Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

A new sign hangs in the fellowship hall of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, located in the college town of Oxford, Ohio.

“George Clooney ate here.”

During the first week of March, cast and crew for a movie, “The Ides of March,” filmed on the campus of Miami University in Oxford. Scouts for the movie approached the church a few months ago, asking if they could use the church to serve breakfast and lunch for the crew.

“My policy is, ‘If we can say yes, let’s say yes,’” says the Rev. Karen Burnard, rector at Holy Trinity. “We saw this as an exercise in hospitality.”

Crew members poured in and out of the church from 5:30 am to 2:30 pm. Some of the cast also appeared, including Marisa Tomei and Paul Giamatti. On the third day, the film’s star came to lunch. 

Clooney grew up in northern Kentucky, and his father, Nick, is well-known locally, having served as a TV anchor in Cincinnati for many years. All of Cincinnati has been a-flutter with Clooney-sightings. And here he was, eating in the fellowship hall of an Episcopal Church. 

“Our students thought it was pretty cool,” admits Burnard. For the past six months, the church has focused on campus ministry, using grants and resources to develop FACES: Faith in Action through Community Engagement and Service. They started a Sunday night service just two weeks before Hollywood arrived. Ironically several of those students were on a spring break mission trip for Habitat for Humanity during the filming. 

“This was a way to be a part of the community,” says Burnard. “Our style is not to be John the Baptist. We’re not going to live in the cave and be separate from the world. Our style is to work with the community on different projects – most of the time, it’s for service, but sometimes it’s just about hospitality.” 

At the church on a Thursday and Friday, Clooney gamely posed for pictures, signed autographs, and talked with students and members of the church. Several news outlets featured pictures of Clooney coming out of the church. 

Burnard isn’t naïve. She doesn’t expect the pews to be filled-to-busting because Clooney had lunch there. But the staff set out welcome brochures about the Episcopal Church, and nearly all were gone by the time filming completed. 

“The best thing that could come out it is if one person picked up a brochure, like what it said about God, and decided to explore an Episcopal church somewhere in the county,” says Burnard. “That would be pretty good.” 

Who knows what else the ides of March could bring? Be aware.