Arts & Culture - Grace Church Stillwater

Film Night: The Elephant Man

2006-10-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's official... the next title in our Film Night series is David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980).

The Elephant Man is based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, a young man diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (aka Proteus Syndrome), and the surgeon (played by Anthony Hopkins) who befriends him. A moving story that should spark some good discussion.

The film will be showing at the Clem's house (email me at stewart.clem@gmail.com for more info) beginning at 7:30 on Sunday, October 8th. As always, feel free to bring a snack or beverage!

The Elephant Man, 1980, Rated PG, Black & White, English (click here for more info on the film)

Fall Update

2006-09-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

A long overdue update...

Fist off, we hope everyone enjoyed the Derek Webb & Sandra McKracken concert last night (hosted by Grace Church!). This is the second time Derek has visited Stillwater, so hopefully it will become a regular practice for him.

Also, we had a great kick-off to this season's Film Night series, with a packed living room viewing Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Our next Film Night will be Sunday, October 8th at the Clem's house [Notice: this is an update... originally posted as the 15th]. I haven't made a final decision on the film yet, but I can say at this point that it will be a work of David Lynch. I'll leave you guessing on that one...

And in case you haven't noticed... we have a new, streamlined bulletin for our worship guides on Sundays. We've made a few minor changes to the liturgy as well. I encourage everyone to give it their all as we are learning how to worship together. Sometimes it takes a little work, but is also very rewarding once we begin to see its beauty. Remember... the liturgy is the Church's greatest work of art. If you're not sure exaclty what I mean by that, ask me sometime. I'd love to discuss it with you.

- Stewart

April Update

2006-04-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who made it out to watch Babette's Feast last Sunday (extra thanks to those who brought snacks)! We have an ever-loyal Film Night crowd here at Grace Stillwater.

Right now I've been thinking about arts-related issues that are more 'internal' to what goes on at Grace, such as our liturgy, colors in worship, education (aesthetics & worship), etc. But that doesn't mean we're forgetting about our community. I'm still very open to any ideas you may have for the arts ministry. My next big project is going to have to do with music and people who play music, especially getting those people to play that music in Stillwater. If you want to talk to me about that, send me an email (stewart.clem@okstate.edu).

Also, in case you haven't heard, the 29th Anual Stillwater Arts Festival is taking place on April 22 and 23 at Couch Park. There will be art on display from local artists, as well as numerous activities. Call 405.533.8539 for more information.

Life is Beautiful and we want your photos

2006-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

Our next film night will be this Sunday, February 12th at 7:00pm. We'll be watching Life is Beautiful ("La Vita è Bella"), an Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni and winner of multiple Oscars (1999 - best foreign language film, best leading actor, best original dramatic score). The location will be the Clem/Teubner/Titus household, and maps will be available on Sunday morning. Again, you are encouraged to bring snacks and beverages (preferably Italian!).

Plot Summary:
In 1930s Italy, a carefree Jewish book keeper named Guido starts a fairy tale life by courting and marrying a lovely woman from a nearby city. Guido and his wife have a son and live happily together until the occupation of Italy by German forces. In an attempt to hold his family together and help his son survive the horrors of a Jewish Concentration Camp, Guido imagines that the Holocaust is a game and that the grand prize for winning is a tank.

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In other news, we are currently developing a section on the Grace Church website that will display photography from members of Grace. If you are interested in contributing, you can contact me or our webmaster.

The Decalogue... continued

2006-01-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

This Sunday (January 22nd), we'll be watching another installment from Krzysztof Kieslowski's Decalogue series at 8:00pm. Instead of the ministry center, however, we're going to have it at my house, so if you need directions, give me a call (405.255.1003) or send me an e-mail. If you came to the first Decalogue screening, you know that you won't want to miss out on this milestone of contemporary film. Feel free to brink snacks or beverages, and plan on having some good discussion after the film!

Hark! Songs for Christmas

2005-12-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

If you're in the mood for some quality Christmas tunes, you can download 3 albums' worth of songs by Sufjan Stevens absolutely free over at this link. There's a great deal of variety here: original songs, lesser-known carols ("The Friendly Beasts", "Once In Royal David's City", etc.), a couple of hymns, and of course several classics. If you've been listening exclusively to A Charlie Brown Christmas on repeat, maybe these will spice up your Advent musical experience.

2005 Wrap Up

2005-12-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Well, the year is quickly coming to an end, and its time to start looking forward. I hope to have a full calendar for the arts ministry, through May, posted here sometime before mid-January. I'm also hoping to have a Grace-hosted concert or two, as well as more open-mic and visual art activities. And of course our monthly film night. Speaking of film night, this month's got switched up a bit due to finals week for all of our students. This Tuesday, Dec. 6, we'll be meeting at our usual time (8:00) and place (Spurgeon Study Center) to watch:

Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna)

Ingmar Bergman

I also apologize for any of you who were looking forward to Open Mic Night last month... we had some unfortunate scheduling conflicts. Don't worry, it hasn't gone away! Keep your eyes peeled for a more frequently updated blog very soon!

Grace Film Night: Rashômon

2005-11-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

Our next Film Night will be this Sunday, November 6th at the Spurgeon Study Center (918 S. Main). We will be viewing Akira Kurosawa's Rashômon (1950), starting at 8:00pm with an introduction to Kurosawa's film philosophy, as well as some group discussion afterwards (the film runs 88 minutes). As always, anyone is welcome to attend!

Also, in lieu of our Wednesday night Prayer for the Nations on November 16th, Jonathan Teubner will be giving a talk / presentation on non-Western aesthetics, based on his travels in Asia this summer. This will be a great way of understanding more (probably lesser-known to most) aspects of God's world! Some of the topics will include the evolution of Eastern art, as well as the role of "artist" in Eastern culture. This will take place at the usual time (7:00pm) at the Spurgeon Study Center.

And for those of you in the OKC area (or who want to get away from Stillwater for a while), Ingmar Bergman's critically acclaimed and perhaps final film, Saraband (2003), will be showing for a limited time at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. More info on tickets and showtimes can be found here. And don't forget that Stillwater phenomenon Kunek will be playing a rare local performance in the OSU Little Theater on Monday, November 7th. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at The Third Place, Aspen Coffee, Daddio's Music, and other local merchants. Don't miss out!

Upcoming events for Fall '05

2005-10-11T22:29:00.000-07:00

Many exciting things underway in the arts ministry... first and foremost, we will be hosting Trace Bundy in concert on Friday, October 21st at 8:00pm at the Stillwater Community Center (located at 315 W 8th Ave.). Trace is an amazing finger-style guitarists from Colorado who has toured with the likes of Derek Webb (who we also brought in last year) and other great musicians. Be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends! Tickets are a measley $5, and you can get them by contacting Jennie Teubner either through email or in person (She would also love it if you would be willing to help promote the show around the Stillwater area).

More updates on other events as details are settled, but I can tell you that for the next two film nights we will be showing Rashômon (by Akira Kurosawa) and Winter Light (by Ingmar Bergman), respectively.

And as always, I am always looking for people with new ideas for the arts ministry, so if you've got anything you'd like to contribute or help out with, let me know next time you see me (or drop me an email).

Grace Film Night: The Decalogue (Part One)

2005-10-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, October 2, we will be showing Part One of The Decalgoue at 8:00pm at the Spurgeon Study Center (located at 918 S Main). The Decalogue is a ten-part series created by the Polish director Krzystof Kieslowski, with each episode based on one of the Ten Commandments. Set in modern times (1980s), Kieslowski's characters are forced to confront challenging situations that reflect the most universally recognized standard of ethics known by mankind. The episode we will be viewing deals with the command given by God: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," altough not in the way you would probably expect. There will be a short introduction to the film and Kieslowski's film-making style, as well as some discussion afterwards. If you need any more info, feel free to drop me an e-mail.

aesthetics for the glory of God

2005-09-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the brand-new blog for the arts ministry of Grace Church Stillwater! This is the future home for all events, updates, essays, and reviews. If you want to know more about how to get involved with the arts ministry, send me an e-mail.

For an introduction to what we're all about, here is an excerpt from a proposal I wrote a while back:

Grace Chruch, Community, and the Arts
by Stewart Clem

Why art is important to the body of Christ

First and foremost, we must recognize that art is important to God. Dr. Tom Jennings, Director of Worship and Arts at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, reminds us that, “Within the Scriptures, evidence that the arts matter to God is overwhelming. Frequent instructions in the Bible to sing, dance, and play instruments show that God expects all people to express their relationship to Him in creative ways. God’s calling on specific individuals to serve as temple musicians and craftsmen shows that many are to dedicate themselves to understanding and mastering their art form.” Even the inspired Scriptures themselves are at some level the result of artistic expression: “With all due respect to preachers who deliver organized three-point sermons [...], God chose to reveal Himself primarily through narrative, parable, poetry, proverb, and song.”[i]

The arts can, and should, play an important role in how we understand God and His character. John Piper believes that God has given us material creation as a means of savoring His beauty: “In our fight for joy, we must not neglect the ministry of God to our souls in the world that he has made. We should make direct use of the world to see and savor the glory of God wherever he has displayed it. This includes the efforts of man, by his design and art, to represent something of God’s glory.” He goes on to discuss the realms of visual art and music as being crucial to this endeavor, claiming that “they have the potential to awaken the mind and heart to aspects of God’s glory that were not perceived before.”[ii]

Art in the Reformed tradition

Not surprisingly, good theology is directly tied to a God-centered view of the arts. Scotty Smith, PCA pastor and author, believes the PCA has a theology that, applied properly, gives a higher view of beauty in the arts. “Art is such an important part of our created experience,” he says. “Christians called to various parts of the arts, from Broadway to the local kazoo band, are called to excellence. Doing what we do well is to God’s glory. . . . We need to continue to recognize great art and show genuine appreciation for art making itself. [...] A Christian view of the arts,” he says, “starts with a proper view of creation. [...] When God created the world, and Adam and Eve as His image bearers, He called them to subdue the earth . . . art is designed to be an amazing responsibility from the Lord taking the raw stuff of creation and molding it into something beautiful.”[iii]

Throughout history, art has often been understood as something that is interwoven with worship. From the detailed and grandiose architecture of the cathedrals in Europe to the musical compositions of Bach and Handel, the arts were a tangible way to display the glory of God. But as we look around, we see that this idea has been lost in the world. Postmodernism has delegated art to margins of society, declaring that art has no purpose or meaning. It is now viewed as something for the elite, having nothing to do with morality, values, politics, or religion. Thus, art and the artists have been alienated from the common culture. Even the famous director Ingmar Bergman (The Seventh Seal, Through a Glass Darkly), who does not claim Christianity himself, recognizes this problem: “It is my opinion that art lost its basic creative drive the moment it was separated from worship. It severed an umbilical cord and now lives its own sterile life, generated and degenerating itself. In former days the artist remained unknown and his work was to the glory of God. [...] The ability to create was a gift. In such a world flourished invulnerable assurance and natural humility.”[iv] The world we live in no longer prizes these ideals.

Art in the church today

This is where art stands now, and unfortunately, this is where the church has left it. Instead of reclaiming the artistic realm and acknowledging, as Calvin said, that “all truth is God’s truth”, we have ignored the arts and left them to the world to do what it will. This should never be the attitude of God’ people. At best, we have demoted art to the role of shallow evangelism, using music and movies to get people through the doors of the church. We offer “Christian alternatives” to popular art and in the process submit to the world’s claim on artistic expression. Derek Webb, singer/songwriter and co-pastor of a PCA church, exhorts the church that, “Art is simply too important a medium with which to engage culture to treat it like it’s only good for making us rich and famous. We must make art that is both relevant and faithful if we are to think long-term about how our art is impacting people. When I look around creation I don’t see any cheesy art. Why is it then that image-bearers of this great Creator generally produce such sub-standard art as an industry? What are we reflecting about the character of our God?”[v]

The church today needs to do more than jump on the bandwagon of popular art in our culture. We must remember that this is not a “new” endeavor or trend, but rather a recapturing of what the church once held dear. By realizing how important this subject is to our Lord Himself, we can be reawakened to a God-honoring and culture-impacting passion for creative pursuits. Whether it painting, music, sculpture, literature, film, dance, poetry, photography, etc., we must submit all things on this earth to the dominion of Jesus Christ.

The implications for Grace Church, Stillwater

Equipped with this knowledge and mindset, there must be practical ways to actualize our passion for the arts in the local church and the community. This is where I come in. I have a desire to see these things lived out in the body of Grace Church, Stillwater. Being a college town, Stillwater has a pre-existing artistic community and an intellectual interest in the arts. Many artists in our community have no sense of direction and feel isolated from the church. Many Christians have no idea what to do with the overwhelming amount of shallow entertainment pushed on them every day of their lives. Reading, listening to music, and watching movies are merely ways to pass the time. I have many ideas and visions for awakening a God-centered focus on the arts that could potentially prove to be edifying for both church and community if given enough time and attention. Below is a rough outline for some of these ideas.

§ Open Mic Nights

While this ministry has been in place for some time now in some form or another, it could definitely use better structure and organization. By working with local coffee shops and other venues, we can give artists in and outside the church a chance to play songs they’ve written, recite poetry, or whatever else they can come up with. It gains exposure for the church, creates relationships, and cultivates an environment for anyone and everyone to develop their artistic abilities.

§ Film Viewings

This is an area that has been seriously lacking in the Christian community. Films will be chosen on the basis of their spiritual significance, artistic value, and cultural relevance. This will cover everything from classic, independent, foreign, and contemporary films of all kinds. Ideally the viewings will take place in the homes of church members or the church’s ministry center downtown, approximately once a month, with an introduction to each film’s history and insights into the filmmaker’s worldview. A discussion session will follow after the film is over, giving everyone a chance to reflect on significant themes and question that are raised. Ransom Fellowship, a Christian organization focusing on arts and culture, offers many film guides on their website. Their philosophy of ministry states:

“We believe that the films we call attention to are valuable for the discerning Christian. Valuable as a window of insight into the heart of our postmodern culture, or as a point of contact to begin discussion with non-Christians about things that matter. It’s in a culture’s stories that we have access to what is in their hearts and imaginations—to their hopes and fears, values and dreams. And especially for the postmodern generation, their stories, the ones they engage repeatedly and discuss endlessly, are found in movies. Not all films are worthy of reflection, of course, but many address the deepest questions of life, and those are the ones we call attention to on this site and in Ransom’s publications.”[vi]

§ Guitar Clinics

There are many in our church with musical abilities, and one of the ways to minister to our community is by offering free music instruction. We have already held a guitar clinic at Westwood Elementary School for beginner and intermediate guitar players. The attendees ranged from young children to adult, and we saw a very good turnout for our initial run. By offering such clinics in the future, as well as personal instruction, we are enabled to encourage people to pursue their artistic abilities for the glory of God.

§ Newsletter/ Abstract

One of the most effective ways of communicating with the world around us is through written media. Either a one page (front and back) abstract or a small newsletter-style periodical would be published on a fairly frequent basis (to be determined later) and distributed freely around campus and other parts of town. Writers from within the church can write articles about various topics of interest, including arts and culture, reviews, current events, and other thought-provoking pieces. This is a great way of bringing our worldview to the forefront of the community, whose eyes are always on the church.

§ Outreach and Ministry

The arts should not be restricted to the intellectual community. We want to host clinics for children to develop their abilities, and seek creative ways to reach the homeless and the elderly as well. There is already an interest in our church for ministering to nursing homes and homeless shelters through worship services held at their facilities. Most of these places are more than welcoming to us, but it will take effort to build this into a regularly operating ministry.

§ Songwriter Circles

For those who are already experienced with their instruments, songwriter circles give artists a chance to receive feedback from other artists with similar worldviews. This ministry is already in place and would greatly benefit from more promotion and support.

§ Art Shows

By hosting art shows, we are giving visual artists (paint, sculpture, photography) a chance to display their work as well. This is a wonderful way to reach out to the artistic community and build relationships with those who might never come across any spiritual instruction throughout their whole lives. Our own church members would also be given a chance to display their work and share their perspective with others.

§ Concerts

With enough support, our church is capable of bringing in performers from across the country who share a passion for God’s glory. We have already hosted Derek Webb in concert, with a highly successful turnout.

§ Seminars

If there is enough interest, Grace Church could host seminars on the arts, training artists and anyone interested in learning about a Christ-centered approach to the study and practice of aesthetics. Speakers could potentially be brought in as well.

Looking forward

Lord willing, with enough prayer and preparation, all of these ideas could manifest themselves into vibrant ministries. With the support of the church, I ask that I would be given the privilege of overseeing these ministries, with as much direct involvement as necessary. I have a passion for others becoming passionate about God’s glory through the arts, and I trust that the Lord will bring it about if that is what He wants.

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Notes:
[i] Stephen McGarvey, “PCA Artists: Pointing to the Creator, Shaping the Culture”, In ByFaith Online: the Web Magazine of the Presbyterian Church in America: http://www.byfaithonline.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID323422CHID664014CIID1998562,00.html

[ii] John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, pp. 191, 193.

[iii] Quoted in the ByFaith article cited above.

[iv] Ingmar Bergman, in the essay “Film Has Nothing to Do with Literature”.

[v] Derek Webb, “The Role of Artists in Kingdom Building”. http://www.derekwebb.com/

[vi] Ransom Fellowship: http://www.ransomfellowship.org/Movies_Philosophy.html