism. If Billy Graham thought they could draw crowds and change people’s lives by using a horse to tap out John 3:16 with its hoof, (they actually tried that) he would have done it.

Billy Graham was always about results. He would use any ethically responsible means at his disposal to preach the Gosple to as many people as he could. He just happened to have a great personality and an uncanny ability to preach in a way that struck a chord in millions of peoples hearts. Billy Graham always gave the glory to God alone.

The post A Gathering of Souls: The Billy Graham Crusades Promo appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

Episode 1. “The Age Wave”
It’s called “The Age Wave.” By 2030, an American demographic crisis will have become a reality. In thirteen years, America’s healthcare industry will be flooded with aging, economically unprepared Baby Boomers. Millennials, children born after 1980, will find it difficult to support the healthcare needs of their parents’ generation.

This will all take place amid a pervasive cultural bias that idolizes youth, fears death and often discriminates against the elderly. As the healthcare industry and government and social service professionals grapple with these issues the Chicago Sunday Evening Club explores the challenges facing American society as it ages, and examines ways in which communities of faith can respond in helpful ways to a looming silver tsunami.

Episode 2. Ambiguous Grief: Alzheimer’s, Dementia and the American Age Wave looks at one families journey through Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a persistent degeneration of the nervous system that represents 60 to 70 percent of all cases of dementia. The disease often begins slowly, worsening over time. 12. 48 million people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease worldwide with 5 million cases in the United States. By 2050 some estimates push the US figure to 13.8 million.

Episode 3. The Age Wave, A Faith-based Response
By 2030 demographers predict 20 percent of Americans will be over the age of 65. Baby boomers, American’s born between 1946 and 1965, will be at or above retirement age, flooding an already burdened healthcare, social security, medicare, medicaid and healthcare system. 4. At the same time, research shows that there is a growing secularization of American society away from formal, organized religious institutions and denominations.

According to a study published by the Public Religion Research Institute, those who claim no affiliation with a religious body make up the largest “religious” group in the United States. They are at 25 percent today, and growing rapidly.

As Americans age, many of the institutions who often provided care for their parents and grandparents generations are faith-based. Many of Americas hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions were founded by faith-based organizations. Large, non-profit charities, who often bear the brunt of care for America’s indigent elderly are faith-based organizations. Given the demographic realities associated with Americas approaching age wave, the Chicago Sunday Evening Club takes a look at faith-based organizations and institutions and examines how these institutions and the people who work for, volunteer and support them, are addressing the challenges posed by the coming age wave through a faith-based approach.

The post The Age Wave, Responding With Faith appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.

The post Where Cross The Crowded Ways of Life, The Story of The Chicago Temple appeared first on Tim Frakes Productions.