On February 8 at 1:00 pm, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church will host a screening of Diminishing Returns, a 20-minute documentary followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Colin Whitman. The event is open to the community and will take place in the church sanctuary. Event Details Film: Diminishing Returns Date: February 8 Time: 1:00 PM Location: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Program: Screening followed by a Q&A Afterward: Coffee and snacks available Why are we doing this? If you spend time in Borrego Springs, chances are that you like movies and that you may be in a book club. How often do you finish watching a movie and want to talk about it with someone else? We at St. Barnabas are providing you a chance to merge movies and discussion with a screening of a 20-minute documentary, Diminishing Returns, followed by a Q&A with the L.A.-based filmmaker, Colin Whitman. We pride ourselves in promoting justice and kindness in our local neighborhood. But where do the boundaries of our neighborhood end? How far can we go to aid people who are holding onto their way of life by their fingernails? Do we even know who they are? This film touches on the question “who is my neighbor?” as well as themes of living alone, navigating two cultures, family ties, and others. It’s gotten a lot of interest in other film venues as a parable for navigating the perceived distance between “us” and “them.” If you see Diminishing Returns at the film festival, you may get something new out of it the second time. The mark of a good film! Colin Whitman met Ernesto, the subject of the film, while he was walking his dog in his own neighborhood. He took the initiative to strike up a conversation and uncovered a surprisingly sweet and suspenseful story of a perfect stranger and his family overseas. Ernesto is not so different from us as we might assume. Come and see to find out more about Ernesto and the effect the Colin’s film had on his life. ~ Jan Naragon What to expect The film will be shown at St. Barnabas in the Sanctuary at 1 pm on February 8. Admission is free (donations accepted). Well-behaved dogs welcome. Enjoy this 20-minute ‘thinky’ documentary in a more intimate setting than the film festival, then mingle afterward with the filmmaker in a Question and Answer session. Follow that with coffee and cookies and more time to ask questions that you forgot earlier in the beautiful courtyard at St. Barnabas. Head home feeling inspired. Film Synopsis Diminishing Returns follows Ernesto, who collects recyclables in Los Angeles to help pay for his daughter’s chemotherapy treatment in the Philippines. The short documentary offers a direct look at caregiving, sacrifice, and resilience across borders. All are welcome to attend Whether you come for the film, the conversation, or the community, we hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of insight, connection, and inspiration.
"I read a story about a group of atheists who put up huge billboards to celebrate Christmas. Well, maybe not celebrate, but comment on Christmas. The billboards featured a large picture of Santa Claus with the words “Keep the merry” and a picture of the crucified Jesus with the words “Dump the myth.” “Go ahead and enjoy a happy winter holiday,” these billboards seem to say, “but don’t fool yourself with any fantasies that a god might be involved in it.” Infuriating as this may be, sometimes you can almost understand why atheists would look at some of our Gospel stories and decide that they seem fantastic, mythical, unrealistic. Today’s beloved story of the three Wise Men, for instance, evokes outlandish, improbable pictures in our minds of men on camels wearing exotic turbans and silken robes, carrying bejeweled boxes full of inappropriate baby gifts. And looking at this very odd story, we too might even be tempted to throw up our hands and say, “Such a strange story couldn’t possibly be true.” But before we dismiss this Wise Men story as quaint pageantry, we should maybe explore what’s here and why Matthew wanted to tell us the story. So we have four Gospels, one of which doesn’t tell us a Christmas story at all, and three of which tell the Christmas story in very different ways. And we need to understand that while all three versions carry truth, each of these Gospel writers chose to tell us about different things to make points of their own. On Christmas Eve, we hear Luke’s Gospel story with angels and shepherds and a manger, with all the soft edges and sweet carols that we associate with Christmas. Luke’s Gospel is Christmas for the poor and the lonely and those who are aching for love. On Christmas Day, we hear John’s version, which doesn’t mention Bethlehem or Mary or Joseph or the birth of a child at all, but rather soars off into the doctrine of creation and the divine light that existed with God before time began, the light of and for all people. This is Christmas for theologians. Well, today, we come crashing down to Earth again with Matthew’s version of how Christ was born… That’s why Jesus was born. That’s why the whole world brings gifts to his door. That’s why God lives among us still and empowers us to change this world. That’s why God rose from the dead and still lives in us today. And that story is true."
On February 8 at 1:00 pm, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church will host a screening of Diminishing Returns, a 20-minute documentary followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Colin Whitman. The event is open to the community and will take place in the church sanctuary. Event Details Film: Diminishing Returns Date: February 8 Time: 1:00 PM Location: St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Program: Screening followed by a Q&A Afterward: Coffee and snacks available Why are we doing this? If you spend time in Borrego Springs, chances are that you like movies and that you may be in a book club. How often do you finish watching a movie and want to talk about it with someone else? We at St. Barnabas are providing you a chance to merge movies and discussion with a screening of a 20-minute documentary, Diminishing Returns, followed by a Q&A with the L.A.-based filmmaker, Colin Whitman. We pride ourselves in promoting justice and kindness in our local neighborhood. But where do the boundaries of our neighborhood end? How far can we go to aid people who are holding onto their way of life by their fingernails? Do we even know who they are? This film touches on the question “who is my neighbor?” as well as themes of living alone, navigating two cultures, family ties, and others. It’s gotten a lot of interest in other film venues as a parable for navigating the perceived distance between “us” and “them.” If you see Diminishing Returns at the film festival, you may get something new out of it the second time. The mark of a good film! Colin Whitman met Ernesto, the subject of the film, while he was walking his dog in his own neighborhood. He took the initiative to strike up a conversation and uncovered a surprisingly sweet and suspenseful story of a perfect stranger and his family overseas. Ernesto is not so different from us as we might assume. Come and see to find out more about Ernesto and the effect the Colin’s film had on his life. ~ Jan Naragon What to expect The film will be shown at St. Barnabas in the Sanctuary at 1 pm on February 8. Admission is free (donations accepted). Well-behaved dogs welcome. Enjoy this 20-minute ‘thinky’ documentary in a more intimate setting than the film festival, then mingle afterward with the filmmaker in a Question and Answer session. Follow that with coffee and cookies and more time to ask questions that you forgot earlier in the beautiful courtyard at St. Barnabas. Head home feeling inspired. Film Synopsis Diminishing Returns follows Ernesto, who collects recyclables in Los Angeles to help pay for his daughter’s chemotherapy treatment in the Philippines. The short documentary offers a direct look at caregiving, sacrifice, and resilience across borders. All are welcome to attend Whether you come for the film, the conversation, or the community, we hope you’ll join us for an afternoon of insight, connection, and inspiration.
"I read a story about a group of atheists who put up huge billboards to celebrate Christmas. Well, maybe not celebrate, but comment on Christmas. The billboards featured a large picture of Santa Claus with the words “Keep the merry” and a picture of the crucified Jesus with the words “Dump the myth.” “Go ahead and enjoy a happy winter holiday,” these billboards seem to say, “but don’t fool yourself with any fantasies that a god might be involved in it.” Infuriating as this may be, sometimes you can almost understand why atheists would look at some of our Gospel stories and decide that they seem fantastic, mythical, unrealistic. Today’s beloved story of the three Wise Men, for instance, evokes outlandish, improbable pictures in our minds of men on camels wearing exotic turbans and silken robes, carrying bejeweled boxes full of inappropriate baby gifts. And looking at this very odd story, we too might even be tempted to throw up our hands and say, “Such a strange story couldn’t possibly be true.” But before we dismiss this Wise Men story as quaint pageantry, we should maybe explore what’s here and why Matthew wanted to tell us the story. So we have four Gospels, one of which doesn’t tell us a Christmas story at all, and three of which tell the Christmas story in very different ways. And we need to understand that while all three versions carry truth, each of these Gospel writers chose to tell us about different things to make points of their own. On Christmas Eve, we hear Luke’s Gospel story with angels and shepherds and a manger, with all the soft edges and sweet carols that we associate with Christmas. Luke’s Gospel is Christmas for the poor and the lonely and those who are aching for love. On Christmas Day, we hear John’s version, which doesn’t mention Bethlehem or Mary or Joseph or the birth of a child at all, but rather soars off into the doctrine of creation and the divine light that existed with God before time began, the light of and for all people. This is Christmas for theologians. Well, today, we come crashing down to Earth again with Matthew’s version of how Christ was born… That’s why Jesus was born. That’s why the whole world brings gifts to his door. That’s why God lives among us still and empowers us to change this world. That’s why God rose from the dead and still lives in us today. And that story is true."
