Saturday 15th October I am facilitating a day looking at using the arts for mission, although I love Ian Adam’s description so much better ‘Art reshaping us, reshaping the world’.  It really does sum up what we are trying to achieve!  Jonny Baker is going to be setting the scene in terms of what art for mission means and then we have workshops on using the arts in different environments that are not church.  Ian is going to facilitate a workshop on using the arts in third spaces such as cafes, pubs etc. and another session will be on creating arty spaces at fairs and festivals, led by Colin Brice of Eden People, Guildford.  Fran Tarling is sharing her experience of setting up a prayer room in a secular environment and Martin Poole, of advent calendar beach hut fame, will be doing a session on art in external spaces.  We will be rounding off the day with an opportunity to create our own art which we will then give to God in worship as a symbol of us offering ourselves and our creativity afresh to be used by Him to reveal His love and goodness.  What I especially want to emphasise is that while I don’t think any of us would describe ourselves as professionally qualified artists, because we are made in the image of a creator God we feel His pleasure when we express our creativity and individuality whether its through writing, music, photography, textiles, new ideas, sculpture or the visual arts.  So many people are put off because they think they are not good enough but actually I think God meets us in the process and it is His partnering with us in the creation that makes the end product something wonderful that expresses a facet of our walk with Him.  The difficult bit is stepping out, having a go and not judging the results!