Another Great Movie Night

Friday night was our third Family Movie Night and I'd say it was our best so far! We had almost double the attendance of last time (110 compared to the 60-some from before) and everyone had a lot of fun! We sold over 50 bags of popcorn at the snack bar, and all sorts of candy.

We started the Family Movie Night as a replacement event to the Family Experience we did over the past year and a half. As much as I loved doing FX, it became too much to pull of with the addition of Saturday service, and our families didn't respond with as much interest as we'd hoped for. Family Movie Night has quickly filled a need for those in our church--an inexpensive (if not free), safe, fun outing for families. But we don't just end the movie and say goodbye, we also provide the families with a discussion guide that leads the parents in a conversation with their kids about themes and concepts from the film.

I love how the families in our church are responding to this event. And I love how simple it has been to pull off. We obtained a license through CVLI for a great price, which gave us unlimited showings of movies from authorized producers for a year. What I appreciated about CVLI, as opposed to other companies, was the extensiveness of the producers they work with. Then we just had to purchase candy and drinks (we only provide Capri Suns and water to avoid messy spills) to sell at the snack bar to cover the costs. One of the best elements, though, was the gift of a popcorn machine from one of our volunteers. It fills the building with the smell of popcorn, and has the taste of that from the movie theater. And reading through the movie reviews on Kidology also helps inspire the discussion guides we give out.

So we've found and easy to provide, fun, cheap, well received event for the families of our church. Can't wait for the next one (which is March 27 in case you were wondering)!