The Frontier at Grace would like to bring your attention to an exciting new ministry that has begun at Grace Polaris. Its name is InsideOut. The group leader, Dan Hermiz, explains below the nature of InsideOut and the rationale for its creation. Whether or not you consider yourself artistic, I encourage you to read what he has to say—it’s powerful!
— Beau Stanley
A man once said, “You can learn more about a nation from reading yesterday’s novels than today’s newspapers.” I wonder what “yesterday’s novels” (and the arts in general) would tell someone about our nation today. Would they reflect the message of the gospel? Would they be a testament to the Christian worldview? Or to something else?
I bet it’s something else.
And come to think of it, when was the last time you met a creative person who thought, “I’m creative—I need to be in church”?
I bet it’s been awhile . . . if ever.
So what’s the connection? Francis Schaeffer once stated, “Whoever controls the media, controls the culture.” How did it happen that the church stopped being a place of innovation? Of influence? And doesn’t it seem sometimes that most of the creative people are leaving the church in order to find acceptance and appreciation?
InsideOut (IO) aims to do its part to help the church reclaim its influence in creative fields. And we begin of course, with truth. This isn’t just art for art’s sake. It is instead everything for Christ’s sake. Before God ever gave man a law, He gave him a purpose (Genesis 2:15). We were created to work, to create. Without work, without creativity, there would be no food, clothing, medicine, shelter, or entertainment. And it is sobering to consider that there would also be no drugs, abortion, or pornography. Work/creativity funds everything. As ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20) and as creative stewards, we seek to honorably manage for His glory the many gifts God has given us.
At its simplest, IO is a place for Christians to share and display their creative work, in any discipline, for the celebration and enjoyment of both artist and spectator. It’s an evening out . . . fun, entertaining, wholesome, moving, and thought provoking.
At its grandest, IO would be a place where community is formed, collaboration occurs, skills are developed and enhanced, and, ultimately, new creations find their way beyond a room full of friends and become both a resource for the church and an effective tool for the communication of God’s truth.
The name InsideOut was picked for two reasons. First, it emphasizes our concern for the whole person—“As [a man] thinks in his heart, so is he” (Prov. 23:7 NKJV). Secondly, it implies a direction. We want to take the truth we hold so dear on the inside—and get it out! It isn’t there just for us. The world needs the truth, for without it, there is neither freedom (John 8:32) nor salvation (1 Tim. 2:4).
Our next gathering will be Saturday, May 21st.
Find out more about us at Facebook at our group page or by contacting Dan Hermiz at dan.hermiz@gracebrethren.org.
Soli Deo Gloria! (To God alone be the glory!)
— Dan Hermiz
