As hurting, confusing and hostile as it can be,
the world is full of beauty and is entirely loved by God. It is into the broken spaces (the everyday spaces) that God sends each of us, the people of God, to love, serve and bless…
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Seeds collected from our garden greens, 2023
God sends us, as image bearers of Christ, with gifts for the life of the world.
We long to see followers of Jesus living into the fullness of who God has created them to be. This is not just for themselves, but also that they may be free to fully join in Christ’s redemption of all things: hope, life and wholeness in all the world.
Unfortunately, this kind of wholeness is too often far away from our actual experience. Missing this fullness can have serious consequences, such as deep distress, loss of faith, or giving up on our gifts or calling. We’ve observed such hurting in two particular communities of believers we care about deeply… one is cross-cultural ministers, and the other is artists.
Cross-Cultural Ministers
Cross-Cultural Ministers
"You mean, you’re going to tell organizations that this human carnage is their doing?"
My eyes widened as this well-known leader in Christian missions nearly spit out the words. Without any effort, he continued with a handful of heart-breaking stories of people who had passionately left their homes for the gospel only to come back deeply broken psychologically, in large part, because of their well-meaning, but ill-equipped organizations. My stomach sank at hearing these stories, even as I felt overwhelming validation in my own calling. I was at a conference and in a leap of faith and courage, I had approached this leader to share my vision improving well-being for cross-cultural minsters by supporting higher quality management in their sending organizations. Apparently, I had struck a chord.
Artists
Artists
"We started this ministry because we found that the Christian artists we were working with either left their art or left their faith."
I immediately resonated with this statement from a leader of Morphe Arts, a UK-based Christian ministry I have come to appreciate greatly. The feeling echoes the very tension that compelled me to keep searching for a solid place at the intersection of art and faith. In fact, it was this tension that brought us to the UK, so I could study art and theology in St Andrews. This conversation came about as I was researching possible ministry partners in the UK. It was a gift to find others who could see and understand the isolation and loneliness that artists who follow Jesus often experience. I wasn’t alone. I had found others were working to create community and meaningful spaces to work out what it means to authentically be an artist and a Christian.
There is much that could be lost and so much to be gained. Consider the beauty that is added to the world as one Christian artist finds community and is emboldened to express themselves, or the good news that is carried to the world by one cross-cultural minister who is well-supported and cared for by their organization.
It is to these that we have devoted this season of service...
To find out more about who we serve and how we do it, click below...
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