LaReeca Rucker
The Clarion-Ledger
From the archives

If you’re marriage is experiencing “Growing Pains,” a former teen heartthrob turned Christian actor and evangelist has a message: Marriage is a “Love Worth Fighting For.” 

Kirk Cameron, who first gained fame as a 1980s sitcom star, will appear Aug. 18 at Crossgates Baptist Church in Brandon. 

“The Love Worth Fighting For marriage event is a very special event that came out of the movie ‘Fireproof,” Cameron said by phone. “That was a movie that so many people saw and loved that we decided to turn it into a live event and bring it to the community.” 

The event combines music, humor and personal stories about marriage with biblical insights, said Cameron, a father of six who has been married to fellow “Growing Pains” star Chelsea Noble for 21 years. 

“It’s a time for your husband or wife to be together with you for three or four hours without the kids to laugh, sing, love and pray,” he said. “Our hope is that people leave knowing their marriage is worth fighting for.” 

Taken to more than 50 cities in three years, the program is also for people who are getting married or hope to one day, Cameron said. 

“We have couples who come who are separated and couples who have been divorced,” he said. “They know they don’t want to fail when it comes to family. They really want it to work. They want some hope and help… 

“It’s not a bunch of lecturing and preaching. It’s me and Warren Barfield sharing a little of our life and the things we’ve learned.” 

North Carolina-born singer/songwriter Barfield and wife Megan have been married for 11 years. They have one son. 

Faith and family, Barfield said in a news release, “are the things I would die for; things I will wake up every morning and spend my day fighting for.” 

Paul Hand, Crossgates marriage and family pastor, said Cameron’s success in the film industry and his commitment to marriage “is simply the evidence of the impact that Jesus Christ has made” in his life. 

Cameron, who also starred in the Christian film “Left Behind,” recently produced the documentary “Monumental” (www.monumentalmovie.com.) Just released on DVD, it follows Cameron across Europe and the U.S. as he seeks to discover America’s true “national treasure” — its people, places and principles. 

The documentary, he said, helps viewers “understand what made this the strongest, freest nation on Earth, so we can get back to our original principles before America falls apart.”