I love Creative People

Lakebay's Stations of the Cross opened as a smashing success this last Sunday. Artists from our church and community have taken the individual stations and put their own creative spin on them; these are displayed inside the church sanctuary for viewing, reflection, and contemplation throughout holy week.

A few months ago this was all a vague dream in my mind; I took it to Lakebay's resident artist Roshni Robert, and she ran with it, finding the artists and putting together the overall vision. And the artists she found put a lot of time and passion into their pieces; as a generally non-creative person, I am truly impressed by the quality of work they created. We are blessed as a community to have these people and their God-given talent in our midst.

The pieces themselves range from watercolor to photography, from a real crown of thorns to bread nailed into the wall with carpenter's nails. I have been moved as I have wandered through the exhibit any number of times this week. And I have to say it was thrilling to see so many join us for our artists' reception on Sunday afternoon (although perhaps it was the cheese plate that drew them in?).

If you haven't yet come by to see the Stations, I encourage you to do so. Even more so, I simply want to thank God for people with creative, artistic gifts, who do so well at bringing this ancient story to light in our world.


p.s. If you haven't yet seen the most recent Simpsons episode, you've missed one of their all time great lines:

Flanders: Homer, that's not why we're here. We can see the stations of the cross!
Homer: After we see the stations of the omelette bar.

Experience the Stations of the Cross this Lent

Lakebay Community Church is excited to be hosting a Stations of the Cross installation this year.

Our curator, Roshni Robert, wrote this by way of explanation:

Lakebay Community Church's Stations of the Cross project will be based on the "Scriptural Way of the Cross" that Pope John Paul II instated in 1991. We have chosen this Way because some of the traditional stations are not actually found in the passion story as it stands in scripture. Several trained and untrained artists from within and a few from outside our congregation will be each representing a respective station however they see fit. There are no limits to medium, size or content, provided the intended station is actually portrayed. Some stations will be interactive, some purely visual, all invoking the viewer to re-contemplate each action leading to the death and resurrection of the Christ. My intention for the project was not necessarily to show off the talent in our community (though that is definitely an added bonus), but more to select individuals whom I believe would convey a new or unique perspective on their chosen station. 

The Stations of the Cross will be on display beginning with an artist's reception that is open to the public at Lakebay Community Church on March 28 at 12:30 in the afternoon. The sanctuary will also be open for viewing following the 28th during Holy Week 9am-1pm Tuesday through Friday and also by appointment.
 
All are welcome to attend! We are looking forward to sharing some new views on the subject of this contemplative and joyful season.

Jake and the Famous Guy

Jake Dockter was a college student when we were in Turlock. He used to come over and eat tacos at our house. His parents welcomed us into the wonderful world of homemade bluegrass jams. We've been friends ever since.

As part of a book he's writing, Jake just interviewed Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill (the other Mars Hill) Bible Church, and the interview was published in Patrol Magazine. Which you can read here.

Good work, Jake!

I'm a travelin' Man

I am going to Austin, Texas in a couple weeks to attend a conference:

Transforming Culture: A Vision for the Church and the Arts

Speakers include Andy Crouch, Eugene Peterson, Luci Shaw, Sarah Masen, and John Wilson. Some of the seminars include "Visual Homiletics - How do we Preach to the Eye as Well as to the Ear?"; "The Spiritual Formation of Artists: Nurturing Heart and Mind"; "Leading Artists and the Beautiful Mess of their Mind"; "Beyond B-Movies and Church Bulletins: 10 New Ways the Church can Patron the Arts and Practice Common Grace."

I particularly like this piece from their website:

Does it matter how we treat the artists in our communities?
Most artists, whether in NYC or LA, in Seattle or Austin, want very little if anything to do with the Church. It strikes them more like a rationalist’s university classroom or a pragmatist’s business meeting than like anything resembling the rich world of God’s creation filled with all its supersensory wonder. They look at the Protestant Evangelical church and they see an aesthetically arbitrary arrangement. They see a fickleness about beauty. They see an imagination handicapped by Enlightenment presuppositions. Why should artists want to become members of a Church that either ignores, dismisses or rejects their nature and vocation? Yet they too are sheep Christ seeks to bring into his fold.

And this:

IN SUM, WE WANT TO GIVE THOUGHT TO THESE 3 AREAS:

1. The arts and the corporate worship of the church (its liturgical actions and its sacred spaces).

2. The arts and the pastoral care of artists (the discipleship and community formation of artists).

3. The arts and the renewal of the culture (the impact against the zeitgeist, the redemption of the centers of art).


I think good things could come from this. As a musician, I have always sought ways to make worship more artistic, more beautiful. And we both know lots of artists who fit the above description perfectly - the last place they would visit is a typical evangelical Church. So perhaps we'll grow and learn in our ministry to artists, and perhaps we'll find some great ideas for incorporating art into our church life.

Free Advertisement

Lakebay's own Roshni Robert is having an art showing in Tacoma, with a grand opening this Saturday. Here's the information:


the four winds
works from the country,
including watercolours in found frames
by roshni robert

opening reception may 12th, 2007 5-8pm

may and june may and june 2007
blackwater cafe
747 fawcett ave.
tacoma, wa 98402

M-F... 6:30am to 9pm
Sa..... 8am to 9pm
Su..... 8am to 7pm