Over 25 HopeArts folk got together for dinner and discussion to begin to think together what HopeArts can be in this new season.
Jack started us off by stating his intention to be the interim arts pastor through the end of this year. Since the last Arts Festival, we have taken a break from our many activities, and as we enter this new phase, we want to emphasize shepherding each other in Christ and as artists. The Arts Council will re-form and begin meeting by September. Rick Van Dyke and Kelly Foster are meeting weekly with Jack now and will be on the new council. A number of others who have expressed interest will join them. Jack prayed for us and Kelly took over to lead the discussion.
The goal of the discussion was to have a structured conversation where we listen to God and listen to one another to begin to answer the following two questions:
Jack started us off by stating his intention to be the interim arts pastor through the end of this year. Since the last Arts Festival, we have taken a break from our many activities, and as we enter this new phase, we want to emphasize shepherding each other in Christ and as artists. The Arts Council will re-form and begin meeting by September. Rick Van Dyke and Kelly Foster are meeting weekly with Jack now and will be on the new council. A number of others who have expressed interest will join them. Jack prayed for us and Kelly took over to lead the discussion.
The goal of the discussion was to have a structured conversation where we listen to God and listen to one another to begin to answer the following two questions:
1. What should the goals of HopeArts be?
2. What are we, as individuals and a group, gifted and called to do to accomplish these goals?
2. What are we, as individuals and a group, gifted and called to do to accomplish these goals?
To answer the first question we looked at the goals HopeArts has met over its history, goals that haven’t quite been met, and new goals that God may be calling us to in this season. In our next meeting we will seek to answer the second question by reevaluating previous HopeArts activities in terms of our current goals and imagining new activities to reach our goals.
(As an aside, Kelly was careful not to ask “how can HopeArts meet your needs?” As much as this is a fairly typical understanding of a ministry, the idea of a ministry as a need-meeting machine is not biblical. We are to use our gifts to serve and build up one another. On the other hand, if a particular activity meets our needs, it is likely to be of service to others. If everyone is focused on serving each other, we will each have a lot more people looking out for us than if we focus on getting our own needs met.)
Here are the questions and the answers that the group came up with.
1. In what way has a program or activity of the Hope Arts ministry been of value to you and others? (Don’t name the activity, just the value.)
- it has fostered artistic development
- the specific assignment has challenged our artistic ideas
- it has been a platform for evangelism, an ice-breaker for good conversations
- it has taken us beyond the church walls
- we have discovered new media and new approaches
- we have connected with artists that work in different media from our own
- it has been energizing
- it has edified the congregation and enriched worship
- it has pushed the envelope of our artmaking and/or church life
- deadlines hold us accountable and help us to be more productive
- it has provided a supportive and encouraging venue for our work
- it has provided an audience for our work and, at times, patrons for our work
2. What about the Hope Arts ministry has been of value to you that was not linked to any particular program or activity?
- it has provided a community where we know we are not alone as Christian artists
- it has provided a culture of encouraging one another
- it has helped us to define and refine our own artistic visions – like iron sharpening iron
- being able to create things and grow in our work has brought us joy
- it has helped us to connect our life in Christ with our life as artists through education
- we have been integrated into a supportive congregation
- it has provided a safe place for us to do our work
- it has been counter-cultural by supporting active and thoughtful (rather than passive) engagement with each other and with God
- it has provided a place and a way for use to use our gifts – gifts that don’t fit neatly into the life of a typical modern church
- it has provided a context where we can learn to let God speak through us in our art rather than glorifying ourselves through it
- it has given us the opportunity to begin to recover child-like creativity and imagination that are so rare in adult life
- it has not been prescriptive, but the various kinds of gatherings have allowed a synergy to spring up through artists interacting with each other
3. What could be of value to you and others that hasn’t been sought or achieved by the Hope Arts ministry in the past? What goals would you like us to be working toward?
- supporting artistic and personal growth through apprenticeships or mentoring
- new forms of arts education, both among artists and for the church at large
- new venues for display or performance of work, such as permanent or dedicated spaces or creative alternative venues
- broader and more public venues for our work, base on the confidence that we have something unique and important to say through our work
- more artistic outreach
- engaging and connecting with the Austin arts community, including a community liaison
- connecting with and supporting Christian artists throughout Austin
- connecting with UT students and ministries
- connecting with and serving the Hope Chapel congregation, including people of all ages
Meeting notes by Kelly Foster and Kate Van Dyke.
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