Updates

from the Lent 2012 newsletter

St. Timothy's Church Library:

Bright new changes coming soon to your Church Library, and the Library Blog --You can find the blog linked on the church website: Click on "Links" in the sidebar! We're #1. The Library blog also continues to include the Film Ministry updates.

The upcoming new and improved changes should help you "check out" the books before you check them out. And, soon, you will be able to even "reserve" a book from the Church Library. We have books for everybody, feeding the Christian soul and mind!

Is there a wish list of books you would like to see placed in our library? Do you have any newer or classic books that you would like to donate?

Some recent donations to the Church Library include:
"Have a Little Faith: A True Story", by Mitch Albom - The story of two incredible men whose lives demonstrate what faith is all about.
"Becoming a Prayer Warrior: A Guide to Effective and Powerful Prayer", by Elizabeth Alves - Written by the founder and president of "Intercessors International", a Texas-based ministry. Join her at the feet of Jesus and you, too, will become a mighty prayer warrior.

Blessings during the Holy Lenten season.
-MC

Film Ministry:

The film ministry provides opportunities for parishioners to borrow films each Sunday after worship. The DVD includes questions for thought and discussion. A wide variety of films are available such as documentaries, comedies, dramatic presentations and even some historical films. New films to come on board soon, include; “Of Gods and Men” a fictional film based upon the true story of a group of Trappist monks stationed within an impoverished Algerian community and their decision whether to leave or stay when threatened by fundamentalist terrorists. Also joining the collection will be the film, “Courageous” which is about four police officers who struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers when tragedy strikes home. Please come and visit the film collection after church and borrow a film!
-PY

Heavenly Departures...

from the Advent 2011 newsletter

Films are displayed on a table in the coffee area each Sunday after services. Please feel welcome to browse the collection and borrow a film to watch with friends and family. Here are a couple of new films recently added to the collection.

Departures: This is a Japanese film with English subtitles, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2009. Departures is surely the gentlest, sweetest movie about death that you will ever see. A cellist named Diago, comes to the rueful conclusion that he’s not talented enough to make a career as a musician; having just returned to his hometown with his wife, he answers a job ad for what he thinks must be a travel agency... only to discover that company prepares bodies to be placed in coffins. Fearful of his wife’s response, he hides his new job--but as he grows to appreciate his boss and the affect that the humbling ceremony of cleaning and dressing the deceased has on their families, Diago discovers that he might have a calling. Though it starts out quietly and even seems slight, it gradually builds in emotional power, layer by layer, until scene after scene at the end is richly moving. Particularly affecting is the performance of Kimiko Yo, the secretary of the company, who harbors a troubling secret. A few moments of overt symbolism push the movie from compassion to sentimentality--but every time Departures seems to have lost its footing, a scene follows that strikes all the right notes so deftly it resonates like a bell. A truly marvelous movie. – (This review is from Amazon Canada).

Children of Heaven: Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1998. CHILDREN OF HEAVEN is winsome, poignant, life-affirming, and moral. This beautiful film tells the story of a brother and sister who live in a poor section of Teheran and have to make do with one pair of shoes between them. In the midst of poverty, this movie affirms life, love, family, perseverance, and compassion.

P.Y.

Film Ministry News

from the Fall 2011 newsletter

The Film Ministry at St Timothy’s continues to be well utilized. Films are usually available each Sunday after the service. Many are borrowed each Sunday and as new ones are added more interest is generated. Each year I hope to add at least new 10 new films. Films for the ministry are chosen using the following criteria:

• Connection or disconnection with the Gospel
• Engaging with others, to communicate God’s love and hope in non-threatening ways
• Remembering always that God has been and will continue to be there in the culture and in the people with whom we engage, working in the most surprising ways to transform his good yet tarnished creation

I have recently placed an order for a PBS Documentary titled: “The Better Hour: The Legacy of William Wilberforce”. The Better Hour is the story of Wilberforce who, inspired by faith, used his political and social influence to change the world for the better. At the beginning of the 19th century, almost a third of the British economy depended on the trade of human beings. William Wilberforce was determined to end this horrific practice, by persuading both Parliament and British society to abolish slavery in the British Empire.

~P.Y.

Book Review: "What Good is God?

from the Lent 2011 newsletter

While searching through the books at my local library on religion and faith, I recently came across a newly published book by well-respected author, Philip Yancey, "What Good is God? - In Search of a Faith That Matters".

I enjoy Philip's books as I find that they are usually a fairly "easy" read and they attempt to answer questions that I often have about my own personal faith struggles.

To quote the book cover, "What good is a God in a world where terrorists attack tourist sites in Mumbai, where women and children are sold into slavery, where a gunman kills 32 students and staff on a college campus, an where six million people in South Africa alone suffer with HIV/AIDS." Each chapter of the book introduces this question in light of different situations and places around the world where Philip is visiting and then Philip includes the "speech" that he delivered while he was visiting in this area.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the church in China and in the Middle East. Consider reading this book, it will provide some answers to your questions and it will give you lots of "food for thought".

"'What good is God?' is an open question whole answer God has invested in us his followers. We are the ones called to demonstrate a faith that matters to a watching world." - Philip Yancey

Submitted by P.Y., our Film Ministry Librarian

UPDATE:
This book, given by donation, is now available to borrow from the Church Library

More updates! God at the Movies...

Catching up on this Holy Easter weekend to update the Church Library blog:
from the Lent 2011 newsletter

Acts 17: ²²So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for 'In him we live and move and have our being';as even some of your own poets have said,'For we are indeed his offspring.'"

I was recently given an interesting article to read from "The Anglican Planet" on film and faith titled "Meeting God at the Movies."
http://www.anglicanplanet.net/canadian-news/2010/11/3/film-faith-meeting-god-at-the-movies.html
The authors, Steve Page and Julie Golding Page, (Priests-in-Charge of Mission of Hudson Bay and Arborfield in Saskatchewan), suggest that Paul's stirring evangelistic speech to the Athenians (Acts 17 - see quote above) reveals how their own culture, through the thoughts of their poets and their buildings to an unknown God actually anticipates a relationship with God. Paul also sensitively and clearly points our linkages with God's love and desire for these people to know Him. From this premise the authors propose that film is one way contemporary Christians can follow in Paul's footsteps. "To do so is not to accept the greater culture wholesale, nor to reject it wholesale". Instead they suggest a different approach. To look at film as a cultural artifact and evaluate the film for the following:

• Connection or disconnection with the Gospel
• Engaging with others, to communicate God's love and hope in non-threatening ways
• Remembering always that God has been and will continue to be there in the culture and in the people with whom we engage, working in the most surprising ways to transform his goo yet tarnished creation

UPDATE: The following films have recently been added to the collection. They are actually all fairly old films, but as the saying goes, "they are oldies but goldies".

Chocolat (2000) A woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.

Chariots of Fire (1981) The story of two British track athletes, one a determined Jew, and the other a devout Christian who compete in the 1924 Olympics. This DVD includes a second DVD with some phenomenal special features.

Grand Canyon (1991) The story revolves around six residents from different backgrounds whose lives intertwine in modern day Los Angeles.

Films of Faith

from the Advent 2010 newsletter

“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:44

“To look at art by people of different experiences – whether cultural, religious, economic, or otherwise – is a way of stepping outside of what is comfortable and familiar in order to become more compassionate. It cultivates understanding, and thus sympathy, with people who are different than us. This is an especially powerful endeavor if we are willing to consider how our enemies experience the world – what a giant step it takes us toward loving them as Christ requires” [1]

One of the purposes of the Film Ministry at St Timothy’s is to do just this. To have films available to watch which allow us to enter into the experiences of people different then us, sometimes radically different then us. This is not easy. It is difficult, sometimes very difficult and often it is almost easier just to say, “I don’t want to know. I don’t need to know” but Jesus calls us to love them and to do this we need to try and understand where they are coming from and what they have experienced. Films can allow us this experience. Good films are authentic and enlightening and have a “Christlike perspective” which is concerned with more than justice. To love one’s enemy is to consider and care what happens to him.[2]

I have some new films in the Ministry.

The first one is titled, “Faith Like Potatoes”. This is a film produced by Affirm Films, a division of Sony this is a motion picture label launched in 2008 to release gospel and Christian films. Based on the novel Faith Like Potatoes, this inspiring film tells the story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer who suffers a series of seemingly insurmountable losses, but through an unlikely friendship with his Zulu farmhand and divine interventions, discovers the key to healing himself and learning to accept others lies in his unwavering belief in the power of faith. This powerful DVD includes a gripping 54 minute documentary on the real life Angus Buchan, the making of Faith Like Potatoes, director and cast commentary, deleted scenes and more.

Another new film to the Ministry is “The Necessities of Life”. This film was Canada's submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 81st Academy Awards. Set in the early 1950s, the movie tells the story of Tivii (Natar Ungalaaq), an Inuit in the Far North who is diagnosed with tuberculosis by a doctor on a visiting hospital ship and promptly sent south to a sanatorium in Quebec. Separated from his family and unable to communicate with the concerned but condescending staff or his chain-smoking fellow patients, he is devastated by the effects of his isolation. Yet tentative connections with a nurse (Éveline Gélinas) and an orphaned Inuit boy (Paul-André Brasseur) help reintroduce him to the real necessities. This film is in French with English subtitles.

---

[1] Overstreet, Jeffrey, Through A Screen Darkly (California: Regal Books, 2007), 123.

[2] Overstreet, Jeffrey, Through A Screen Darkly (California: Regal Books, 2007), 175.

Hold a Movie Night!

from the September 2010 Newsletter

With the nights becoming cooler and darker earlier, this is the perfect time to get caught up with watching some new films. Please consider coming over to the “film table” and borrowing a film to watch. Even better, consider having a “movie night” and inviting some friends over to watch a film!

Invictus: This film tells the story of how Nelson Mandela uses the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite and inspire a post apartheid South Africa. After 27 years of imprisonment for his activism against apartheid Mandela has been elected as president. Although it was the end of apartheid, the nation remains deeply divided. Mandela’s top priority is reconciliation and he sees an opportunity in the Springboks, the national rugby team. The 1995 World Cup is to be hosted by South Africa and Mandela wants everyone to get behind their national team and unite the country. Will the team win? Will the country unite? An entertaining and extremely well acted film starring Morgan Freeman as Mandela and Matt Daman as the captain of the Springbok

Blind Side: Based on the true story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael "Big Mike" Oher. Michael has no idea who is father is and his mother is a crack head. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge however, as is her nature, ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Michael Oher was the first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2009 NFL draft.

Shake Hands with the Devil: Shake Hands with the Devil is a Canadian drama feature film starring Roy Dupuis as Roméo Dallaire, which premièred at the Toronto International Film Festival in August 2007. Based on Dallaire's autobiographical book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, the film recounts Dallaire's harrowing personal journey during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and how the United Nations failed to heed Dallaire's urgent pleas for further assistance to halt the massacre. An important film for us at St Timothy’s to watch because of our close ties with Rwanda.

New Film added: The New World

from the June 2010 newsletter

“If we are to love God, we must first stop, look, and listen for Him in what is happening around us and inside us. If we are to love our neighbours, before doing anything else we must see our neighbours we must see not just their faces but the life behind and within their faces.”

New Film:

"The New World"

From the celebrated writer/director Terrence Malick this is an epic story of love and change, As the Europeans arrive on North American Shores in 1607, we watch history unfold through the eyes of two characters on opposite sides of a cultural divide; John Smith and Pocahontas.

This is a long film (2 ½ hours) and it quite different from the usual “Hollywood” films. The director has a meditative style that may aggravate you, especially if you prefer to watch straightforward narrative, fast moving and conventional Hollywood flourishes, but it is a very good film. Terrence Malick is more of a poet who uses pictures instead of words.” Creation itself pours forth speech”, as the psalmist says, and Malick invites those with eyes to see to look closer and listen carefully.

After Sunday church services come and explore our collection of films. There are all sorts of films and I am sure I can find one that you will enjoy watching.

~P Y

St. Timothy's Film Ministry:

from the Easter 2010 newsletter

Most of us watch films to be entertained. We enjoy seeing a film with a good sense of humor, a film with a satisfying love story, a film with a happy ending, an inspirational story. Less often, perhaps, we watch a film for educational purposes. I am not referring to the documentary films from the National Film Board that I remember as a child (although I do admit to remembering a real sense of excitement when the teacher rolled in the 16mm film projector!), but rather films, which allow us to explore different perspectives on life and situations that we encounter during a normal day.

Jeffrey Overstreet, a Christian film critic who lives in Seattle, best known for his work with the magazine “Christianity Today”, writes film reviews, which encourage me to watch films with a Christian perspective. His opinions on film challenge and encourage me to ask questions and learn more about what it means to be a Christian.

Overstreet believes that Christian film reviews in the past have focused on the dangers of movie going. For example, it might have been suggested to avoid a film because it was “too worldly, might lure people into temptation and could be a stumbling block to the Christian faith”. Jeffrey believes that focusing on the dangers of a film can prevent us from realizing that a good film is like telling a story; it can allow us to encounter a different perspective and enter into someone else's world. Unfortunately, some films do “celebrate” the darkness and make it look very appealing. Think of horror films that exploit “ugly” things just to sell tickets; this is not excellence in film. A good film is real and should enable us to engage with, listen to, and understand our neighbours.

An example of a film, which may be difficult to watch, is “Juno”. A film about teenage pregnancy, it accurately portrays the painful challenges of the situation. Overstreet believes that the film shows how the characters think the challenges through, how they make choices that are “sometimes admirable and sometimes dismaying.” “Some wise decisions lead to trouble, some of the foolish decisions lead to blessings. In that way, Juno resembles real life.”

As much as we all like happy endings, try considering that a good film might not have a happy ending. Life doesn't always turn out the way we want. Our prayers aren't always answered. Christians don't always win. In fact if we are to believe in Scripture, we should believe that Christians are more likely to suffer more than others. A good film will explore what happens when the character doesn't get what he wants. It will explore the good and the bad choices that people make and the resulting consequences.

A good example of this is the film, “Into the Wild”, based on the true story of Chris McCandless a young man who leaves his home and family and essentially abandons life to live as a recluse in the wilderness of Alaska. Throughout the story God reaches out to him through many different people, only for Chris to refuse to “open” the door. In the end, he realizes too late, the missed “golden” opportunities. The film is true to life in so many ways.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5, verse14, Jesus tells us we are “the light of the world”. The world that Jesus is referring to, is a world with people with real problems; a world with the worst human behaviour, the greatest depravity; a world with people who are truly lost. This is the world where God's love and grace needs to shine brightly. This is what Jesus calls us to be and do. A good film will accurately portray this “broken” world and allow us to enter it and consider what we as Christians might or might not do.

Ultimately film choices are of course a very personal matter. What “works” for one person, may have no effect on another at all. Choose your films wisely, analyze the film for accuracy in relation to life and try and avoid always wanting the happy ending. Overstreet reminds us to “look for moments where you can see the glory of God at work in people's lives and in creation. Watch the film through the lens of faith and allow your faith to be strengthened by the awe-inspiring beauty and power of what God has made.”

-submitted by P Y

Come and check out these new films!

From the October 2009 newsletter

The Soloist: In this fact-based drama, Robert Downey plays Los Angeles Times journalist Steve Lopez. Estranged from his former wife, Mary (Catherine Keener) -- who is still his editor -- Lopez leads a solitary existence in his upscale but empty home, lulling himself into oblivion, night by night, with a bottle of wine and Neil Diamond tunes. With readership shrinking and layoffs all around him, Lopez desperately needs a human interest story to keep his career on track. He stumbles across an especially compelling one when he meets Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), a musically gifted homeless man.

As he profiles and eventually befriends Ayers -- whose passion for Bach and Beethoven Lopez finds infectious -- the columnist works to get him settled in an apartment and find him a safe environment in which to practice. Eventually he strikes on the real-life Lamp Community, a refuge on LA's skid row. Like Ayers, whose schizophrenia cut short his promising cello studies at New York's Juilliard School, many of the Lamp Community's beneficiaries are on the street as a result of mental illness.

The film examines the topics of mental illness and homelessness and it goes about that task with documentary-like realism, coupled with extraordinary tenderness. The result is a film that packs an emotional wallop and yet, paradoxically, feels hopeful. Hopeful that the simple act of friendship can make a difference in someone's life, even if we are unable to offer solutions for a friend's problems. Lopez desperately wanted to fix Ayers, to help him unleash his musical gift to the full. But it turns out that that's not really the point. Loyalty, faithfulness and determination to keep trying, no matter what—those are the values that matter most, according to this film.

The Visitor: A deeply moving drama built around longtime character actor Richard Jenkins. The Visitor is a simmering drama about a college professor and recent widower, Walter Vale who discovers a pair of illegal aliens who were the victims of a real-estate scam living in his New York apartment. After the mix-up is resolved, Vale invites the couple--a young, Syrian musician named Tarek and his Senegalese girlfriend to stay with him. An unlikely friendship develops between the retiring, quiet Vale and the vibrant Tarek, and the former begins to loosen up and respond to Tarek's drumming lessons as if something in him waiting to be liberated has finally been unleashed. All goes well until Tarek is hauled in by immigration authorities and threatened with deportation. His mother, Mouna turns up and stays with Vale, sparking a renewed if subdued interest in courtship. However, the wheels of injustice in immigration crush all manner of hopes in post-9/11 America. Vale soon realizes that he has unexpected anger over Tarek's plight, and the positive changes to his personal life that emerged from a deep involvement with his friend and Mouna might be the only legacy he takes from this experience. This film explores issues about immigration, culture and music.

Stranger Than Fiction: Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) is an IRS agent whose life is little more than a string of dull, dreary, methodical routines. Every morning he brushes his teeth a certain number of times, and he walks a certain number of steps across the street to catch his bus—and the film annotates his activities with pop-up diagrams that track his every move. Harold's activities are described to us by a female voice-over narrator—and then, one morning, Harold hears the voice for himself. At first this is merely annoying, and it drives Harold nuts—but then the woman's voice makes a cryptic reference to Harold's imminent death, and Harold begins to fear for his life.

The voice belongs to Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a novelist who has a bad case of writer's block; the problem is so bad, in fact, that the publisher has sent her an assistant named Penny Escher (Queen Latifah) to goad her into finishing her latest book. We learn that Kay has a reputation for killing off her main characters, and the reason her current novel is stuck in limbo is because she can't figure out how to bump off the main character—who just happens to be Harold Crick.

Harold turns to a literary prof named Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman), who creates a test to narrow down the possible range of genres to which Harold's life story might belong. Harold also happens to be auditing—and falling in love with—an idealistic baker named Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal), so he takes notes every time they meet, tallying the moments between them that seem to point towards a happy ending and those which seem to point towards something more tragic. Of course, since he works for the IRS, and she withheld a portion of her taxes to protest government policies, the relationship might seem doomed; then again, romantic comedies often start with couples hating each other's guts, so who knows?

This very unique but heartwarming film explores topics such as control and meaning in our lives, outside influences and death.

Submitted by P Y

St. Timothy’s Film Ministry

(from the June 2009 Newsletter)

Films recently added to the collection include:

Rachel Getting Married

Sitting through a movie about sibling rivalry at a wedding, especially one starring the doe-eyed and normally facile Anne Hathaway, sounds like a potentially painful way to spend an evening. However, as directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Jenny Lumet (Sidney's daughter), this 2008 drama is not a lightweight star vehicle à la Julia Roberts circa 1997 but a darkly realistic look at the dysfunction within a family thrown into disarray. Using an almost cinéma vérité style, Demme explores how a wedding reopens old wounds within a family in a naturalistic way made all the more palpable by the emotional acuity in Lumet's screenplay. This film beautifully explores issues of redemption and forgiveness. This film is rated R for language and sexuality.

Millions

From legendary director Danny Boyle comes “a family film of limitless imagination and surprising joy!” It’s holiday season and seven-year-old Damian believes he’s received a divine gift from above when a suitcase filled with cash literally falls out of the sky. Damian is anxious to share the wealth with those less fortunate while his fun-loving brother Anthony would rather spend it like there’s no tomorrow! But when the loot turns out to be stolen, both the boys’ plans are put to the test—with heart-warming and hilarious results. This film could provoke and interesting discussion on the Christian’s role with charity and giving to the poor.

Slumdog Millionaire

Winner of 8 academy awards, including best film, this film is directed by Danny Boyle (Millions). A Mumbai teenager, who grew up in the slums, becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating, and while being interrogated, events from his life history are shown which explain why he knows the answers. This film explores issues about poverty, choices, survival and love.

Savages

Starring award winning actors Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman, this film is about Jon and Wendy Savage who are two siblings who have spent their adult years trying to recover from the abuse of their abusive father, Lenny Savage. Suddenly, a call comes in that his girlfriend has died, he cannot care for himself with his dementia and her family is dumping him on his children. Despite the fact Jon and Wendy have not spoken to Lenny for twenty years and he is even more loathsome than ever, the Savage siblings feel obliged to take care of him. Now together, brother and sister must come to terms with the new and painful responsibilities with their father now affecting their lives even as they struggle with their own personal demons Lenny helped create. This film explores issues related to caring for aging family members, facing life’s trials, and coping with death. This film is rated R for language and sexuality.

-submitted by P.Y.

Film Ministry is "Fireproof"

(from the April 2009 newsletter)

P.Y. reports:

The purpose of St. Timothy’s Film Ministry is to help people engage with God through the medium of film. Even though the story of Jesus Christ and his people may not even be in the mind of the director, writer or producer they cannot help but tell the stories of temptation and sin, death and new life, love and joy, grace and forgiveness, salvation and redemption. The ministry desires to make use of popular, wide release (Hollywood) films to help people encounter these ideas and truths in a way in which they did not expect but also in a way, which is safe and accessible.

New films:
The Bucket List: This film staring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson strikes a nice balance between comedy and drama, favouring humour and poignant conversations over weepy developments. Morgan Freeman is a car mechanic and a loving family man with a penchant for trivia. Jack Nicholson is a billionaire with an appreciation for the finer things, but with an unsympathetic, boorish attitude (a character that is perfect for Jack Nicholson!) In spite of their obvious differences, the two men share something important in common, both are terminally ill with the prognosis of mere months to live. As they endure chemotherapy treatments together, Carter and Edward forge a friendship and begin talking about life and death. Recalling an assignment from his college philosophy class, Carter begins to write a "bucket list" of things he'd like to experience before he kicks said bucket. Staring at mortality, their deadlines looming, wealthy Edward makes some additions of his own and proposes that the two begin fulfilling their checklist, a journey that takes them around the world despite the protests of Carter's wife Virginia. From there it's pretty obvious where this movie is headed. There are laughs to be had as the men live out some of their childish fantasies. Tears are shed, lives are changed. One man learns that in spite of what little he's experienced in his life, he's always had all he ever wanted. The other has everything, only to discover he has nothing. Predictable? Perhaps, but if nothing else, this movie reminds us of the importance of the journey.

The Express: If you enjoy “sports films” you will enjoy this film which is based on the incredible true story, of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Raised in poverty in the Southern Tier of New York State, Davis overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become an unstoppable running back for the Syracuse Orangemen. Under the guidance of Coach Ben Schwartzwalder - a hard-nosed surrogate father with an obsession for winning a national championship - Davis would develop from an impressive high-school athlete into a legend. While everyone agreed Ernie Davis was a miracle player, few thought this quiet young man would become an icon for the burgeoning civil rights movement dividing America in the early 1960's. Refusing to play by the unspoken racist rules of the day, Davis broke through one barrier after another to alter the way fans looked at men of his color. Though struck a terrible blow in the prime of his life, his spirit soared when most would crumble. Forcing his bull-headed coach to re-examine a life lived in color-based privilege, Davis would join the ranks of black pioneers who inspired a movement that smashed barriers on and off the playing field.

Fireproof: Although I don’t normally include what might be called, “Christian films” in this collection, I have decided to include, “Fireproof” because I believe that this film will provoke some very interesting discussion. This film, which is entirely directed, written and acted by members of a Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia is in many ways similar to their other film, “Facing the Giants” – which is also in our collection of films. Even if the marginal acting and the predictable ending “put you off” it is worth watching this film. Post-film discussion could focus on whether or not films like these have a positive or negative impact on sharing the gospel. In fact this film and “Facing the Giants” provoked outrage from Christians when the films received PG ratings, not because of any profanities or violence, but because of its spiritual content! Also it might be worth talking about why some Christians praised the film for its positive, family-friendly values, while others condemned it as bad art, a bad story badly told that would only encourage the worst artistic instincts of the evangelicals who saw it.

The story this time concerns a firefighter whose wife of seven years wants a divorce. He is ready to give up on the marriage altogether, but his father gives him a book called The Love Dare and challenges him to follow its steps before throwing in the towel. Since Fireproof has been endorsed by a plethora of marriage ministries, you can pretty much guess how things will turn out. But the directors earn their resolution this time; instead of dropping miracles and messages from God on their characters, they keep the story focused on the Holts and driven by the choices that the Holts make. Put simply, it no longer feels like the filmmakers are "cheating."

A Few New Films for Borrowing

(from the December 2008 Newsletter)

Batman Begins: You might ask yourself, “What is a Batman film doing in a church film collection?” But this excellent film is very relevant to our Christian faith as it explores topics such as justice, revenge and man’s fall into sin. In Batman Begins, acclaimed director Christopher Nolan explores the origins of the legendary Dark Knight. In the wake of his parents’ murders, disillusioned heir Bruce Wayne travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. With the help of his trusted butler Alfred, detective Jim Gordon and his ally Lucius Fox Wayne returns to Gotham City and unleashes his alter ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses strength, intellect and an array of high-tech weaponry to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city. This film has a PG 13 rating.

Akeelah and the Bee: Akeelah Anderson is a bright eleven-year old with an extraordinary gift for words. Despite her mother’s objections, and with the help of an outspoken professor, her aptitude lands her a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, bringing together her entire community through courage and inspiration. This family friendly film opens discussion on topics such as using our talents, encouragement and perseverance.

Into The Wild: Based on the best selling book by John Krakauer, Into the Wild, this film is inspired by the true story of Chris McCandless a young man who abandons his life of comfort to pursue the freedom of life on the road, a quest that leads him to the Alaskan wilderness and the ultimate challenge of his life. This film explores topics such as forgiveness, suicide and what is true happiness? This film is rated 14A.

Juno: Juno is a charming, quirky, and witty look into the life of a whip-smart 16-year-old girl who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with her boyfriend. And again you might ask yourself, “What is a film about teenage pregnancy doing in a church film collection?” But this excellent film explores some very relevant topics to our Christian faith especially how we relate to today’s society and it’s problems. The film of course provokes discussion about teenage pregnancy and abortion, but most importantly looks at forgiveness and showing grace in difficult situations. The film is rated PG13.

Submitted by PY

Invite Some Friends Over for a Movie Night

Film Ministry
(from the September 2008 newsletter)

Every Sunday at St Timothy’s, a variety of films are available for parishioners to borrow. Each film is accompanied with a film description, information on the rating of the film and questions for discussion. The questions will encourage you to explore the theme of the film from a Christian perspective.

Why not borrow a film and invite some friends over for a movie night?

New films in the collection:
Dead Man Walking: In 1982, Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun, started corresponding with a death row inmate in Angola Prison in Louisiana. The experience changed the direction of her ministry and propelled her into activism against the death penalty. Tim Robbins has taken material from her book Dead Man Walking and reshaped it into one of the most inspiring and positive portraits of Christian ministry ever put on film. Susan Sarandon won an Academy Award for her luminous portrait of Sister Helen Prejean. Sean Penn was nominated as Best Actor for his role as convicted murderer and rapist, Matthew Poncelet.

The Rookie: The true story of a middle-aged baseball rookie of Texas pitcher Jim Morris who was derailed by a severe shoulder injury. After corrective surgery repairs, Jim discovers that he can pitch a ball even faster than he could before. When his team delivers a lacklustre on-field performance in a losing game, coach and players agree to a wager: If they'll make it to the district championships, he'll try out for a major league ball club. Is Jim about to live his dream?

Lars and the Real Girl: "A lonely, delusional young man buys a life-size sex doll on the Internet and falls in love with her, telling people it's his girlfriend." Based on that premise alone, you might consider giving this film a miss, but don’t. This is one of the sweetest, most sensitive movies of 2007, and, surprisingly, a powerful look at the body of Christ in action—and the relentless and patient nature of God's love. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll walk away with a smile and warm fuzzies.

The Shawshank Redemption: Frequently ranked amongst the greatest films of all time, this 1994 film is basked on the Stephen King short story, “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption”. Starring Tim Robbins as Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding the film is about Andy’s time in a corrupt state prison after being wrongly imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. Shawshank is an emotional and cathartic exploration of the best and the worst of the human spirit. Its message of hope and perseverance in adversity captivates and inspires while teaching important moral truths. The discussion guide will help you discuss the movie from a biblical perspective as you reflect on the themes of hope, endurance, freedom, and peace.

Coming soon:

Into the Wild: Based on the novel by John Krakauer this film explores the life of Chris McCandless the young American boy who after graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete, abandoned his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters who shape his life.

Wall-E: In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: In this 2nd film in the Narnia series (books by C.S. Lewis) siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy return to Narnia, where they are enlisted to join the colourful creatures of Narnia to ward off the evil king and restore the rightful heir to the land's throne, Prince Caspian.

Patricia would appreciate hearing of any movies you know about that would be suitable for purchase for our film library.

S L

NEW!

Film Ministry at St.Timothy's

(from the December 2007 Church Newsletter)

Introduction
Beginning early in the New Year of 2008, St Timothy’s will have a library of films in DVD format for parishioners to borrow for a one-week period. Fewer and fewer films are available in video format, but if they can found this format will also be added to the collection. The collection will be displayed each Sunday, where space is available, either at the rear or the side of our present space at Lynn Valley Recreation Centre.

Why a Film Ministry?
Films can provide us with an opportunity to experience life in all of its variety, creativity and beauty. They can enable us to encounter the world through the perspectives of others and respectfully, compassionately consider what others see, hear, think and experience. Just as Jesus was involved with popular culture by attending parties, listening to the stories of others and telling good stories himself, we too can gain insight in to today’s culture by watching films. “Good films invite us into someone’s creative expression so that we can think it over and discuss it. A good movie reflects the world we live in, so that we understand it better. A good movie is truthful – whether the subject is something beautiful or something terrible.” As a Christian watching a film we will be encouraged to look for theological themes of redemption, salvation, healing, faith, prayer, justice, grace, creation, sin, searching, evil, human nature and suffering.

Choosing films for the collection
All films will be chosen with an attitude of discernment and conscience and will have final approval from our Rector. The collection will include a variety of films suitable for children, teenagers, adults and family viewing. The collection will include films which will provoke discussion and thought about our world and will not necessarily only include films which one might call, “Christian films”. There are many films which, for whatever reason, have gone almost undetected and are excellent films to watch and also are not easily available at rental outlets, at the library or on television.

Information accompanying each film
Attached to the film will be a description of the rating. For example, whether the film is suitable for children or, if it is only suitable for adult viewing. There will be a brief summary of the film and each film will have with it 2 or 3 questions suitable for “pre and post film” discussion.

I look forward to beginning this Ministry in the New Year and encouraging you to borrow a film and to invite your friends over to watch it with you.

P. Y.

(From the March 2008 Newsletter)
Film Ministry:

P. Y. reports:
St Timothy’s now has a film library! Every Sunday after church, is a chance to look through this small, but growing collection of films and find one that interests you. Each film includes a film summary and the film rating. There is also a collection of questions, which you can use to help you to further insight into the film. I encourage you to borrow a film, invite some friends over and have a movie night!

The Collection Includes:
Amazing Grace
The Girl in the Café
Lilies of the Field
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Hotel Rwanda
Babette’s Feast
Pay it Forward
Soon to come:
The Hoosiers; The Mission; In the Name of the Father; Crossroads (St. John’s Shaughnessy).
(Please tell Patricia if you have any suggestions!)

(from the June 2008 Newsletter)
Film Ministry
K.B. and P.Y. report:

God is the creator of all things and so his fingerprints are on all things to which we lay our hands. Themes such as temptation and sin, death and new life, love and joy, grace and forgiveness, salvation and redemption, are universal truths which permeate the world around us. And so it is not surprising then to find these themes infused in poetry, literature, art and film. It is through such themes that people can come to know something of the heart and mind of God for he is their author.

The purpose of St. Timothy's Film Ministry is to help people engage with God in these themes through the medium of film. Even though the story of Jesus Christ and his people may not even be in he mind of the director, writer or producer they cannot help but tell these stories. We wish to make use of popular, wide release (Hollywood) films o help people encounter these ideas and truths in an unexpected way, but also in a way which is safe and accessible.

It is for this reason (and due to the lack of storage space) that we are being very selective of the films we are including. We want wide release films, but also ones that are not obvious to people that they include biblical themes (ie. we are not including films like "The Passion" because no one will be surprised that is contains biblical themes). This is why at this time we are not receiving donations of films, but we would be glad to receive suggestions of films that people have been surprised by.

Once we purchase a film, we watch it and include a study guide to help people see the themes, explore them and begin to ask questions as they make connections with Christ.

We hope you all enjoy, appreciate and take advantage of this new ministry opportunity and that you invite others to join with you.