Here are today’s dispatches from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.

1. Family/Faith-Based Entertainment Summit. Variety, in association with Rogers & Cowan, is holding the event next week (Thursday, June 21). The Summit will explore the development, production and marketing of positive content and explore the future of these markets. Speakers will include Walden Media Co-Founder Michael Flaherty, Provident Films Co-Founder Ben Howard, actor/producer Corbin Bernsen, Mission Pictures Co-Founder Cindy Bond, MPower Pictures President John Shepherd, Paradigm agent Michael Dyck, Movie to Movement Founder Jason Jones, X-Men producer Ralph Winter, Odyssey Networks Chief Content Officer Maura Dunbar and many others.

Special sessions will focus on such topics as The State of Family and Faith-based Entertainment, Reaching Family and Faith-Based Audiences: Launching and Marketing Films to Create Universal Hits, The Opportunity in Faith-Friendly and Faith-Based Content: What is Success Today?, Harnessing Digital Media for Family and Faith-Based Entertainment, What’s Next in Family Entertainment?, Film Finance and Production for Family and Faith-based Entertainment , Creative Masters in Family and Faith-Based Entertainment.  Your humble correspondent will be there too (listening not speaking).

Also on June 21, Variety will publish its Family Entertainment: Art & Biz Report which will spotlight the leaders and the latest trends in production and marketing in the growing sector. To register for the Family Entertainment and Faith-Based Entertainment Summit click here.

2. Praying for a Courageous Father’s Day. Catholic men across the country are praying a special Novena to St. Joseph (a genuine role model for Christian dads) in anticipation of Father’s Day. The Novena and supplemental resources, including video reflections, are available now on the Catholic resources website for the recent surprise box office hit Courageous (which celebrates the value of fathers). At the site, you’ll find the Novena + supplemental resources, including video reflections on fatherhood from Atlanta Arch Bishop Wilton Gregory, Randy Hain (author of The Catholic Briefcase),  Ethikos founder Paul Voss, Catholics Come Home founder Tom Peterson, Atlanta Catholic Charities CEO Joseph Krigiel and others.   The Novena officially began last Friday but there’s no rule that says you can’t start it now.

Encourage one another and build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11