At The Movies, our message series where church and movies meet is just around the corner. Each weekend of At The Movies can be an incredible experience no matter where you are gathering on the weekend.
Now, a campus gathering will be an amazing experience, but we are also aware that over 71% of Americans would rather watch a new movie from home than go somewhere. So, what better place is there to help our friends and family engage in life-changing content than from our own home!
Because of this, we want to help you host a Home Gathering where you can invite your neighbors, friends, and family to see what God has to say about our lives.
Create a Space
Movies are best watched in a comfortable environment. Take a few minutes to consider the best place in your house to watch a movie. Clean, organize, and rearrange it to include as many people as you can! Creating a space to gather can be just as intentional as actually attending the gathering together. Put some thought and energy into it and pray that God would meet your family and friends there.
Bonus Points: Decorate your home to fit the movie theme you are interested in.
Get Comfortable for the Movie
When the LCBC gathering kicks off, spend time focusing on building relationships with the friends, family, and people in the room. The previews, roll-in music, and opening make for a great ambient atmosphere to chat and get ready for the main event. Use this time to get snacks, popcorn, soda, or whatever you prefer ready for everyone.
Bonus Points: Go around the room and guess what everyone thinks the movie will be this week.
Have a Discussion Time
At the end of each gathering, there is a list of 4-5 questions that can help you immediately start applying the content from the teaching. As the host, think about a non-invasive or fun way to explore some of the questions. Match the energy level to the movie that you just watched. An exciting movie could have you asking some questions as you move around and recap what you experienced. A thoughtful movie might have you creating some extra time to reflect together.
Bonus Points: Make a point to invite them to come back next week.
Send out the At-The-Movies Extended Cut
After each weekend movie, our team has some extended scenes with the teacher from the weekend. They go deeper into what they were thinking when preparing the message and add more to how the movie can impact our lives. Go to lcbcchurch.com/studies to find these follow-up videos and send them out to the crew that you watched the movie with. This will help them continue thinking about the movie they just watched and how their lives can begin to change throughout the week.
Bonus Points: Ask a question in the text message that gets a conversation rolling.
For more information on Home Gatherings, what are they? how do you start one? or if there鈥檚 one near you? Find the answers to all those questions here.
If you're interested in other articles about At the Movies, check out:
A Parents Guide to At the Movies
3 Ways to Make Your At The Movies Invite Intentional
2022 At the Movies Invite Toolkit
As you鈥檙e thinking about who to invite to your home gathering, remember you can use all of our digital invites to send via text or email on LCBCAtTheMovies.com - you鈥檒l also find instructions there on how to save and send them.