Church invites neighborhood to watch outdoor movie

Published 7:17 pm Thursday, November 5, 2015

First Baptist Church is breaking out the popcorn and drinks for an outdoor movie night this weekend, inviting the surrounding neighborhood to join.

The church is targeting the neighborhood surrounding the church as a reminder of its presence in the community, said youth minister Bryan Lee. The area roughly includes the neighborhood between Market Street and Havens Gardens and between Third Street and the Pamlico River.

“It’s just as a reminder that we’re here, we love you and we want you to come be with us,” Lee said.

Lee said the idea came about after the realization that several people he knew resided in his own neighborhood. Having worked part-time at Rachel K’s Bakery, Lee found out that many of his coworkers were living in the same neighborhood as him and his family. The event is one that the church hopes will serve as a relationship-builder, as well as a fun event for families to attend together.

“We all live close together, and we pass by each other every day and half of us don’t even know each other,” Lee said. “(Finding out about friends that live in my neighborhood), it really just opened my eyes that there are a lot of people within a short walking distance that I just don’t know, and that’s a crying shame. We share a lot in common, but we barely know each other. We’re just trying to give our community a chance to get to know each other.”

The event will feature the screening of the new Pixar animated film “Inside Out,” a movie that explores the human brain and its emotions in a fun and easy-to-understand way, Lee said. Showtime is Sunday at 6 p.m., and the church will provide drinks and popcorn. Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket to sit on during the movie.

“This is honestly just to love on our community,” Lee said. “If it happens that someone comes up and says, ‘This is a church that cares about more than just themselves,’ and they start coming (to church), then great. But we’re just really focused on making sure our local community around the church knows each other and knows that we’re here for them.”

First Baptist Church is located at 113 N. Harvey St., Washington.