“It was the first time I realized that painting could capture the Word of God, speak into people’s lives and give me the opportunity to share my faith.”

Janice T. (Alliance & Short-term team member)

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Every day all around the globe, artists on mission are creating, cultivating, and contributing in their communities. As they seek to see their art used in the work the Lord is doing, we want to share their stories to encourage and inspire.
This blog is a place to read those stories, giving you a glimpse into how the Lord is using the arts around the world.
Wednesday, 23 March 2022 21:21

God Works Through Numerous Art Forms

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Before merging with OM Arts to be come Inspiro Arts Alliance, Heart Sounds International (HSI) had their own blog on which they shared trip reports, exciting stories, opportunities, and more. For the foreseeable future, we would like to share some of these archived articles with you. It is our hope that these "Archive Wednesdays" will encourage you as we look back on what the Lord has done! In today's article, read about how the Lord worked through different types of art during a trip to the Philippines! 

 

LOCAL SCRIPTURE SONGS DISCOVERED

“Today we experienced an amazing moment in the workshop…” said Nancy Nethercott, Worship Workshop teacher. “We had been talking about contextualising worship elements and noted that most churches in the Philippines sing in English with (maybe) a token Filipino language song planned in. When I asked if anyone from their churches writes songs in Cebuano, one lady pointed to her pastor…. [H]e humbly sang this beautiful, worshipful song in his heart language. I was in tears and the rest of the group was silent with awe. We had all just entered the throne room of God in a powerful way.” The pastor had a stack of these Scripture songs he had written but never shared beyond his own congregation. He dreamed of seeing these songs available to churches, but he did not know how to record them. We connected him with the newly established studio to record and distribute his songs.     

YOUNG SINGERS WRITE A VISAYAN WORSHIP SONG

As part of the class, the vocal students wrote a simple song in 30 minutes, in their own dialect, based on Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.” That night, they created harmony parts, and they were courageous enough to share it with the entire group at the last day’s performance!

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A LOVE FOR VISUAL ARTS UNCOVERED

When the Visual Art Class began with only one person, we were told that the term “visual art” has little meaning and is not encouraged much in Filipino culture. It was a joy to watch this group morph from 1 to 26 throughout the week! Many of the kids had never picked up a paint brush, but quickly developed a love for expressing themselves in this new way. Our visual art instructor said, “I had one girl in my art workshop who matter-of-factly said she hated art….The funny thing is that she kept painting even still, coming to every class with her friends though she’d rather be in drama. She figured out how to mix the color pink and had everyone intrigued. By the end of the week her smile had grown and she gifted a painting she had worked on to me.”

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GOD USES PHOTOGRAPHY TO CHANGE A LIFE

At the last minute, *Nicole was given the chance to join the photography group. She was excited to learn about silhouettes. Before the class, she thought a silhouette was a bad photo because the subject can’t be seen. Through the class, she learned how a silhouette can be used effectively, and she used it to create a self-portrait. Nicole shared struggling with feeling “unseen”, personally, relationally and spiritually. Instead, she felt as though her constant smile was a mask worn for protection. On the last day, she displayed her work and shared how life-changing it was for her to see her photos. Photography provided her with a way to express her “true self,” as well as a way to communicate things she otherwise could not express through words.

*Name changed to protect privacy

Last modified on Wednesday, 23 March 2022 21:34