AF, which specializes in promotional and theatrical content, took SBCV’s “Pushing Back the Darkness through Evangelism” theme and used it to produce a series of short videos, each dramatically highlighting one of the three areas of SBCV’s work: Multiplying Churches, Maturing Churches, and Mobilizing Churches (including construction and disaster relief).

The videos were produced and directed by AF’s Justin Snyder and Justin Rossbacher, with animation and editing by AF’s Won Novalis and graphics by SBCV media specialist Nate Listrom. They feature real people sharing their stories, their passion for helping others, and the big difference that SBCV’s ministries have made in their lives.

“The AF team was delighted when SBCV approached us with this project,” said Snyder. “All of us were eager to take it on, because we’ve seen firsthand what a difference these folks have already made in our state, and know they have a genuine heart for churches—for seeing them grow and thrive. But it also represented a real challenge for our company, coming amid many other projects and deadlines, since SBCV needed the final product very quickly.”

The AF staff rose to the challenge, producing the entire campaign within a month. The videos debuted on November 8–10 at the SBCV Annual Homecoming, hosted this year by First Baptist Church in Norfolk and attended by more than 1000 people. They have since been added to the SBCV web site.

Mark Custalow, a church-planting strategist for SBCV, was ecstatic about the impact of the new “Pushing Back the Darkness through Evangelism” campaign: “The creative work of Abandon Films enabled the Multiplying Churches team to communicate the urgency and excitement of church planting so vividly that a number of churches have already made commitments to initiate church planting sponsorships in 2010 and beyond. I can’t think of a more telling accolade.”

About SBC of Virginia

The Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia is a fellowship of more than 500 Southern Baptist Convention churches from across the Commonwealth of Virginia sharing a strong commitment to evangelism and seeking to have a global impact through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Information about SBCV is available at www.sbcv.org.

To view the video series “Pushing Back the Darkness through Evangelism,” visit their Annual Homecoming 2009 page.

Written and directed by Justin Snyder

Produced by Mark Gauthier and Justin Snyder

Cinematography, editing, and color by Won Novalis

Lighting and grip by Marc Hutchins

The inspiring story of Bedrock Church in Bedford, Virgina. Created for the SBCV Annual Meeting in November of 2008.

Produced, written and directed by Justin Rossbacher
Camera: Brandon Benoit
Edited by Justin Snyder