DAWN: I don't know if we're still running A4J. I go in occasionally to deny or allow members to join. But it's quite a large, and inactive group. Would there ever be a central community for Christian believers in the arts to belong or gather, or is this too idealistic and maybe unbiblical? (I would rephrase this question if it's too awkward)
K!: Oh, I don't think this question is awkward. I don't have the slightest qualms about holding on to something that feels dead and lifeless. I still like the idea of A4J's Yahoo Group, and am glad we have some kind of a virtual pool of connections with other artists in Singapore who are artists and for Jesus. It's a reservoir of those who've been passionate about not only having been saved from ourselves but are now walking with a Saviour who has also endowed us with his creative power.
Yes, the group has been rather dormant over the last few years, but I don't look at it with regret or concerned about it's "untapped potential." I pray for the people whose names are on the list, or used to be on the list. Many of them may not be walking closely with their Saviour right now. Some may not be having regular creative outlets to feed their God-given artists' soul.
I have a solid confidence that in God's perfect timing he will be the one to harness the power behind this collection of email addresses which represent people who's hearts have tasted truth and can share that truth in ever more creative and beautifully artistic ways. I look forward to what the future holds when that time comes. And I certainly hope his timing is sooner than later! I hope I'm here to see it!
In the past few years my understanding of the place of drama in the local church has broadened. I spent a lot of my younger days lamenting that the church was boring and embarrassingly out of step and old fashioned. Though our message about an Almighty God and salvation through the sacrifice of his Son should never change, we were in desperate need of an overhaul in the means of how we delivered it. I saw the quality of drama done in the church, named it mediocre and lame, and set out in my arrogance to do something to raise the bar.
I've mellowed over the years, as I guess happens to all of us. I've started to recognize that no matter what the quality is in our art - the art that takes place in the name of the Creator of the Universe - there is more purpose to it than pursuing excellence in a well crafted and produced "show."
These days I've begun to identify the goal as much more than aiming for excellence. Creating art in our Christian experience, and as part of private and corporate worship and witness, doesn't have to be a world-class standard to be meaningful, purpose-full, and used by God to draw people to the truth and relationship with Himself.
Drama in the church, and indeed all art, can be:
1. Grand. Powerful. Impactful. Soul Stirring.
but it also can be:
2. Distracting. Self-important. Affected.
3. A platform for ministry to outsiders on a simple scale - without need for script, budget, or ticket sales.
4. An intimate and personal way to experience intimacy with God.
5. Community Building within the local congregation or broader body of Christ. Enriching. Educational.
For this interview, I'll expound on number one. If you'd like, let's take up the other 4 later.
1. Theatre can be Grand. Powerful. Impactful. Soul Stirring.
Because of my lifelong love of theatre, and a belief in it's almost spiritual power to evangelistically move hearts and minds, I still have a longing to see Christ's church put on theatre productions that will take the breath away of every audience member. I long to see plays that at the final curtain will have the entire audience involuntarily rising to our feet in ovational agreement, or falling to our knees in humility. If indeed we are the children of the Lord of Lords, Creator of the Universe, and if we are made in his image, surely we have the capacity to do that.
I have seen productions come close. I've had the privilege of seeing some amazing shows in my lifetime. Living in Singapore, with our resources for inversting in the Arts, as well as having grown up in Los Angeles and being able to frequently return for visits, I've seen some of the best productions mounted by Christians in this generation.
As much as any of God's majestic mountain ranges, thunderstorms or formations of geese in flight, I believe we as his followers have the potential to make breathtaking theatre art that points people to what is True, especially in a time when the peoples of the earth are allowing other forms of art/media/drama to unwittingly lead them down a path of lies.
However, this will not happen in our church projects merely by trusting in God to inspire us, and relying on him to come thru for our little band of amateurs. Without numerous believers dedicating themselves to study, exposure, training, and lots of practice, we're not going to come close to realizing our hopes and potential. There needs to be a large pool of serious craftspeople who are disciplined and work at becoming masters, in order for us to come close to measuring up to first world professional industry standards.
And we must be realistic about the fact that we are a very small country. The reason we don't produce great Christian dramas is the same reason we don't produce any olympic champions. We just don't have the pool from which to draw and develop heaps of world class talent which can produce world class works of art. This may seem harsh, but it's true: with a population smaller than more than 100 cities in China we are doing well to have been noticed on the world stage as much as we have! I am so impressed with the diligence of Singapore to improve and compete when we are only a city. We forget that we are playing on the same stage and level as any developed first world nation, when our population isn't any bigger than metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia (or many of the major cities of my country that has fifty states).
Dawn, you mentioned our earlier interview that we'd agreed "Singapore's church dramatists are mostly day jobbers who are trained in their livelihood but not in acting. The lack of a pool of trained, practising actors led to the lacklustre local church dramas.... She points out also that some churches could be too eager planting productions for their tight schedules, whereby leaving little time to train and nurture the actors and dramatists. She notes, "Some [of the dramatists] have not watched theatre for a long time. I asked them what was the last good play they saw and they cited one from long ago".
This is just as true today as it was when we originally discussed it. There are a couple churches I know of who are being diligent at developing their talent year round (Church of Our Saviour, Grace Assembly of God, Hope Church Singapore). However, most Christians I meet who will be producing drama in their churches before the end of the year will not be purchasing tickets for the Arts Festival. I'll bet only a small handful parted with the $88 it took to buy a ticket to the recent Bridge Project production of The Tempest. This was the second time it's come through Singapore and will come again! It's a gathering of the best theatre artists from both UK and USA (Bridging the Atlantic Ocean) to create a play by WIlliam Shakespeare and tour it around the globe to let people all around the world have an opportunity see the best living actors wearing costumes by one of the world's best designers, perform classic theatre directed by one of the best living directors on a set designed, lit and dressed by the best technicians living today.
We are not a theatre going society, and church practitioners (even many professional practitioners) are not exposing themselves to an artistic higher standard or their growth as artists. Some professionals I know are admittedly "jaded" and have lost their passion. However, most of us are satisfied to play at art rather than be artists.
I've come to a place in my life that I believe this is inevitable. Personally, in this season of my life, I am not diligently pursuing my development as an artist. I am dabbling at best. When it comes to theatre I'm not stone cold dead, but my pulse is pretty weak! There are currently some other roles in my life needing my attention for ministry. These days I'm studying and growing and pouring my life into my role as a parent of teenagers, giving more attention to my husband and his growing ministry, and investing in the spiritual growth of some new believers and a new church. It's not to say I don't miss theatre, or I won't come back to it. But I'm not calling myself a theatre artist these days, I'm a mom, wife, mentor and dog walker.
I also am currently am attending a church full of artistic people. But at present, our Sunday morning worship, or home groups, or prayer meetings don't intentionally put any "out of the box" kinds of arts into the mix. The musical part of our weekly worship is crafted well, and the pastor is a gifted storyteller whose reading of Scripture or telling of an illustration is as first-rate a delivery as any drama team has ever done. In this church-plant our worship services are rather casual, pared-down and simple. For 12 years in Los Angeles I was part of a church where every detail of lighting and sound was programmed on a cue sheet, and we even had a kind of "post production meeting" each Tuesday. It's strange that I'm at a place in my journey where I am okay with the simplicity of our worship at Redemption Hill Church. More than okay. I love attending worship at our church. I look around at our church leadership, and as a new church, I realize that we can't be and do everything. There are other core ministries that are a priority for a church-plant with a lot of new believers. Sure, some of our other interests or gifts don't have an outlet, yet I have a calm sense that it will happen in God's timing. When anyone in the church has had an idea for doing something, starting something, the leaders have been enthusiastically releasing. For now, for me, I'm not stepping up to start some arts ministry. For this year, I've a strong sense of call and contentment to be part of a welcome team, and lead a healthy home cell group. To really experiment and focus on the Creative Arts comes intentionally in any arena once we've developed past a survival stage. This new church plant is just learning to walk. It's not yet time for speech and drama lessons!
We have to be fixing out eyes on Jesus and looking to him for what he'd have us do - and not do. Recognizing that life has seasons. I may not be doing any drama in 2010, but in 2009 I got some serious "marching orders" to try something new.
It was in December 2008 when I was a guest at an embarrassingly bad drama in a local Church's Christmas luncheon. I was already battling depression, and this little play nearly caused me to despair. "I've been here 9 years Lord, and from the looks of it, I've not made any difference. It's as bad as it ever was. I am wasting my life." I'm embarrassed to admit it. How pompous of me! But, even in my arrogance, the gentle Saviour encouraged me (as if he needs me and my theatre skill to accomplish his purposes on earth!). This little play was dear to the people in this church who were watching it. It was fun for them. They didn't have high expectations for it, It was just for fun. I sensed him say after revealing all of this, "Nevertheless, let's do something about the need for more training in the new year."
So, early in 2009, we rounded up a collection of Christians in theatre arts - both working in and/or serving in their churches. They all helped me host 2 CRMS/CITA drama workshops. Many participants were just starting out in their dramatic endeavors and they got a whole plateful of ideas to immediately put into practice. It was exciting for everyone to learn that though some churches haven't even begun to integrate any art, let alone theatre art as part of their worship, there are some who are novices but don't let that hold them back as they begin to explore drama as ministry.
These two training events gave us all an exciting season to empower others and strengthen this mixed bag of thespians' faith in Jesus, and our bond with one another. In 2010 we've not done any workshops, but that team is spread around Singapore putting on new productions and finding new avenues and platforms for their own drama ministries and work.
On one hand, I can be discouraged that we've not made much improvements for all the training, and courses and productions. This semester, the theatre course I teach at TCA College was cancelled due to lack of interest. The last time I taught there, I had only 4 students in my class. I didn't bring myself to go see any of Singapore's mega-church productions this past Christmas. I'm a little tired of it all right now, and I'm relieved to know it's not up to me. There's always, the other hand: a steady emergence of fresh creative young people who have energy and passion and dreams to use their art to change the world for Christ. These kids may have never heard of the training we had with CAN! or CITA (Christians in Theatre Arts) or The Articulate Gallery Series, or LuWei Performing Arts, that City Harvest used to have a School of Creative Arts, or that there was once upon a time a magnificent independent production of Judah Ben Hur at the University Cultural Centre.
Speaking of fresh young passionate theatre artists, I recently met up with Pamela Lee, who upon the closing of LuWei's office, and a short stint with TheVoice, has started her own training company SOOGI (Simply One of God's Instruments). She took me out to dinner to thank me for the encouragement to "go for it" with theatre as a career. She is a whirlwind of energy and developing many projects and contacts for training dramatists in churches. Though I've read her CV, and seen a couple of videos, I've never seen Pamela's work to have an opinion on her level of artistry. But she's going for it! There is a need, and she has the guts to get out there and serve the churches.
I'm always on the lookout for people like her ready to roll, and just needing a little encouragement! Even before I know you, I'm your cheerleader!
DAWN: Here's another one : "However she feels that people still need to be exposed to more theatre and be more perceptive before they can embark on better projects." This is a true principle for any medium - that its practitioners should be exposed more. Looking through your blog, http://spicetolife.blogspot.com/, you do try to "expose" people very much to more things, be it articles, books, reviews, events etc. You're like a, one stop hub! Would you comment on this, in the aspect of exposure for Christians in the arts, even yourself? Feel free to bring up any examples.
K!: When I took the test "Strengths Finder" from the Gallup Organization's study/Marcus Buckingham book Now Discover Your Strengths, (according to this book various "Strengths" come naturally to everyone, and have the potential to be developed into becoming 'world class'). The reason I blog so much is that my top 5 strengths were INPUT, WOO, COMMUNICATION, POSITIVITY and SIGNIFICANCE. I read this book when I was rather new to Asia, had no platform from which to influence, and didn't have any sponsors to put me forward as someone with something to contribute. It was also at the dawn of the blogging era.
I'm a voracious collector of information and a tireless connector. I can't keep from searching and discovering new facets of gems on what it means to be an artist and a follower of Jesus Christ, and then when I learn it, it's not enough to keep it to myself. I want to pass it on! I don't even know where to begin giving examples since I'm not sure who will read this interview. My blog about theatre art as a platform for ministry has a load of my favourite links to others who are more gifted and articulate and prolific than me (in the right column of spicetolife.blogspot.com).
The reason I've been blogging about theatre as ministry, or living across cultures, or having a children's drama team, or posting my lessons for workshops online is not because I think I'm really great, or I want to be a famous writer, or artist. I do it because I cannot NOT do it. I long to hear all of the people in my circle of influence saying the same thing!
"I do what I do because I cannot NOT do it!"
We're all so unique. If only we could just keep our eyes gratefully on Jesus in view of his mercy and stop thinking so much of ourselves! From that posture, if we could find out what we are strong in, and do it, and grow in it, and STOP comparing ourselves to others, this world would be a whole lot different! Maybe even, His Kingdom would come... on Earth as it is in Heaven.
DAWN: More on a hub : You've got more active blogs than most people i.e. Letters to Heaven , Theatre : Learning the Ropes, Creative Arts @ TCA, and your Work in Progress...A lot of it is teaching or mentoring, which seem to be your main hats. I myself have been blessed by your ministry as a friend and mentor along the way. In fact, I find myself thinking, "What would Kim say?" in situations where I need to make things clear to someone else. Would this practice tell me that a key mentoring and communicating strategy is through the net? And given that you meet so many people along the way who come and go in your life, what has the word "mentor" become to you?
K!: When thinking of what we'd like to have in a mentor, most of us think this:
I'd like to find some older person we respect who can guide us into becoming a successful, wise and happy grown-up.
We hear of people who have a mentor, and we wish for one ourselves, thinking, "If only I had a mentor, I would be able to get past this place I'm stuck, or I'd be more Godly, or I'd have someone who could really help me with the questions I don't dare ask in any of my current relationships." We look around in our circles and search for people we admire and want to emulate, but we aren't quite sure how to get a mentor, and if we dared to ask, what would we do if they said "No."? How would we proceed if they agreed to meet us? We're also quite jaded by having seen so many great leaders/heros fall from their pedestals, so some of us are a little despairing that we'll ever really have a mentor. It's a pipe dream. A fantasy.
In CRMS (Church Resource Ministries Singapore) we teach that there are different types of mentors for different needs in life. We can be aware of these types of mentors to look for, and with our eyes humbly and gratefully fixed on Jesus and his mercy (am I repeating myself?) we can intentionally seek the mentors who will help us develop into our potential in Christ.
There are INTENSIVE mentoring relationships such as the intentional short term mentoring you would get in a Discipleship relationship, with a Spiritual Guide, or a Coach.
Then there are OCCASSIONAL mentors; the kind along life's road who are Counselors, Teachers, or someone who acts as your Sponsor. A Sponsor is the one to give you the helping hand you need to advance in your career or ministry.
There are also PASSIVE mentors, and this is the category where I feel something like the posts in my blogs would fit. It's the impersonal exposure we have from reading or observing Contemporary or Historical people whom we admire or who are teaching us memorable life-defining lessons. Whether what I've written is in regards to making new discoveries in theatre, growing in excellence and holiness as creative artists, whether it's in navigating life in a cross cultural setting, or whether it is transparently chronicling my own intentional development, I hope that readers will be inspired to follow my example. Most of us expend a lot of energy trying to cover up, or be something we're not, and we're miserable. I've found a freedom in just being real. I'm finally so confident in God's love for and acceptance of me that if someone thinks less of me because of what I write, or what I think, or how I act or who I am, then it's really their problem. Of course, If I've been offensive, or said or done something inappropriate, I am certainly open to loving correction and growing! But I digress in trying to address your question about the role of my blogs in mentoring others...
Another interesting kind of Passive mentor is a Divine Contact. This is a person you may not even know well who happens to have the right thing to say to you at just the right time. You know when it happens that it is a message from God and you are profoundly impacted by the encounter.
Earlier this week I learned how I played a role as a Divine Contact for the artist/writers of CreateVoyage! Rarely this side of heaven do we get to know of such things! I always try to write these things down so that I'll never forget it. It helps me to remember that God is at work, even in the times when he seems silent and impotent in the affairs of men.
In one of your earliest print issues I wrote an article, "Should Christian Artists Work in Church for Free?" This magazine was casually picked up at a Christian concert by a young poet/writer Aaron Lee. He read it and thought the article was daring and provocative (which apparently was a good thing!). He was ecstatic to realize that there was such a circle of believer/writers in Singapore. He combed through the magazine and found the email contact for a Dawn Fung, contacted you and set the wheels in motion for his becoming a mentor and host for this group which has now been meeting for years! I have only gotten to know Aaron better in the past year, and had known him first as a leader among the CreateleVoyage group. I had no idea the role the Lord had me play in getting him connected with your team. I heard this part of his story just this week as he and 7 others sat in a living room finding out all kinds of divinely ordained ways that our lives had already intersected, never knowing that eventually we'd all be in the same living room embarking on an intentional mentoring journey together. We've started a CRMS mentoring process called Focused Living which my husband James uses with Pastors and other Christian leaders. This is the first time we are using it with married Christian couples who I've met through the Arts.
One final note before I move on from this subject of mentoring: I suggest that if you apply this simple list of nine types of mentors to your own experience. Sit down and began to look back over your life and those who are in your life right now. I'm certain you could make a wonderful list of many mentors you've already had. You just may have never realized or acknowledged their role, as such, in your life. If you do write out such a list, I encourage you to take a moment to write to at least one of them and let them know the impact they had on your life. They will treasure such a note! You will encourage them to be more intentional about making a difference in other's lives when they hear the role they had in yours.
Looking at that list, you will also be able to identify that there are areas for development that you've been lacking a mentor in. What are the ways you want to grow? What kind of mentor do you see that you could use right now? Then ask. Tell the person you admire whatever it is about their life and ask if they'd be willing to meet you for coffee sometime so that you could ask them some questions and learn from them. If the coffee-time goes well, ask them for another meeting, or two, or more. What do you think you need? What do they see that you need? Then you be assertive in asking for what you'd like, and following through about getting it. Should you ask them to meet with you regularly for a season, or just touch base in a month or so? How regularly is reasonable? As a guide: Professional Coaching relationships often meet for one to two hours every other week for 3-6 months. You set a date for the next time you'll meet. You do the following through.
Most people LOVE to have people ask them questions and give advice, but they're not going to go around approaching younger people, "Say, I noticed that you're really a gifted artist but you don't know anything about marketing [or parenting, or interpersonal, communication or leadership]. I'm great at that. Can I help you grow?" Ha. That just doesn't happen. You gotta ASK, and follow through.
If you take this input, I look forward to hearing how it works out for you! We all can use more mentoring and intentional growth. Don't wait for New Year to make such a resolution!
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