Art Fellowship Outreach
From April to September, this Art Fellowship Outreach took place on Thursday afternoons. Two 8-week series were conducted, and Yuh Jane, who organised and participated, shares with us about what they did, and how it also encouraged members to love each other, and reach out to non-believers.
Painting is therapeutic. Learning or painting in groups can be a good form of fellowship and bonding. A while back, a few of us in church wanted to learn painting together and were looking for a teacher. Later on, the idea was dropped due to the difficulty to match everyone’s schedule.
Earlier this year, I met Lek Ser Chong who spends his time doing various forms of art. I was overjoyed and thought we could learn from him. On the second thought, why limit it to just a few of us? If we invited more members to join, it could become a form of fellowship. We could hold the classes in our church on a weekday, while the church is not fully used. It can provide our senior members a venue to learn new skills and to socialise, give our stay-home caregivers a break from their daily routine, and open a channel for our members to invite their non-believer family and friends to our church in a non-threatening manner. Pastor Oliver also suggested that we open this invitation to everyone.
After some persuasion and consideration, Chong agreed to teach watercolor painting. A committee of five was formed. They are Lek Ser Chong, Lilian Eng, Chua Seok Eng, Seah Yen Goon and Chen Yuh Jane.
In 2024, we had completed two series of 8-week watercolor painting lessons on Thursday afternoons. For the final lesson of each series, we concluded with a fellowship lunch and devotion by an elder of GBC. Each series could only accommodate 16 participants, and 1 to 2 non-believers joined us each round.
Learning a variety of techniques, from basic pencil drawings, to watercolour techniques with colour mixing. Participants of various art experiences were all able to learn something new. A participant shared that the lessons were enjoyable and not intimidating, despite starting with no background knowledge. Chong and Lilian were very encouraging and patient.
A common comment from the participants was that they started to be more aware of their natural surroundings and appreciate the beauty of our God’s creation. One of the participants said, “I started to take a close look at the sky, with its different hues of blue, white or gray depending on the weather.” Another said that they look at the different shapes of trees, the colour of leaves and look closer at flowers. Others said that painting allows them to marvel at God’s creation.
This fellowship also allowed participants to get to know and love one another whether they were from the church or the non-believers that attended. A participant shared that through this art fellowship, not only was she able to learn art, she was able to meet folks she probably wouldn’t have naturally connected with in church, and better understood the practical day-to-day challenges they face (e.g. in caregiving for their aged parents).
Another participant shared that they had a chance to meet and interact with non-believers. As we all are made in God’s image, this served as a reminder that we ought to respect and love one another, regardless of whether the person is a non-believer or believer in our church.
Chong is thankful for this opportunity to teach and share his experience and art skills. He is glad that the members not only enjoyed learning to paint, but could also share and encourage one another in art and in Christ. The participants appreciate the work that had gone into arranging the sessions and made this fellowship possible.