CHURCHES MAY SHOW OWN FILMS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 150, 20 March 1936, Page 11

CHURCHES MAY SHOW OWN FILMS

Movement in Scotland PROPOSAL FOR BUILDING STUDIOS By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—CopyrigtH (Received March 19, 5.5 p.m.) London, March 18. Scottish churches may soon show their own films. It is proposed, under the leadership of the Church of Scotland, to build studios in which a professional director will supervise the making of movies. Jliuisters of various denominations, inspired by widespread interest in the proposal, met at Edinburgh and agreed to invite all religious bodies to join a cinematograph association. The project does not involve competition with cinemas, but is intended to promote the work of the Church, to proclaim Christ’s gospel and to demonstrate Christian living. The spirit of modernity is not confined to Scottish church.es, but has communicated itself to Arabian religious circles. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Cairo correspondent says that King Ibn Saud, is studying a plan for broadcasting the sermons delivered in Mecca on Fridays and feast days, which, is an unprecedented innovation.

Invited to comnient on the foregoing cablegram, the Rev. J. R. Blanchard, minister of St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Wellington, eaid last night that the whole question of the use of the cinema for religious purposes had been discussed in Great Britain, and he.was not surprised at the news. “I certainly welcome it,” he added, “and we in this country will be interested to learn more and to find whether the organisation can be extended or made to apply to other parts of the Empire.”