Avatar of Andrea Garcia

by Andrea Garcia

MoodyFest 2012

August 29, 2012 in Events


Last year, MoodyFest was introduced to the Old Town neighborhood on Labor Day weekend. Live music from six different musical acts bellowed from the “Walgreens parking lot” out into the street, and was the cause of smiles and head bobbing throughout the crowd!

This year, MoodyFest will feature the Moody Church Sunday Evening Gathering Band, Ethan Butler, the Clark St. Band, and the Stephen Lynerd Quintet. We caught up with two of these groups to learn a little more about them.

For last year’s event, Jason Cates headed up a jazz group. This year, he and four other musicians decided to switch things up a bit and put together a blues quintet.  This will be the first performance for the Clark St. Band, which features the musical talents of Jason Cates, Jeff Mason, Phillip Potter, Dave Gear, and Rex Carol.

Stephen Lynerd says he and his band had a blast at last year’s event – so much so that they wanted to perform again!  Although Stephen doesn’t have one specific band that he performs with, this allows him to perform with various musicians that he brings together. Accompanying Stephen in his quintet is Benjamin Lynerd, Jonathan Gilley, David Kelly, and Gabriel Datcu.  To learn more about Stephen, you can visit his website at HERE.

MoodyFest will start at 4 PM in the parking lot on the corner of LaSalle Street and North Avenue.  The entire event is free, which not only includes the live music, but food and refreshments as well!  It’s a great way to say goodbye to the summer, meet some new friends, and greet the Moody Church community.  See you there!

To see photos from last year’s MoodyFest, click HERE.

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

TMC Artist Circle Announces Fall Visual Art Exhibit

August 18, 2012 in Events

The Moody Church Artist Circle is proud to present the 2nd Fall Exhibit of visual arts at the Moody Church from Nov 4-18. Last year’s exhibit saw some 45 pieces by nearly 20 artists displayed throughout the main lobby and Christian Life Center. Creativity, in its various forms, is a gift from The Creator and our desire is to provide a venue where the church body can interact with the artists among them and their gifts all to the glory of God. This year’s theme is Reflections. The inspiration comes from the Biblical book of James where we are told God’s Word is like a mirror. The title provides the artist with great creative flexibility while still challenging them to explore God’s Word.

All forms of visual media are encouraged from pencil drawings to sculptures to digital. In order to submit your work for review, and to view the full specifications for submission, please use the PDF found HERE.

Mark your calendar and takes some time to interact with the art and even the artists.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Comments Off

Avatar of Andrea Garcia

by Andrea Garcia

TMC Artist Circle Announces Literary Journal

July 17, 2012 in Events

In addition to hosting the Fall Art Exhibit, the Moody Church Artist Circle will be publishing a new literary journal this November. Both will have the theme of Reflections. The journal hopes to showcase and be representative of the writing talent throughout the church.

To submit, please adhere to the following guidelines: The journal will publish both prose and poetry from entrants who are attenders of the Moody Church. Prose, both fiction and creative non-fiction, should be no longer than ten pages. Up to three poems may be submitted, no longer than a page each. All submissions should be double-spaced, in 12 point Times New Roman font, and in a Word .doc format. Excerpts of longer pieces or previously published selections will be accepted; please include explanatory information in submission email.

Please remember that content should be appropriate for the entire Moody Church community.

We hope to include as many submissions as possible.

Please stay tuned to tmcartist.com and the Moody Church bulletin for more details about how and when the journal will be published.

All submissions and questions should be emailed to Andrea at artistcircle@moodychurch.org with “Literary Journal” in the subject line.

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

‘In the Fullness of Time’ Christmas Vespers Videos Online!

July 15, 2012 in Videos

Last December, we coordinated a special vespers service during the Christmas season entitled ‘In the Fullness of Time.’  In God’s complete wisdom and sovereignty, only He could have caused so many disparate parts and seemingly insignificant details to be prepared throughout history so that, at the proper time, everything would be perfectly fulfilled in Jesus.  These five videos were shown in sequence at different portions of the service to show the progression of events leading to the birth of Christ.

Be sure to keep an eye on our Vimeo page HERE to stay updated on all of our video projects!

Comments Off

Avatar of Andrea Garcia

by Andrea Garcia

Profile: Models for Christ

July 7, 2012 in Profiles, Recommendations

Ever wondered if it was possible to be in the fashion industry and be a Christian? Models for Christ thinks it is.

Models for Christ (MFC) is a New York-based nonprofit organization, first started in 1984 by then-unmarried Jeff and Laura Calenberg.  After returning to New York from a modeling trip to Milan, Jeff realized the need to build a community of Christians working in the fashion industry.  He also wanted a way to reach unbelievers around them.  The first MFC meeting was held in Laura’s apartment and included fellowship with a Bible study.

Since then, Models for Christ has grown to include three domestic locations.  There is a small staff that oversees operations as a whole for MFC, including International Directors Shane and Christina Nearman.  Leah Walton serves as the Media Director, as well as the Director for MFC in New York City.  Each city has its own leadership team that varies from five to ten people.  These teams lead the MFC members from Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City in “weekly Bible studies, outreach events, and community service opportunities,” Leah says.  Although Models for Christ does not affiliate itself with any specific Christian organization or denomination, its website explicitly says it is “a Christian ministry that bases truth on the Holy Bible” and provides “spiritual support and accountability.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

‘Corey Crider and Bill Bennett Nano-Concert’ Photos

July 7, 2012 in Photos

Here are photos from our Nano-Concert that was held on June 3, 2012.

click each thumbnail for a larger view of each photo

You may also view these pictures on Flickr HERE.

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

STORY Conference 2012: Fuel for the Creative Class

June 20, 2012 in Recommendations

In line with the Artist Circle’s vision to network, interact, and collaborate with other Christian artists, the STORY conference draws folks from all over the nation for a two-day conference right here in Chicago!

The STORY Conference was created by Ben Arment, who envisioned getting a larger community of Christian artists and ministry workers refreshed, inspired, and connected. In fact, it may even be the only conference of its kind. The conference brings together folks from all over the nation as attendees, volunteers, presenters and sponsors. Each year STORY invites a variety of speakers and musicians across all disciplines – some of whom you’ve heard of and some of whom you WILL. Session topics range from a particular technical expertise to biographical journeys to general Q&A, but not matter the session topic each seems to speak to all other disciplines. As the STORY folks themselves say, “We strive for associational learning across disciplines, believing there’s much a filmmaker can learn from, say, an entrepreneur, and so on. You’ll find no fill-in-the-blanks or formulas to copy. Our metric for success is what you are inspired to go out and create.”

The theme for STORY 2012 is Everywhere, which speaks to the power of redemptive ideas in the most unlikely, unexpected places of the world. In addition to the main-stage program, STORY offers themed environments where you can learn from creative practitioners and interact with others in your field.

The conference does have a cost to attend, but you can also attend as a volunteer! The STORY folks are hoping to confirm their pool of volunteers by the end of June, so if you’re not sure you can afford a ticket, why not volunteer? In fact, the entire conference is mostly run by volunteers (there’s only a handful of staff who actually plan the event during the year)!

One of our Artist Circle members, Stephanie Bettig, volunteered last year, and remarks:

“I decided to volunteer last year and was very pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. While volunteering, I met a lot of new friends from other Chicago churches (that I didn’t even know existed, let alone had invested groups of artists) who are also pursuing their own artistic passions. I was able to attend almost all sessions and had lunch provided both days. I was inspired to worship with a thousand other creatives from all over the nation. I was encouraged in how to use my craft by hearing what many of the speakers had to say about being used of the Lord. I was spurred on toward artistic excellence and to be ‘relevant’ to my non-Christian artist friends.”

The 2012 STORY Conference will be held all day on Sept. 20 and 21st at Park Community Church.  Seating is limited to only 1,000 people and their prices go up next month!

To volunteer, contact Rachel Moran at rachel (dot) moran82 (at) gmail (dot) com

To register, click HERE.

Use the links below to connect with STORY:

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
Vimeo

 

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

‘The Gospel According to Jonah’ Sermon Videos Online!

June 18, 2012 in Videos

Last November, we helped Eric Naus, pastor of University Students, enhance his sermon series by producing three videos that correspond to the book of Jonah.  We are very excited to share our work with you!

 

Be sure to keep an eye on our Vimeo page HERE to stay updated on all of our video projects!

Comments Off

Avatar of Mark Walczak

by Mark Walczak

‘Why Pray?’ by Cumi

June 6, 2012 in Recommendations

 

Recently, 24-7 Prayer, an international movement of prayer, contracted animation studio cumi to create a project entitled ‘Why Pray?’  The Artist Circle caught up Mark Kessler, Creative Director with cumi, for a quick Q&A regarding their roots and their creative process:

What is Cumi and where are you located?

Cumi is an animation company based in Wembley, London. After my wife and I had just got married we both lost our jobs and we felt that God wanted us to begin our own animation company. We prayed about the name and He gave us the name cumi (Mark 5:41). Over the past years we have been non-stop.

What type of work do you do? Animation, Illustration, Print? What types of clients do you serve?

We do all types of animation work and have a real passion for illustration which I think is apparent in the kind of work we do.

Cumi appears to do a lot of charity work. What value is there for cumi as a business to do work with charities?

A lot of companies pay a fortune to get the best advertisements done and I’ve always felt that charities deserve the best and shouldn’t have to pay for it. The charity work we do is an opportunity to give back plus I find it keeps us humble and not focused on money.

Read the rest of this entry →

Comments Off

Avatar of Andrea Garcia

by Andrea Garcia

Profile: Buy Art Not People

May 13, 2012 in Profiles, Recommendations

May 19 marks the third event for Buy Art Not People, a Chicago-based organization that raises awareness about human trafficking.

Buy Art Not People first formed at Destination Church in Wrigleyville to engage artists in ministry. The group wanted to hold an event to raise money for the church, but a pastor suggested raising money for a charity instead. The group landed on Not For Sale, a national organization that works to end human trafficking in a variety of ways. BANP’s first event, held in December 2010, was located at the Painted Door, a church and gallery space in Ukrainian Village. The main event was a silent auction featuring 20 artists, including Elizabeth Andrews, who is now the director of BANP. At the time, she was new to the city and was invited to a pastor’s birthday party: “I ended up meeting the co-founders of Buy Art Not People at that party. They found out I was an artist [and] asked me to contribute some work.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Comments Off