Just posted to the New Renaissance Arts Movement blog, a fascinating video about visual design in the local church by Betsey Steele Halstead, from a class she led for Sojourn Visual Arts. She shares several inspiring examples of design in churches. I’m always looking for ways to improve the stage and sanctuary design of our church and this talk gave … Read More
The first thing I noticed when I walked out of the airport in Boise, Idaho was an unusual sweet scent in the air, kind of like marshmallows and flowers. My hosts didn’t smell it so I wondered if it was my imagination or maybe the hand soap I used in Salt Lake City. Either way, I like being greeted by a nice scent in a new … Read More
By J. Scott McElroy and Jessie Nilo Just imagine if the local church became the place in culture to experience beauty, creativity, and transcendence. Hundreds of years ago churches were, in many ways, centers for these experiences. Somehow, over time we’ve abdicated that role. Now, many churches are moving in that direction again and there’s a growing desire to begin … Read More
I led an overnight creativity retreat in early October, and had high hopes for what would happen when a group of artists got together for a weekend of listening to the Holy Spirit and creating art. The reality actually exceeded my expectations. Thirteen artists from Indiana and Ohio met at Teter Family Retreat in Noblesville, IN, a hidden rustic compound ringed … Read More
In summer of this year a packet of mysterious and highly creative postcards arrived in the mail. They announced a creative conference that seemed almost too good to be true: Story Chicago was billed as an event “for the creative class in ministry” with the goal of fueling “the producer generation of ministry leaders who live to communicate the greatest story … Read More