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Church film series examines social, cultural, justice issues

In March, the United Methodist Church of Geneva will begin twice monthly film screenings featuring recent independent and award-winning works about social, environmental, cultural and justice issues. Comedy, drama and documentary forms will be presented, and opportunity for informal conversation will follow the screenings.

"We understand that to continue to be relevant in a postmodern and maybe even post-Christian world, we have to always be asking the question: 'How do we engage in meaningful conversations with people who may never become part of our community?'" said the Rev. Matthew Johnson, associate pastor. "We hope to show the community that United Methodists care about issues and people, and that we earnestly want to listen to how God is at work in the arts."

The series will begin at 7:15 p.m. Friday, March 12, at the church, 211 Hamilton St., with the 2006 film "The Sensation of Sight" starring David Strathairn (who has starred in "The Spiderwick Chronicles," "The Bourne Ultimatum," "We Are Marshall"). This offbeat drama, about man's search for meaning amid the ache of despair, chronicles Finn - an introspective English teacher entering a midlife crisis impelled by a recent tragedy, as he sets afoot selling encyclopedias to the town locals. "The Sensation of Sight" is rated "R" for language.

The other screening will be "Still Bill" at 7:15 p.m. Friday, March 26. Released this winter, "Still Bill" is an intimate portrait of soul legend Bill Withers, best known for his classics "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean On Me," "Lovely Day," "Grandma's Hands," and "Just the Two of Us." With his soulful delivery and warm, heartfelt sincerity, Withers has written the songs that resonate deeply within the fabric of the times. Filmmakers follow Withers and offer a unique and rare look inside the world of this fascinating man. "Still Bill" has not been rated by the MPAA.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend. A suggested donation of $5 per person will be accepted to help cover the screening rights associated with each film.

The films are part of the Incite/Insight Cinema series - and is joining a pair of weekly literature/fiction discussion groups titled Baptized Imagination.

"My desire is that Incite/Insight will place our congregation on the cultural radar of many with whom it does not have regular contact," Johnson said. "Additionally, it provides a medium for us to engage issues that are both socially and biblically important, and is an outward-focused expression and embodiment of our desire to be a church that loves God and neighbor with everything we have."

For more information, contact Johnson at (630) 232-7120 or matthew@genevaumc.org. Or visit genevaumc.org.

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