Summer cleanup in the Friday Arts Project Studio space – more pics online here: www.fridayartsproject.org/project/studio-clean-up-2020

Perhaps your life looks a little like ours? Since coronavirus’ arrival on our shores our travel has essentially ceased, and our “in person” interactions have reduced dramatically, while our online world has increased. Yours too?

June & July highlights:

Throughout the month of June we continued to host events & appointments online—these included: Drawing Nites, Friday AM Discussions, and staff team meetings. Very soon after the limitations began, we added our team to our “quarantine circle” so we could continue to meet in person. Those times with Chris and Brandi, as well as Dennissa were sweet. The ones with Dennissa were especially bitter sweet as she has since relocated to Chicago—to be near her boyfriend and to work for our department Cru Arts & Culture. We miss her greatly!

Esther, Mom (Sally) & Sarah

Sarah’s sister, Esther, her husband Bert & kids came for a visit from Texas bringing Sarah’s mother Sally with them. Sally stayed with us for about a week while Esther & family went up to the mountains for a few days. In that time we did a lot of canning of pickles and relish. Sarah’s nephew Christopher also came for a visit and stayed a few weeks during that time. Having her family around her for a bit was very encouraging to Sarah. And we both get the benefit of home canned dill pickles—we recently opened a jar and it was wonderful.

July is a sort of “Sabbath” month for Friday Arts Project community events. Our staff and volunteers get a bit of a break and time to recharge. However, we continued staff meetings, planning and doing essential operational activities. One of those activities was a much needed reorganization, cleaning, and evaluating of our studio space. The studio looked a mess for a few weeks while this happened. But after going through our materials—re-boxing, culling, and adding two new shelves for storage, we’re ready for the Fall. Taking time to put yourself into another rhythm of evaluation and rearranging can be a boon for the mind, especially the creative mind. We are ready to re-engage with our community—online or otherwise!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support, we cherish that. We are hoping to be able to contact each of you in the coming months if we can—just to catch you up and see how you are doing. Please be in prayer for us and all the staff of Cru as in the last 5 months the giving for Cru ministry in general as well as for the staff has decreased. We still need more monthly support, and we all know the God who owns it all. We are glad He is in control and not us.