Debapriya Bhattacharya
‘I Still Believe’ tells the story of the doomed romance between Christian singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp and Melissa Lynn Henning. They meet at a concert on Jeremy’s first night at college in California. At the time, Melissa is in a relationship with Henry’s close friend Jean-Luc LaJoie. However, she is unable to reciprocate Jean-Luc’s love for her and begins dating Jeremy. This causes a rift between the three of them, resulting in the couple breaking up. Jeremy returns to his family home in Indiana for Christmas, but rushes back upon hearing Melissa has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In their moment of vulnerability, they profess their love for each other and decide to get married.
Soon, Jeremy becomes a popular name among Christian singers. Melissa wins her battle with cancer and is declared healthy without surgery. The two get married within six months, but their happiness is not meant to last. In the days following their honeymoon, Melissa’s cancer makes a return. As she grows weaker, she begins to lose his faith in God. He soon goes over the edge and smashes his guitar, before picking up the metaphorical and literal pieces.
I Still Believe is a Dramatized Retelling of Jeremy and Melissa Camp’s Love Story
The events of the 2020 film ‘I Still Believe’ explore the life of contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Jeremy Thomas Campsite. It is based on the eponymous 2011 book by Jeremy Camp and Phil Newman and adapted for the screen by Jon Erwin, Jon Gunn, and Madeline Carroll. The Lafayette, Indiana, native met Melissa while leading a prayer service. She was a year junior to him, but captured his attention with her devotion to the Lord. In an interview with the Christian radio broadcast Haven Today in 2022, Jeremy mentioned that Melissa always “had an understanding that her life was literally in the hands of Jesus.” The couple dated for a while before breaking up, as shown in the film. Jeremy rushed back to Melissa upon hearing she was in the hospital.
Surprisingly, Jeremy found Melissa happy and peaceful even in the face of her ovarian cancer diagnosis. Her faith remained unshaken, as she apparently told Jeremy, “If my life or my death can bring one person to Jesus, it’s all worth it.” With their love rekindled, they got married on October 21, 2000. It was during their honeymoon in Hawaii that Melissa felt uneasy in her stomach. Upon returning, they went back to the hospital and learned that the cancer had returned. The disease spread rapidly the second time, with doctors giving her only weeks to live. Melissa drew her final breath on February 5, 2001.
The loss of his wife tested Jeremy’s faith, but he drew inspiration from how Melissa held on to her faith even in her final days. Jeremy translated his pain into his songs “I Still Believe” and “Walk By Faith,” through which he attempted to reach the Lord. He stated that they were less of building blocks for his career and more instrumental in healing his broken heart. “No matter if you’re a believer or nonbeliever … everyone goes through pain. Pain is universal. For me, I experienced that pain. What got me through it was my relationship with Jesus,” Jeremy said in an interview with USA Today.
Jeremy Camp’s Faith Helped Him Move On With His Life
Jeremy Camp lost Melissa at the age of 23. He continued to go on tours, speaking of God’s grace in spite of going through his personal trials. In 2003, he met singer Adrienne Liesching and went on tour with her. The film represents Adrienne’s character as a fan who approaches Jeremy after a concert where he sings “I Still Believe.” She tells him that his songs have had a deep impact on her life, as she lost someone close to her and is angry at the Almighty. In reality, when Jeremy talked of his faith in God’s grace overcoming grief and loss, Adrienne listened attentively. The former frontwoman for The Benjamin Gate was apparently moved by Melissa’s story and found herself drawn to Jeremy. They soon got engaged and exchanged vows on December 15, 2003.
Adrienne reportedly acknowledges Melissa’s influence in her husband’s life. When she heard about a movie being made on Jeremy’s relationship with Melissa, she insisted that it move forward, stating the story was not only about the people involved but “it’s about Jesus.” Jeremy expressed that, similar to Melissa, Adrienne also simply wanted God to be glorified. The couple has been together for nearly 22 years. Through dedication, unconditional love and mutual understanding, they have built a beautiful life for themselves and their three children.
The Makers Discovered Jeremy Camp’s Story at His Concert
Kevin Downes and his wife were moved to tears when they heard Jeremy speak about his late wife Melissa while attending one of his concerts. Along with his brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin, Kevin founded the independent film and television studio Kingdom Story Company in 2019, which partners with Lionsgate Entertainment to produce Christian films. In an interview with the Birmingham Christian Family Magazine, he shared that the company focuses on “true stories that showcase the power of the Gospel and stories of the Bible.” Upon his wife’s insistence, Kevin pitched the idea of turning Jeremy and Melissa’s story into a movie to his partners. The Erwins were soon onboard, and the trio had the complete support of Lionsgate to move forward with the movie.
Remaining authentic to the grounded nature of the story and the emotions involved, the filmmakers made a conscious choice of avoiding the glitz and grandeur of Hollywood, Los Angeles. ‘I Still Believe’ was shot in Mobile, Alabama, over the span of two months. Andrew explained the filming location, saying that they “feel passionate about people we do movies for and don’t want to get absorbed by the system on a stage celebrating about ourselves.” The script for the project incorporated passages from Jeremy’s eponymous memoir, published on February 18, 2020. The cast and crew were deeply invested in making the film, with the active participation of Jeremy and Melissa’s families on the set.
Jeremy Camp Found it Hard to Watch His Story Unfold on Screen
While Jeremy remains grateful that a significant portion of his life was made into a feature film that would allow Melissa and her resilience to live on among others, ‘I Still Believe’ still pushed Jeremy to relive the harshest moments of his life. He admitted to breaking down every time he watched the film, as well as while the movie was in production, in an interview with The Christian Post. While Jeremy was married to Adrienne for 16 years at the time, Melissa’s memory made him break down on set. Even Adrienne was left in tears with him during a script reading.
The fact that the film remained faithful to the heart of the true story despite taking creative liberties in some cases was “comforting” for Jeremy. While he claimed to walk out of the first screening crying, he wishes that the film leaves the viewers “feeling hopeful and feeling peace, knowing they can trust in the Lord.” Much like Melissa’s life, Jeremy’s song “I Don’t Believe” remains a proclamation of unwavering faith in the Lord, as the lyrics state, “I still believe in Your faithfulness / I still believe in Your truth / I still believe in Your holy Word / Even when I don’t see, I still believe.”
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