A HEAPIN' HELPIN' OF WISDOM BIBLE CLASSES GET MEDIA SAVVY.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- Jethro, Granny and Elly May may have found their riches in oil during the 1960s, but reruns of the Clampetts' run-ins with morality are providing a wealth of messages today for one local church.

At Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, episodes of ``The Beverly Hillbillies'' play during Bible study on Wednesday nights to strike up conversations about Christian values.

Other times, black-and-white snippets of life in Mayberry from ``The Andy Griffith Show'' have also been shown to illustrate the finer points of Christ's deeper messages.

It may seem an unlikely pairing -- where Nick at Night meets the pulpit -- but the combination is working for one church that's looking for modern ways to tell tales that are more than 2,000 years old.

``In this day and age, we look for new ways to communicate a message,'' said the Rev. Stan Fix, church pastor. ``People are so video-oriented currently that it seems to work for us without making it our sole diet.''

The message got through to Jill Hall, who recently caught an episode of the Clampetts at Bible study. It was the one where the family first moved from squalor in the South to a sprawling Beverly Hills mansion where they realized how much they'd been living without.

``I guess the message was that you can be content where you are and not always wanting for something else,'' the Santa Clarita woman said.

But it's not just late-night reruns that are shown to spread the word of God. Movie clips, from ``The Incredibles'' to ``The Matrix,'' also are used during Sunday services to bring the gospel home.

The church has used these methods of storytelling for about two years, following in the footsteps of other United Methodist churches.

Pastor Garth Gilliam said it's a direction that churches need to take to remain connected to today's world where people want their messages flashy and fast. He's considering using a clip from ``Traffic'' to teach Sunday worshippers a story about the prodigal son on Father's Day.

``The MTV generation and younger post-baby boomers are really multitasking and are used to their images coming fast,'' Gilliam said. ``What video and multimedia give you is an entrance to speak the gospel and the message of hope and grace from Christ.''

But Methodist churches aren't the only ones looking to Hollywood for some direction at the alter. There have been times when the film industry has turned to congregations to help spread their word.

In fact, Pasadena's Fuller Theological Seminary once published a study guide, at the request of the movie industry, for churches to use to talk about ``Gods and Generals.''

Portraying both sides of the Civil War, the film focused on both Union and Confederate soldiers and how each claimed that God was on their particular side.

In that case, Hollywood recognized that a large number of churchgoers could be encouraged to see the film and think about the implications if they talked about it during services, said Eddie Gibbs, professor of church growth.

As technology becomes more accessible and church employees are more comfortable using it, Gibbs has seen video use spike across all kinds of congregations.

``I think if it's done not as a gimmick but to make a point, it works,'' he said. ``The difficulty is that sometimes the clip can be such a powerful communication tool that when you switch from the video clip to the preacher, you can loose attention.''

So what would Jesus do with a video camera and an electric guitar?

For starters, he'd make more flicks like ``O Brother Where Art Thou,'' because it contains a soul-searching tale and catchy music. The Santa Clarita church has used both to talk about baptism, particularly with the film's recurring images of a river.

Although using TV shows and movies during sermons church began as a way to plug in younger audiences, churches also are finding that seniors are attracted to the nontraditional services. Often, it's because of the music.

But Wanda McNeal isn't so sure about the changes she's seeing at church. The 55-year-old recalled a time that a portion of ``The Terminator'' was shown during services and was surprised how the pastors related it to the scriptures.

The message worked, but she doesn't know if she wants this way of storytelling to replace the traditional days of sermons and hymns.

``It's not something I expect to see too often at church,'' the Canyon Country woman said. ``If I want to go to the movies, I'll go to the movies.''

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(color ran in SAC edition only) The Rev. Stan Fix of Santa Clarita United Methodist Church uses old episodes of the classic CBS situation comedy ``The Beverly Hillbillies'' to illustrate points in his Bible classes.

David Crane/Staff Photographer