"Lifted Up In New York City" ~ The Gallery @ Common Grounds

Found

Trinity Baptist Church, Manhattan, 2004

(c) Lanie McNulty Photography

The Stewardesses

Mount Moriah Baptist Church, Harlem, 2005

(c) Lanie McNulty Photography

Father and Son

Billy Graham Crusade, Corona Park, Queens, 2005

(c) Lanie McNulty Photography

Lanie McNulty Photography
“Lifted Up In New York City” Exhibit
February 5 - February 28 at Living Word’s Gallery @ Common Grounds
Opening Reception/Meet the artist: Lanie McNulty @ The Studio ~ Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00 PM in the Common Grounds Coffee Bar

Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship for they will walk in the light of your presence. Psalm 89:15

“Lifted Up in New York City celebrates the ways Christians in this big, bold and beautiful city worship God. Like New York City itself, the people in these pictures are a mosaic, diverse in their styles of worship, their music, their skin colors, their cultures, their languages, and their ages. Yet, they share something that transcends these differences—the experience of a deep and abiding relationship with Jesus Christ. I, too, share this experience, this faith. So these are not the pictures of an outsider looking in. This is an insider’s story, my personal exploration of how the God that I love is working in the city that I love.” ~ Lanie McNulty

In these black-and-white, gelatin silver prints, McNulty uses a masterful sense of light and a courageously short lens to document Christians from all five boroughs of New York City, of every color, culture and class, worshipping in their own unique and intimate ways. Included are images from Harlem Gospel churches, a Queens dance ministry, a Brooklyn Sunday school ministering weekly to 20,000 children from the projects, a church on Manhattan’s Lower East Side serving many homeless and ex-cons, a Bronx prayer walk, and the 2005 National Day of Prayer at the College of Staten Island.

Lifted Up in New York City is an insider’s story. Photographed from 2004 through 2008, it follows McNulty’s personal exploration of how the God she loves is working in the city she loves. Along this journey, McNulty became part of the lives of the people she photographed. They welcomed her like a sister, inviting her and her camera into a very personal and extraordinary space.

We hope you will take time to stop by LW's Common Grounds Coffee Bar to experience Lanie's stunning photography. Be sure to pick up the gallery booklet, "The Heart Behind the Art," which shares her journey of faith and creativity. We are thrilled to have Lanie come from New York City to share her photography featuring people worshiping our God in NYC.

Contact person: deAnn Roe

grace and peace ~ deAnn

Pages Writing Group - Recap

PAGES Writer's Gathering ~ Thursday, January 14, 2010


Upcoming Pages ~ always the second Thursday of each month…
• February 11
• March 11
• April 8
• May 13 ~ MY DUE DATE!!! So, I may not be here… But PAGES will happen, no doubt!

Spring Inklings ~ deadline March 19 to submit you poems, short stories, and reflections. Email them to deAnn.

Gallery Opening/Meet the Artist & Encounter - A Night of Worship
Friday, February 5 at 6:30 in the coffee bar, meet NYC artist, Lanie McNulty. Coffee and desserts will be available. Followed by a night of worship beginning at 7:30 in the main auditorium.

Save the Date:
Tuesday, March 9 at 7pm – Author of Finding Divine Inspiration, J. Scott McElroy, will be coming to speak to the arts ministry. More details to come…check back to this blog for more info.

Food For thought:
“We are here for a reason. We each have abilities, and the trick is to search them out and figure out a way to use them. Someone famous once said that the only really tragedy in life is not to use the gifts and talents that God gave us… It is a tragedy, too often realized, to under utilize your abilities.”
Caroline Sharp, A Writer’s Workbook

The Writing Challenge/Exercise:
I handed out random images and each of us selected one that we liked or were naturally drawn to. We studied the photo, imagining what's happening in that moment in that world right now? Then we asked ourselves some questions that would lend us to build a scene that would lead to a story. For instance:

Where is this? What can you smell? What is on the mind of this person? Etc. This is a chance to go way out there detail-wise. Create characters, who is in this scene? Why are they there? What are they doing? Where are they going? Who will enter the scene and why? This story doesn’t have to be rational or realistic either. Create a new world, a place of mystery or fantasy = think of Alice in Wonderland, be creative!

After writing in silence for an hour, we briefly shared what that experience was like - the experience of making up a scene, a character, a story. There were some reallly interesting starts that the writers will expand upon. I can't wait to read their finished stories - that orginated from a visual prompt. It was an awesome night of writing and community as we stretched ourselves to try something "new."

Below are some of the images we choose from for our individual writing prompt.

Enjoy the writing life...
Grace & peace ~ deAnn

deAnn Roe - director of creative arts at Living Word Community Church - droe@lwccyork.com or 717-755-0089 x126

Thursday Pages, January 14

Join us for our monthly writing group, PAGES - Thursday, January 14 from 7-8:30 PM in the large conference room of LWCC (across the hall from the kitchen door). Bring your writing pad and favorite pen or laptop. If you are working on a writing project, bring it for some dedicated time to compose. Or choose from a variety of writing prompts which we'll provide.

This group spends the first 30 minutes connecting as writers who are seeking a vibrant writer's life and the last 60 minutes are spent practicing our craft: writing, silently - but in community.

If you have questions, email deAnn.

See you there!
grace & peace,
deAnn

Gallery Opening & Encounter = Together As One

THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED DUE TO PENDING SNOW STORM. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

We have a special worship event, Encounter, coming up on Friday, February 5. A cool thing about the Encounter events is that it's tied to a new gallery exhibit and celebrates with a gallery opening. The gallery opening and the Encounter are interconnected in theme and purpose.

The February gallery exhibit it titled, "Lifted Up In New York City," and will feature the powerful photography of New York City artist, Lanie McNulty. Lanie will be at LW's coffee bar for the opening on Friday night prior to Encounter. She'll share her amazing story of how God captured her heart and as a result of her surrendering her creativity to Him - He's taken it places she never would have imagined. It's quite the story and she's quite the woman. Her artwork will be on display at The Gallery @ Common Grounds at LW the month of February.

Please join Lanie in the Gallery @ Common Grounds Coffee Bar at LWCC at 6:30 PM on Friday, 2/5. Coffee and desserts will be available. Her talk will begin promptly at 6:30 PM.

~ Continue the Experience ~

Following the gallery opening, join us in the main auditorium for a night of worship at the Encounter beginning at 7:30 PM. A very special evening is planned which will feature many different elements all leading us to a sweet time of worshiping our God and Creator.

Lanie's story and artwork lend themselves to a greater experience at Encounter, so we hope you will be able to attend both segments of this unique evening of worship.

To recap:

Friday, February 5, 2010

Gallery Opening/Meet the Artist - Lanie McNulty

6:30 PM - 7:15 PM

The Gallery @ Common Grounds Coffee Bar, LWCC

followed by...

Encounter ~ An Evening of Worship

7:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Main Auditorium, LWCC

Sadly, no childcare is available but children are welcome to attend.

Read The Heart Behind the Art Online

Click on the link to read January 2010 - The Heart Behind the Art gallery booket online.

Read Inklings Online

Winter 2010 Inklings Publication

Click the link to read the current edition of Inklings online. Or find your copy in The Gallery @ Common Grounds Coffee Bar at Living Word Community Church.

Snow Photo Challenge by Lisa Wagg

Doesn't the bird look real??

Here's a squirel that moved into a bird house.

Dessie and Flake pleading to be let in.

A lamp post out front of Lisa's house.

Thanks Lisa for submitting your images from the near-blizzard snowstorm we had a few weeks ago. Makes me kinda wish for another big storm. :0)

Grace & peace,

deAnn

December PAGES Recap

At the December gathering for Pages, we had a good time getting to know each other a little better. We talked briefly about what formats are a challenge to write as well as any goals that we have in mind for 2010.

The fun part came when we did a “free write”. Our topic was Barbie Dolls! After ten minutes of writing, each of us shared our unique perspective on Barbie. Even though there were no male perspectives in the group, it was quite interesting how each of us wrote about this famous beauty that has touched so many generations.

Our intimate group of three was quite nice for my first time stepping in for deAnn:-)

January will a great time to pick up your pen and start writing in 2010!
See you on the 14th.

Celesa

Snow Photo Challenge by Vickie Everhart

Horse Drawn Carriage

by Vickie Everhart

Thanks Vickie for submitting your image. It seems that the snow storm we had happened so long ago!

grace & peace, deAnn

Happy 2010!

Well, here we are 8 hours and 38 minutes into the new decade of 2010. I hate the dreaded “new year’s resolutions” because I come up with grand ideas about things I want to implement into my life this year or some other ideas that are really out of my reach, in reality. Pastor Brian preached last Sunday about experiments instead of resolutions (at least that is what I heard.) And instead of a huge resolution, I’m shooting for some smaller experiments relating to my creativity. Here is my list so far, which is small… it to is an experiment. :0)

1. I will sketch something, anything, in my sketchbook every day for one month (starting today, January 1).

See, I told you it was small. I’m still working on my list of life experiments that would be fun and beneficial to me and my creative growth and spiritual growth this year. I have a few others brewing but I’m not ready to post them YET.

The idea is take little experiments that are reasonable and manageable in size and timeframe. If I sketch something in my sketch book daily for one month I may create a habit and that is a good habit to have. Even If I simply sketch my foot or a wall or a tree, nothing fabulous that will be gallery worthy, but I’m getting practice and who knows what doors this experiment will open for me in my creative closet.

So, I begin there. One month of daily sketching.

What experiments are you willing to try in order to fuel up your creativity?

grace & peace,

deAnn

p.s. Oh, why the moose? Well, I just liked it. Happy New Year!