Dean R. Heetderks

Last issue in this space, I lamented the fact that there seems to be less and less art created for our worship spaces. Wouldn’t you know it, as the issue was being printed, a story ran in The Banner, the magazine of the Christian Reformed Church, about folks at a church in Langley, British Columbia, doing a lot of art around a Lenten theme to be displayed in its physical space and online. Inspired by what this church did, with their blessing I’ve adapted the idea for an Advent and Christmas gallery of work. Here are some ideas for pulling it off: Get the Word Out It’s never too early to start piquing the interest of your congregation. Even if you’re still figuring out the logistics, prepare members and artists alike for what could be. Publish a few notices early on: “Calling all artists for a special Advent/Christmas celebration. No matter your skill level or medium, we have a place for you! Let [name] know if you’re interested.” Everyone Belongs Find a way to make sure every contribution finds a place. Juxtapose a beginner’s work with an expert’s. Resist the urge to group by age or experience. Include artists’ details and their comments near the art so viewers can get to know the artists and find out what motivates them. Constrain Yourself Most artists agree that constraints often force a greater level of creativity with better, more interesting results. Here are some ideas: Content: Give your artists a Bible text to work with: “He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth” (Luke 1:14, about John the Baptist), or excerpts from Mary’s Song from Luke 1:46–55: “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” or “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation”—or maybe a phrase like “A Light Splits the Darkness.” Size: Ask that all submissions, in any medium, be 8" x 10". Requiring them to be submitted digitally might be too much of a constraint, however, so have someone at the ready who can scan or take a decent photograph of the pieces. Deadline: Be clear that any submissions must be received by a specific date. And as the deadline comes closer, and you’re doubting yourself, stand firm. The results will likely be better for it. Another option is to have multiple deadlines throughout Advent for artists to submit to a growing gallery. Seed these time frames with work from people you know can deliver. Attribution: Be clear early on that works submitted must be original, and if they’re based on another creative work, attribution must be given. Make a Statement Like a museum or gallery exhibit, use adhesive vinyl lettering for your text or theme so viewers immediately have a sense of the context the artists were working in. Do it up right. Show the insecure—that is, all artists everywhere—that you respect their work. Get the Works Out As I write this, we are still in the throes of COVID-19, with little known about the future of in-person gatherings. If things are yet uncertain when you read this, plan your display for online viewing on your church website, Facebook, or Instagram, the image-based social media application. Maybe even display the work in your church’s windows so members and passersby can appreciate them. Encourage All Throughout the project, work hard to validate any and all who find the courage to submit something for public viewing.

Last summer we moved to a new house about forty minutes away from where we lived before. (Note: If you’re nicely settled and have twenty years of living neatly stashed away, I wouldn’t recommend moving. It’s fun to think about, but the execution can be rough.) Different Roads, Eyes Open Wider We’re settled now, but the newness has made us sensitive to everything around us: our neighbors, their houses and yards, the sky, the landscapes we’re passing on new routes to work and shop. We’ve also been visiting new churches. Once the important things are accounted for—authentic worship, solid biblical teaching, good music, tolerable coffee—my eye can’t help but consider how these places present themselves visually. In this issue of basics for worship, here are a few things from our fresh vantage point to think about: 1. Get Out When’s the last time you visited another church? I know it’s hard, because most Reformed Worship readers are involved in church worship every single Sunday, but there’s nothing like seeing what someone else is up to. Coming back to your own church after being gone for a bit can be enlightening. 2. Be Yourself Does your church’s structure reflect the people who gather each week? At one church we visited, the building design and layout seemed at odds with the people. In the bright lobby, folks were welcoming and lovely, but the worship space was dark, and only the stage was lit. We felt like we were worshiping alone. 3. Point the Way How easy is it for visitors to your church to find what they are looking for? Signs and signals—and sometimes tour guides—are essential for helping newbies get comfortable quickly. Of course, signs can be overdone and greeters can be oppressively inviting. But try inviting a person who has never been to your church building to tell you where they’d guess the nursery to be. Or the restrooms. Or an emergency exit. This could confirm what you believe to be true or convict you of something that needs changing. 4. Repeat, Repeat What is that big red thing up front that looks like fire? Why is the baptismal font on the left, the pulpit in the middle, and communion served from the table on the right? What do you mean when you say, “We’re about to have a prayer of confession?” Even for regular attendees, it’s worth repeating why we do what we do—especially when it comes to visuals. 5. Be Needed People wonder, “I’m a newcomer. Do you even need me here?” At one of the churches we visited, it felt as if the visual designers and worship leaders must be professionals. Even the greeters were “over the top,” as they say. But maybe what appears to be isn’t true at all. Talking to one of the pastors, I learned they are always looking for help and have a deliberate orientation plan to make sure no one has to figure stuff out on their own. 6. Don’t Be Artless I’ll blame the digital revolution, but in my corner of the world I’m seeing less and less being done with art in worship. Of course, there are lots of beautifully designed graphics using perfectly fine photography (from the usual free sources), but I see few textiles, paintings, or sculptural installations. That suggests—again, perhaps incorrectly—that most of the visuals in our churches are being handled by very few people. 7. Listen for Change Maybe the best suggestion is to be a good host—especially when a visitor to your church is visually inclined. Listen carefully to their comments and questions. I’d bet a fresh perspective could tell you a lot.

After the two 5′ x 12′ inkjet-printed banners were hung, the church office manager came up behind me and said, “I think we might need to include an artist’s statement in the bulletin.” What? Who could possibly not see what we were trying to visualize here?

A friend contacted me to ask if I had designed any worship visuals around the theme of missions—more specifically, the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16–20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations . . .”. I’m sure I had done something at some point, but I couldn’t find a thing. Well then, that time is now.

It’s been twenty years or so since video projection took over many of our worship spaces. Because we were so enamored by the new technology—guaranteed to take our worship to the next level, whatever that was—it quietly snagged the top spot in the visual hierarchy of our spaces.

Funerals are odd events. Normally, if you are going to invite all of your friends and family over, you have weeks or months to prepare—think of the resources called into play for most weddings. But for a funeral, the deceased might have left a few notes about Bible texts they’d like to be read or their favorite songs, but often there is very little put down about colors or flowers or who will attend and who might speak. Add the fact that you usually have to pull something together in days, not weeks or months, all while working through raw emotions.

Some years back, a biology professor gave a presentation at our church that included photos taken by the latest high-powered microscopes. The photos were amazing, but what I remember more was the awe in the professor’s voice as she described the complexities of God’s creation in the very, very small world she studied. Even though she’d taught for years, she acted as if she was seeing these splotches and patterns for the first time. Her presentation was a prayer of praise to the limitless creativity of our God.

Over the years in this space we’ve talked about inspiration—where and how and when we’re moved to make something new and fresh. For me recently, it was a something very old: the song “Not What My Hands Have Done,” LUYH 624, PsH 260 written in the 1860s by Horatius Bonar. There were fewer than twenty people at a staff retreat where this song was part of the morning’s opening worship.

At a 2018 Worship Symposium workshop, painter and calligrapher Matt Plescher (mattplescher.com) showed participants how to do brush calligraphy. With Plescher’s permission, his work “God is with us” is adapted here for an Advent/Christmas visual. His original art is available free of charge at viascriptura.com.

Jennifer Holberg, writing for The Twelve (blog.perspectivesjournal.org), describes a term she was recently introduced to: witness-trees. Witness-trees designated property lines or notable locations that are part of an area’s history.