A vicar has been a given £500 grant to spend three months watching films in the hope of finding a link between faith and the movies.

The Reverend Richard Stone will spend the coming weeks immersed in films, such as Trainspotting, The Full Monty and Toy Story, trying to find the word of God.

He will spend his sabbatical watching videos, going to the cinema and reading books about films, thanks to the £500 bursary from the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group.

Mr Stone, 53, vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd, at Wallsend, Tyneside, said: "I don't think God only speaks to people through the ecclesiastical medium.

"I think the Church needs to use the arts as a bridge to discuss important issues."

His curiosity was aroused after watching Toy Story 2 with his son, Matthew, 24.

"I thought it was a wonderful story - not only at the pure entertainmenet level, but because of the deep themes and links with the Christian story."

Mr Stone hopes his studies will help build bridges between the Church and popular culture.

He admitted he had never been a film fan.

"I grew up in villages at a time when the cinema was on its death bed, before the explosion of multiplexes and the new wave of films," he said.