youth art team turns 9 years old!

In 2009, I joined friends of Harvest Vineyard Church and walked throughout the church's neighborhood (the Walnut Neighborhood) to introduce ourselves and to ask neighbors:
1. What do you like about the neighborhood?  2.  What would you like to see happening in your neighborhood?  3.  What interests and passions can you see contributing in your neighborhood?  
4.  Would you like prayer for anything in particular? 

Through these conversations, there were several neighbors who voiced their desire for more productive activities for children of the neighborhood.  It was through listening to the community, that a weekly gathering started up for young people in the neighborhood.  Whiffle ball, chalk drawing, jump rope, dancing, acrobats, drawing....young people gathered with a small group of caring adults for a few summers of weekly recreation.

What did we notice?  How wonderfully expressive and artistically free children are!  It was out of these relationships with Walnut neighborhood children and young people from Harvest Vineyard and Orchard Hill churches that the Youth Art Team was birthed in 2010.

And oh, how Youth Art Team has grown and blessed our community over the past nine years!  Come celebrate 9 years of God's transforming beauty, creativity, love, and peacemaking through these young people!

Celebrating NINE YEARS of Youth Art Team Tue. October 1 // 5:30-7:30 p.m. Waterloo Center for the Arts

The Youth Art Team, Waterloo Center for the Arts, and a team of UNI students have been working hard to create a new, interactive exhibit experience celebrating nine years of Youth Art Team in our community! Visit the Phelps Youth Pavilion to play, learn about these amazing young artists, and be inspired to make your own art. Please join us and meet some of the artists during the exhibit reception! LOVE IS POWER: Youth Art Team transforms their community through art Tue. October 1 @ 5:30-7:30 p.m. Waterloo Center for the Arts Phelps Youth Pavilion (McElroy Junior Art Gallery) 225 Commercial St Free admission Family friendly Refreshments provided If you can't make it to the reception, be sure to check out the exhibit on display for the next few months!

mission or pilgrim posture?

This quote spoke to my interior pilgrim this morning!

"Through a profound rhythm of journeying, encountering sites of pain and hope, engaging the history and culture, serving and being present with those on the margins, worshiping, resting and reflecting, pilgrims are slowly confronted by a different world that begins to interrupt their own.  Pilgrimage is a posture very different from mission.  The goal of a pilgrim is not to solve but to search, not so much to help as to be present.  Pilgrims do not rush to a goal, but slow down to hear the crying.  They are not as interested in making a difference as they are in making new friends.  Pilgrims set out not so much to assist strangers but to eat with them."

-Chris Rice and Emanuel Katangole, from their book Reconciling All Things