MMM | Issue 3

Welcome to another edition of Monday Morning Musings.

Hey, The River got some great coverage in the Edmonton Journal over the weekend. In case you missed, I thought I'd put it on MMM for your perusal.

Movie clips help worshippers find God
Don Retson, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Friday, January 18
EDMONTON - Shelby Stollery isn't usually in the habit of gripping her seat when she attends church.

But the 18-year-old University of Alberta student was sitting at the edge of her church seat last Sunday as she watched film clips from the Leonardo DiCaprio thriller Blood Diamond.

Stollery is passionate about movies. Even if she's cooled a bit on worship in recent years, she was thrilled when a friend told her about a church where the pastor is a film fiend like her.

Each January, Pastor Bruce Gritter of The River Community Church holds a movie series called God In The Movies. Last Sunday, church-goers were treated to clips from Blood Diamond, which depicts events in Sierra Leone in 1999, then listened as Gritter provided insights connecting events in far-away Africa with our own lives in the First World.

Many churches like The River are reaching out in new ways to connect with first-time visitors. Film, which can be profoundly spiritual, is sometimes that vehicle. At The River, as elsewhere, clips from popular movies help people to find God in the dark, or at the very least, help people to discover God's love for each of us.

On its website, The River notes that most Canadians don't have a high view of "church."

"In fact, when someone mentions the word, you think 'boring' or 'irrelevant.' At The River, we'd like to change your mind about church."

It has succeeded with Stollery. Since she first started attending the church in December, Stollery said she's enjoyed "the vibe" of the church's contemporary worship band and the warm, welcoming folks she's met there.

Stollery was looking forward to see what Gritter serves up Sunday when the featured movie is Amazing Grace. "The way he speaks and what he's saying is very powerful and really connects with you."

For Gritter, what's "cool" about the movie series is that folks who haven't been raised in church and aren't up on Bible talk don't feel at any disadvantage. They're on the same footing with everyone who enjoys movies.

A former student of film, Gritter said he tries to choose meaningful movies and also different types of movies. He puts a lot of research into each of the five featured films.

"These messages usually take me longer than any of the other," said Gritter, who wants to make the church experience for visitors compelling but also biblically faithful.

Spiritual cinema is a hit at a growing number of churches, especially among New Thought churches like the Centre for Spiritual Awareness.

The church, at 7621 101st Ave., subscribes to Spiritual Cinema, and each month receives copies of films dealing in some fashion with stories of hope, love, inspiration and transformation.

Rev. Patrick Cameron, senior pastor at the centre, noted that stories have been told since mankind first began gathering in community. The theatre experience, he said, is one of the few opportunities where people can sit together in a darkened environment and share their stories and connect in a common emotional experience.

"Our stories help us find meaning, inspiration and self-discovery," said Cameron, who as a former actor had speaking roles in such movies as Lethal Weapon and The Goonies.

"We celebrate and identify with the characters that we observe overcoming obstacles and challenges, and in the process discover the resources of character that allow us to achieve and create and fulfil our unique purpose and destiny."