November 1, 2005

NEW YORK – Trinity Church-St. Paul's Chapel in New York City will offer a unique, multimedia festival November 15-December 13 titled "Narnia: A Multimedia Festival," in connection with the December 9 release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," a new feature film from Walt Disney Pictures of C.S. Lewis's beloved classic novel. The festival is dedicated to an exploration of the art and Christianity of Lewis.

Workshops led by the Rev. Dr. Clair McPherson, author, priest and teacher of 30 years, will be telecast online at http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/ and can be viewed live, or on demand, and offered as educational resources.

An e-course developed by Mary Ann Brussat, author of "Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life" and "100 Ways to Keep your Soul Alive," will also be offered online. Participants will receive daily meditations and brief quotes from Lewis, with weekly essays from McPherson touching on the themes of the course.

On November 29, an advance preview screening will feature a new Hallmark movie, "C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia," and present an opportunity to chat with its director, Norman Stone.

The festival summary:

Weekly workshop & online telecast: "A Celebration of C.S. Lewis" with the Rev. Dr. Clair McPherson; Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., November 15-December 13; 2nd floor, 74 Trinity Place, New York, NY.

E-course: "The Spirituality of Narnia and C.S. Lewis"; beginning November 7; with daily meditations and weekly essays. Visit http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/narnia/.

NYC premiere screening: Director Norman Stone presents C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia, docudrama airing on the Hallmark Channel, produced by Faith & Values Media. November 29, 6:30 p.m. in the nave of Trinity Church, Wall Street and Broadway, New York, NY.

The course sessions are:

Session 1, November 15: Meet the author Who was C.S. "Jack" Lewis? Many knew him as a great Christian teacher; others knew him as a great children's writer. But who was he really, and how did he manage to be so good at so many different things? Special features include clips from Lewis' movie biography starring Anthony Hopkins, and an original recording from the BBC of Lewis on "The Problem of Pain."

Session 2, November 22: Jump into the novel Find out how "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," ostensibly a children's book, can really be for children of all ages, and how it gets better as we get older. A 40-page reader's guide will open doors to new ways of thinking.

Session 3, November 29: Special movie preview An advance viewing of the new docudrama, C.S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia, from the Hallmark Channel. Trinity Church nave, Broadway at Wall Street. With Emmy-winning director Norman Stone.

Session 4, December 6: How to watch a movie Film Studies 101, or how novels are translated into movies. We'll look at clips from familiar and classic movies to see how they work, and study a page from one of the great novels to see how it became a movie. Plus more communal reading of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Session 5, December 13: Adding it all up Does the new Disney film of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe do the job....or miss the mark? We'll write a collective review of the movie, and send it off the makers.

All events are free and open to the public. For further information visit http://www.trinitywallstreet.org/ or email narnia@trinitywallstreet.org.

Note: The following title is available from the Episcopal Book/Resource Center, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017; 800.334.7626; http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/.

To read: WAITING FOR THE WONDER: Voices of Advent by Katerina Katsarka Whitley (Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 2005, 102 pages.)

From the publisher: Journey with author Katerina Whitley from Nazareth to Bethlehem, as you walk in the footsteps – and in the hearts and minds – of the biblical characters who waited for the wonder of the very first Christmas. From the ancient prophets to the three kings, from the angel Gabriel to the stalwart Joseph, Whitley imagines their astonishment and joy at the events unfolding around them.

In her inimitable style, Whitley transports readers into the lives of those who played a part in the Christmas narrative, weaving stories – solidly based on Scripture – at once compelling and thought-provoking. The voices of her characters can lead readers closer to the Christ Child and deepen the meaning of the season of Advent for twenty-first-century Christians.

Katerina Katsarka Whitley, a native of Thessaloniki, Greece, lives in North Carolina. She is the author of "Speaking for Ourselves: Voices of Biblical Women"; "Seeing for Ourselves: Biblical Women Who Met Jesus"; and "Walking the Way of Sorrows."

The enslist is published by Episcopal News Service