Foundations of Art Ministry shaped my grasp of different ways I could minister. It showed me the scope of what can be done. I’ve tried many times to start creative arts groups but they fell through or failed to launch. The things I learned in this course renewed my passion for ministering to a group of artists in the local church and “mining’ creativity out of people who have been convinced they’re not creative. Another thing I’ll mention is that I love being prolific and working really hard at my craft, but sometimes, something came up missing. This course had such an emphasis on our connection to God in the midst of creating that I was often challenged to slow down a bit. Bryn Gillette really touched on this in “Loving the Nations.” Artists working with Christ really can change the world, and Christ working in our art can really change us. The Lesson on “A Place to Create and Display” was the most helpful to me. Thank you, Jessie, for giving this insightful overview of what you’re doing in your own church. What blew me away was your “everybody gets to play” philosophy that allows people from within and without the church to participate. And I loved the practical way you showed us how you do things. This helps those of us who want to try something like this in our own churches. Thanks for your inspiration.
