Ministry to and with Creatives

It's been over a month since my last post.  Marsha and I enjoyed a great vacation with the kids and grandkids and then some beautiful national parks.  We both took over 1,000 pix each.  Great time.

Although my sabbatical is offically over, I have been exposed to an exciting spiritual journey that will engage me for the rest of my life.  There is so much I would like to blog about, but wanting to keep you also engaged, I will share an abbreviated look at some of my discoveries and some possibilities for ministry.  

I welcome your comments.

PREMISE

-First five words of the Bible, “In the beginning, God created ..”

God is the Great Creator

-Genesis 1:27, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

The Great Creator created us in His image

-Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness ...’”

The Great Creator is in Community

All of us are creative

We need to create

The church needs us to create

We need a supportive and creative community

Anonymous:  “It is the creative potential itself in human beings that is the image of God.”

Julia Cameron: “The act of making art is a direct path to contact with God.”

PROBLEM

Generally speaking, the Protestant Reformation threw out, not only indulgences, but art as well.  

Fear chocked out creativity within the church community.

Dick Staub has noted that after the 60’s the Christian community has degenerated into an intellectual and artistically anemic subculture.

While interviewing a creative Follower of Jesus and a creative non-Follower of Jesus, I was told by both, that they felt the church did not welcome the creative person.

Makoto Fujimura: “Even though the church has left the arts, God has not.”

SOLUTION

Robert Gelinas: “If Christ’s redemptive work was, in part, intended to restore the image of God in us and if creativity is central to God’s being, then creativity should become more and more a part of who we are.”

Julia Cameron:

“As an artist you are a cultural healer.” 

“It is a great grace that we are born creative beings.  We may not, and need not, do it perfectly.  But we do need to do it.  It is my belief that the making of art makes us more fully human.”

Dick Staub also sees the creative pursuit as part of becoming fully human.

Makoto Fujimura:  “Art helps to prepare the way for the word of God to be proclaimed.  Artists are vital for the church, because their creativity and passion expose a language to communicate the gospel to a dying world.”

“Art helps us to confront darkness head-on.”

I have experienced creative worship during a Sunday and a festival gathering.  This experience does not have to stay on the mountain top, as is the case with most conferences or other gatherings.

It does, however, take courage.

Ministry Possibilities known as Expressions

Expressions Gathering

Objective:

-to encourage, develop, & offer a platform for the creative arts

-to offer a unique, safe, encouraging, and supportive path to explore the mysteries of God
                and continual transformation for the creative Truth Seeker

 
Monthly creative arts evening

2 hours

Invite local artists to share

Varied arts or specific expression each meeting?

Light refreshments

Expressions Small Group

Objective:

- to provide a safe place for creatives to experience transformation through creative 

           Bible study

Weekly

off campus

Street Expressions

Objective:

-to bring God’s transformative love to others

-to provide creative opportunities for those who are overcome with just surviving.  This can

reveal their creative God and give them avenues to explore themselves within this

  framework of grace.

  -to provide creative Truth Seekers unique opportunities to take their art to those who may
                 not otherwise be exposed to God’s creative love

More than art? - food, blankets, etc?

Streets

Schools

Hospitals

Special needs population

Creative expressions

poetry

basic instrument

basic water coloring kits

inexpensive digital cameras

sidewalk chalk

drama

Annual Expressions Celebration

Objective:

-to provide an opportunity for creatives to share their art

-to provide an opportunity for the larger church community to experience 

                God’s love and grace through art

-to provide a safe environment for Truth Seekers to be exposed to The Story

-to help those overcome with surviving to find their value as loved children of God through 

creative expressions

Well, what do you think?