In my leadership at Saddleback Church, I've worked to empower creatives and to build a culture of unity ever since I joined the arts ministry nine years ago.
Over the years, my heart has been to champion individuals in their art forms and to develop collaboration across all creative areas of the church. My desire is to see us move toward the unity that Jesus asks for: "I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one" (John 17:21a NLT).
I've been honored by the support of Pastor Jason Leith in this vision. We've worked alongside each other to shepherd this call toward creative unity, joined along the way by those who have caught the dream.
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We're excited to be taking a big step this year—Saddleback Visual Arts is opening the CoCreate Arts Center! And the soft launch is happening this coming Thursday, July 21.
The CoCreate Arts Center will ultimately be a place for all creatives to explore, play, experiment, make, and collaborate. It will be a place where we create beauty, where we encounter wonder, where we envision healing and redemption. As the many creatives from all areas of our church gather in this new space, we will grow deeper and develop friendships, out of which will flow new creative expressions as we cocreate.
If you’re in Southern California, you're invited to come and be present for this special event.
We'll enjoy an art show curated by our very own Exhibits Team, engage in interactive arts components (including an activation from Michelle Lum), hear meaningful stories from some of our community members, and celebrate the many people (like Dan Long) who have worked to make this Arts Center a reality. Plus, both Jason and I will be sharing about the present and future of the CoCreate space. So come celebrate what God has done over the past decade and is doing now.
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Throughout July, I'm sharing music I've written. This week, the music is lively and celebratory to go along with the opening of the CoCreate Arts Center, which we want to be a place of creativity, play, and fun. I wrote this two piano piece originally as a birthday present to myself, going on to expand it into a three movement work. I invite you to listen to the exuberant energy and the intriguing (and perhaps disjointed) layers. Feel free to dance along.
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Behind-the-scenes: In this recording, I'm playing one of the two piano parts.
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