Hollywood actor Chris Pratt continues to live out his Christian faith in a public way, giving back to those in need and urging Americans to "be the instrument God uses to bless your community."
The "Passengers" actor recently celebrated the opening of the Boys & Girls Club of Snohomish County's new teen center named in the honor of his late father, Dan Pratt.
On Facebook, the actor shared a photo announcing the news and revealed that his father was "a funny, thick skinned, hard working man who commanded respect for authority." Pratt also gave a charitable donation of $500,000 check to the center in his hometown of Lake Stevens, Washington and shared that his father "was a pillar of his community" making the name of the center all the more appropriate.
"And now his memorial teen center will help keep kids out of trouble for many years to come," Pratt wrote. "His legacy will live on. #Godisgood."
Pratt went on to acknowledge that 2016 has been a difficult year, noting that "the negative coverage of both presidential candidates has left us divided and bitter."
"The 24 hour news cycle filled our eyes and ears with such incessant negativity and drama," he said. "They are telling us who we are, what we are. The result is we're growing further apart as citizens. And I for one feel the fabric of our society being pulled so tightly apart I worry it may tear."
Despite all the negativity circulated by the media, Pratt urged Americans not to give up, but to strive to make a difference in their communities: "We are not our government. We are not what those folks on TV say we are. We are our Boys and Girls Clubs, our rotary clubs, our senior centers, our youth sports leagues, made up of volunteers, Americans; altruistic people investing time into our greatest asset, our children."
He concluded: "We're just as strong as our will to give back to the community. We always will be. So get strong. It feels good. Be the instrument God uses to bless your community."
While Hollywood may be notoriously difficult environment for Christians, Pratt has never been shy about his faith. In an interview with People magazine back in 2012, he credited prayers for his young son-who spent a month in the ICU after he was born-with "redefining" his faith: "We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot ... It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it."
He also regularly references Christianity on social media, and visited a children's' hospital with Russell Wilson and Ciara and included Bible verses and prayers in the Instagram captions.
He later shared prayers for one of his fan's young sons who was suffering from an illness with his 3.88 million Twitter followers, praying, "Lord I pray for Sam. May you put your healing hand on him father. May his family find grace in this difficult time."
Pratt also made headlines after erecting a giant cross on a hillside on Easter weekend, explaining to Stephen Colbert, "It's Saturday before Easter, if you think about it, that's what Jesus was doing 2000-something years before on a Saturday before Easter, was carrying a cross up a hill!'
Despite being one of Hollywood's biggest stars - he was the highest grossing actor of 2014 - Pratt, who has been married to his wife, Anna Faris, for six years, appears to have his priorities in line, putting his family before fame.
"I have my eyes on the prize," he said. "The big picture is my wife and my son and I living somewhere other than L.A., just being able to be a Boy Scout leader, drink beer on Saturday, go to church on Sunday, having fun. I could coach him in football. That's the goal, and I need to do as many big movies as I can while there's still time. Because you never know what's next."
