HomeCity NewsCongregational Church to Host ‘Movies in the Park’

Congregational Church to Host ‘Movies in the Park’

First published in the Sept. 8 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.

La Cañada Congregational Church will launch celebrations for its 125th anniversary with “Movies in the Park” events at Memorial Park each Friday night from Sept.16 through Oct. 28.
“When our church was founded in 1898, we were the community church, and it is important to continue to provide community-building events like this family-movie series,” said the Rev. Kyle Sears, senior minister at the church.
The films featured will be a collection of new and old family favorites, starting with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” followed by a “Tangled” sing-along.
Memorial Park is across the street from the church and is a natural location for these family events, according to Sears.
“Memorial Park is the heart of our community, hosting ‘Music in the Park,’ ‘Fiesta Days’ and holiday celebrations,” Sears said. “We want to continue in these traditions by offering free events for families to connect with one another and build a strong sense of community.”
Sears considers movies an important part of community communication.
“Stories are how humans make meaning of what can be a confusing world, and shared stories allow us to understand perspectives different from our own. They entertain us but also enlighten us,” he added.
Sears did not grow up religious, and movies were the way he made sense of life.
“Growing up, movies were a spiritual experience that allowed me to connect my emotions and thoughts in ways that my words could not contain,” he said.
Each Sunday during the film festival, Sears will reflect on spiritual ideas in a sermon series called “Faith on Film.”
“The stories of faith are often shared stories, and movies are new ways of telling these old ideas,” he said.
La Cañada Congregational has a history of using movies to explore themes of faith — a beloved former pastor, Rev. Philip Anderson, published a book of sermon reflections called, “The Gospel According to Disney,” based on sermons centering on stories from the animation studio’s library, a theme reflected in an updated Disney sermon series last year.
“Movies in the Park” will begin on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. at Memorial Park, and continues each Friday night through Oct. 28. A full list of films is available at lacanadachurch.org.

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