a word from robin

February 2008

During Lent this year, which begins on Ash Wednesday, February 6^th, I will continue the Mayflower tradition of offering a study series, but this year we will again do something different. Last year, we gathered under the rubric of This I Believe, the award-winning NPR series that encourages people to write brief essays expressing their core beliefs. We now have a bound collection of those essays in our church library that expresses the core beliefs of many Mayflower members. Take a moment to sit down in our library and read them some time.

This year, we will be taking advantage of the new audio-visual equipment being installed in Milligan Hall (a drop-down screen and ceiling-mounted projector) to institute a film series for Lent featuring award-winning short films. The films come from a subscription service called Spiritual Cinema Circle, which originally grew out of a collaboration between film producer Stephen Simon (Somewhere in Time and What Dreams May Come) and psychologists Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks (authors of Conscious Loving).

The project came about as a way of helping to create a new community of conscious movie lovers, and in recognition of the fact that great films are made all the time that Hollywood doesn't distribute. Meanwhile, millions avoid the standard fare, sick of mindless violence and shallow themes. But who has time to scout the film festivals and find great films with spiritual themes?

The Spiritual Cinema Circle does exactly this, and delivers four films per month (two short films, a documentary, and a feature). I have subscribed to the service and intend to build a film library at Mayflower that can be used for years to come. Because our time frame is limited (7:00 to 8:30 p.m. for six consecutive Sunday evenings beginning February 10^th), we will watch mostly the short films, although we may watch several short documentaries (those which are less than an hour long) and discuss them afterwards. Hence, this year there is no book to buy, and we will provide the popcorn! Child care will also be provided.

It will be impossible to please everyone, of course--we are Mayflower Church, correct? But I will pick from a range of films, and not just ones that I particularly like. Class members can make suggestions and bring their own as well, and we will enjoy watching and then discussing them. The new Sunday night time slot allows the choir to participate, and avoids all the weeknight conflicts for people. I hope this will allow us to have a great class. Perhaps I can even get my colleague Harbour Winn, film guru at OCU, to guest lecture!

Mark your calendars for Sunday evening, February 10^th at 7 p.m., for the first installment in the 2008 Lenten Film Series and discussion group. We will meet every Sunday night through March 16^th. I'll put a sign-up sheet on the Deacon's Table in Milligan Hall, and ask you to indicate whether you are planning to attend (so we can set up the right number of chairs). Our first film is only five minutes long, with no dialogue. It's entitled Yoga, Noga, Reyoga--a tongue and cheek take on the meaning of yoga featuring the animated inner journey of two young monks who find themselves competing for enlightenment. Namaste.

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