On Sunday, October 1 at 4:00 pm an ordination council at Park Avenue Baptist Church ordained me to the ministry of arts! It was truly a moving, creative and inspirational experience for me!
Rev. Brandon Maxwell gave the sermon and charge to the candidate. He preached about Exodus 31 and the calling of Bezalel an artisan of the tabernacle. God’s dwelling place in the dessert was brought into existence by this silent figure in the bible, whose call story is like that of a prophet, yet his ministry was through creation. This message is so meaningful for the ministry that I do. It was a special occasion and one I will never forget. The Rev. Dr. Greg Ellison gave the prayer of ordination and spoke about imagination in the writings of Howard Thurman.
Part of the ordination tradition at Park Ave and beyond is that the newly ordained gives the benediction. Here is what I said for this occasion:
“Now go into a world that is too often unjust; a world that kills your creativity and devalues your art, but go remembering that the God who made you – loves you and calls you good. Creator God empowers you to imagine the world anew everyday by living boldly, loving inclusively and serving creatively.”
I want to thank Park Avenue Baptist Church for being the place where these gifts in me were affirmed and the ordination council: Henra Chenault, Renetta Hobson, Jen Lyon, Trey Lyon, Brandon Maxwell, Ellen Shepard and Rebecca Weems. So many creative people made this experience very memorable, including Cameron Johnson who did a live worship painting and Ellen Gadberry who helped devise the communal art project. Devin Harris Davis and Daphne Creasman jumped in to take photos! See some of their pics below.
art in the image 