Source: OM Stories, November 27, 2018
“The community were so open and friendly,” says Janice, leader of OM’s art ministry in the UK, who recently helped organize an art exhibition in partnership with a local church in northern Manchester. The event was planned as part of the community-wide Cheetham Hill Cultural Festival in England. The area of Cheetham Hill is one of the most ethnically diverse areas in the UK; a 2011 census highlighted that 48 percent of residents did not speak English as their first language.
The exhibition showcased various pieces of art from both Janice and others in the community. “There was one piece I painted that people visiting the exhibition gravitated to. I originally intended the painting to symbolize Jesus pouring out his life for us, and us having this treasure in jars of clay,” Janice explained.
However, for people with minimal knowledge of the Christian faith, this may have been an unusual concept, so “when people of other faiths showed an interest in the painting, I told them the story of the Samaritan women, and how Jesus is the living water, and how we can know him.”
One man whom Janice spoke to was particularly interested by this story. “I was born a Muslim,” he said. “But just because you are born a Muslim, it doesn’t necessarily mean that is the truth. I have been looking into other religions because I want to know the truth.”
One of the standout pieces of artwork from the weekend was one far more permanent than the rest of the exhibition. “It was amazing to see Chris Steinz, from the Netherlands, who came for just two days and managed to paint a whole wall in the hall with the Lord’s Prayer,” says Janice. “This hall is used in the winter as a night shelter for homeless men; what a testimony to have them lay down to sleep under the glow of the electric wall heaters and read the Lord’s Prayer.”
» See also Use Arts and Media to Advance the Gospel (Pioneers).