Because we are created in the image of God, the Creator, we too are creative beings. Creativity is part of our design, a reflection of His nature within us. We don't just connect with God intellectually—we long to engage with Him through all our senses. That’s why New Wineskins is integrating the arts into the Hope for the Nations conference, and Dandelion Ministries is excited to be part of this!

People are looking for purpose and for the meaning of life and they are hungry for a spirituality that embraces all aspects of their person—including the imagination. This is a visual generation that is overstimulated by ever-present technology, endless news cycles, and the demands of social media. But for decades Christians have tried to reach the culture without some of the church’s greatest resources: beauty and the arts. Art has the power to touch people’s hearts and minds. One of the ways that we can bring hope to our world that is searching for answers is through the arts.

Thirty years ago today, on April 27, 1994, New Wineskins Missionary Network (formerly ECMC, Episcopal Church Missionary Community) held its first Global Mission Conference.…

Last April I attended the New Wineskins for Global Mission Conference in Ridgecrest, NC. As I was passing through the lobby one day, I happened to see a small group of photographs on a table. Among the photos was one entitled, "God is Calling Artists To...", listing ways in which an artist can serve God. This one photograph by artist Beverley Roehr touched my heart and led me over the next ten months to paint a series of paintings on the journeys of refugees.