Since we live in a zone between the Church and the Art World – in this case in the local Rock Hill art community, we are always engaging with our neighbors and friends via art and creativity. We truly believe the zone art exists in—that of Beauty—creates space for God to work.

Whether we run our own events or participate in existing ones in the community the space is there for us to live as followers of Christ and watch God work. One of our “events” also produces a product. It is our making of sketchbooks. We give these away to the college students of Winthrop University at their Convocation and throughout the rest of the year. This has become popular—giving many students a positive first encounter with Friday Arts Project. Throughout the year we have seen Winthrop University post on social media about them. The integrity this builds for us on the campus of WU is inestimable—the university has written posts about other events we do on campus as well. The students themselves have taken a shine to our books and posted on social media when they have found them on the campus in a “pop-up scavenger hunt”.

Beyond the impact at Winthrop, is the participation of the sketchbook-making events. Many members of our local churches in Rock Hill and other regions of South Carolina have helped make them. We can’t tell you how encouraging it is to us that fellow followers of Jesus step in to help with our impact on the art community here.

In the meantime, we have been praying and discussing how we can create a clearer pathway of reconnecting with recipients of these sketchbooks. We are thrilled to have these little books given out and received with pleasure, as well as how it has increased and reinforced a good relationship with local artists and even Winthrop University. But we desire to go deeper with these new connections. Would you pray with us that God would give us wisdom on how we can make them even better at getting into fuller relationships with the sketchbook recipients? We have some ideas but desire God to give us the right things to try