Announcing a NEW Summer Film Series: Hidden in Plain Sight

Do you feel bewildered or anxious when you read the news and consider where we as a nation are today?  Do you ever wonder how in the world we got here?  Do you sometimes hold back your questions or thoughts for fear of offense or conflict? If so, there's a place for you in our summer film series.   This 3 part series invites participants to critically engage with history, identity, and belief through a lens of curiosity and openness. Featuring thought-provoking talks, short videos, and powerful documentaries, the program explores how race, religion, politics, and education shape our understanding of the world. From Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk on the “danger of a single story” to the hidden history of the 1898 Wilmington Massacre and the rise of Christian Nationalism, each session challenges what we think we know about our history and encourages humble reflection and respectful dialogue. Participants will reflect on whose stories are told, whose are left out, and how we can approach complex issues with empathy and a desire to learn.  Please rsvp to the church office if you plan on attending any one or all of them. 

June 29: 4:30-6pm
"Exploring Perspectives with Curiosity" featuring:
- Chimanda Adichie's TED Talk, "Danger of a Single Story" (20 min)
- Conflicts in Teaching American History with Ben Tumin's Skipped History (Four 5-min youtube clips)
In this session, we will seek to learn more about the unexpected limits of our individual experience and education (who decided what went in our textbooks anyway?) and how to approach different experiences and perspectives with a spirit of curiosity.  No perspective is vilified as we practice gently asking questions of what we think we know about our shared history. 

July 13: 4:30-6:30pm
In our second session, we will be screening the 90 minute documentary Wilmington on Fire to study an often-overlooked chapter in North Carolina history and explore how politics, race, and religion intersected in a violent overthrow of the government in the Wilmington Massacre of 1898. 

August 3: 4:30-6:30pm
In our third session, we will be watching the 90 minute documentary Bad Faith as our tool to explore contemporary Christian Nationalism's origins, goals, impact on democracy, and increasing influence in American churches.