A secular arts festival was used as an opportunity to “gently” open conversations about faith through the painting of the Biblical creation story.
The project was led by Ashby Baptist Church volunteer Lisa Noon who recently completed a Master’s degree in Mission, Pioneering and Theology.
Fifty people from six different community groups – a mix of Christian and secular – were involved in the project. Each group was given a few tiles to paint which, when brought together, made up the completed image. Measuring 8ft by 4ft, the finished artwork was displayed outdoors for a month during the arts festival – the wider theme of which was “Life on Earth”, in tribute to David Attenborough’s 100th birthday. “Although the practical process was important, the deeper value of the project was found in the relationships and conversations that happened along the way,” Noon said.
“C.S. Lewis described this approach as quiet evangelism,” Noon added. “It is not about forcing a conversation or making people feel uncomfortable. It is about being present, sharing life, and allowing faith to be visible through action, creativity and relationship. Because the artwork was based on Genesis, there were natural opportunities to explain the theme and talk about the Christian belief that the world is created, loved and held by God.”
