The Ministry of Biblical Illustration

I have been thinking about how to give service at the fellowship that I regularly attend and to the L-RD at this time. After reading some passages in Ezekiel, I saw where G-d asked Ezekiel to put forth information to various target audiences. In these, I felt that I could merge my desire to serve G-d with my interest or hobby in drawing, as information does not have to be textual only, but also visual. But more so to do this with a community of other young persons who may share my passion/hobby for learning to draw and illustrate.

I believe the culture of the world is now skewed towards visual communication  and even in church, I see the use of this relative modern way of communication in the form of PowerPoint slides, multimedia or videos. I also see where even in the church quarterly or periodicals, graphics are designed and there are illustrations.

I am pretty sure that you may know young people or other persons within your fellowship that draw or want to learn. I myself, cannot draw well, but am an amateur. Nevertheless, I believe that if I use the little that I know for G-d, especially with others, then eventually, G-d will improve my talent over time.

The church should have a mission focus or emphasis, and a goal to make every believer a minister. One area of ministry that often is neglected is the use of visual arts or visual communication. There is an adage that says that a picture is worth a thousand words. Surely, in times gone by in the past, the LORD caused persons to write down his communications to human beings. However, he does not limit his communication to the written word only. Psalm 19 states that his creative works also communicates.

As such, I see a new area of ministry and opportunity for members to give service to the LORD at this time that is in keeping with the modern culture of visual information consumption. Our modern culture in today's world is skewed towards visual communication and even in church, the is reliance on this relative modern way of communication in the form of PowerPoint slides, not to mention the countless brochures, fliers and other visual communication that are create each year to convey ephemeral information.

Such a proposed ministry can have a mandate or the aim of merging the desires of members to serve G-d with an interest or hobby in drawing or illustration to get an opportunity to do so while also fellowshipping with a community of other persons who may share that same passion/hobby for learning to draw and illustrate.

As in Moses' record of the construction of the tabernacle, God gave and used talents of two men to design the tabernacle's art work and interior decorations, so it is that God can use the talents for visual arts that he gave to members in the congregation for the purpose of contributing to the growth of the church as well as these individual members who serve. 

(Published November 22, 2011; but revised November 26, 2011)