Viewing of "Chocolat" Tonight at the Parsonage

Eleven of us gathered at the parsonage tonight for a meal of pizza, salad and CHOCOLATE (what else, right?!). And then we viewed the movie "Chocolat." The food was good, and the company was wonderful! Thanks to Pam and Dennis for the yummy garlic bread they brought! And the chocolate desserts were... well, they were sublime! Thanks to Courtney for surprising us with some of her awesome home-baked brownies, and the buckeye candy she brought was great too!

This Sunday night, we will meet at the church at 6:00 p.m. to begin our Lenten study based on the storyline in this movie. We will meet every Sunday night in March. Pastor Charles promises a different chocolate to sample each Sunday night... so come one... come all! It should be prove to be a very interesting and delicious study!

Chocolat: The Movie (a brief synopsis for those who couldn't come tonight)...

Chocolat is set in 1959 in a quiet village in the French countryside, where people believe, we are told in the film’s opening lines, in tranquilité. However, the town’s tranquility is shattered when the unmarried Vianne (Juliet Binoche) blows into town on a strange north wind with her young daughter and opens a chocolaterie during Lent. Although the villagers are both attracted to and wary of Vianne and her chocolate shop, the town’s pious mayor (Alfred Molina) sees her as a serious threat. The town’s passions are further aroused as Vianne meddles in the affairs of the locals including a battered wife and a village elder (Judi Dench) who is estranged from her daughter. Tensions reach a peak when Vianne stands up for some river drifters led by Roux (Johnny Depp).


Christ and the Chocolaterie: A Lenten Study

Sunday night, we will begin a Lenten study that was developed by Anglican author Hilary Brand. The course is part Bible study and part film discussion group inspired by the popular film Chocolat. Using clips from the film and passages from Scripture, the study explores issues of the power of giving, especially the gifts of encouragement, acceptance, and hospitality; welcoming the stranger; accepting difference; and how we learn from our experiences to enable change and growth.