Creative Faith Journaling Workshops
Read, Contemplate & Respond
Creative Faith Journaling Workshops happen on monthly-ish Sundays, after the worship service.
If you are new to creative faith journaling, you can learn more about it on our Lent 2023 page. When we gather, we will learn a new creative process. The purpose of these workshops is to bring us inspiration and joy as followers of a wildly creative God. Really, who doesn’t need more joy? Think of these workshops as a springboard for trying new things – to keep your ideas fresh.
Creative Faith Lent 2024
One Square…One Prayer
Hello!
You are invited to discover the pleasure and peace a simple routine of devotion and prayer can bring. We encourage you to try this daily prayer practice for making your journey through Lent this year. It may become just the thing to rekindle your desire to be with God and in His presence.
What is Lent? Lent is the 40 days before Easter (excluding Sundays). It begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2024, and ends at sundown on Holy Saturday, the evening before Easter, which is Sunday, March 31.
Lent is a season of preparation, reflection, and repentance when we seek to realign our lives and focus on God. We can choose to set aside an unhealthy habit or activity, and use that time to experience the benefits of prayer, reading the bible, or quiet meditation.
Our 2024 daily Lenten devotional booklet consists of a Scripture reading, a small devotional thought, and a daily action. We encourage you to read, contemplate and respond in the way that works for you.
Responding with Creative Faith
This year for our Creative Faith response we have included in the devotional booklet a simple grid of “inchies” for your creative response. One inch? Yes, one inch! As you read the devotion each day, select a word that comes into your thoughts. Draw your visual interpretation of that word in the square. Allow it to enter your heart and mind and become the spark for your prayer.
One Prayer, One Square Art Collaboration
Throughout Lent, we will be encouraging our congregation, and anyone who wishes to participate, in our One Prayer, One Square Art Collaboration. This project will combine simple prayers written or drawn by each of us on a 6×6-inch piece of paper into a collaborative artwork that lifts all our prayers to God. The artwork will be displayed throughout Lent and on Easter.
If you are joining us virtually, below are links to the booklet and a full page of 40 “inchies.” You can use the grid in the booklet to sketch your ideas and then draw on the full-page grid.
Download a PDF page of “inchie” squares to use for daily response pictures/words.
Download the Lenten journal daily readings PDF.
Inchies inspiration on our Brunswick Church Pinterest
Email office@brunswickchurch.org if you would like to be added to our creative@brunswickchurch email
Nov/Dec – Advent 2023 Creative Journaling
During Lent this year, we shared a new way to read and respond to scripture readings using a visual faith journal. Visio Divina (Latin for “divine seeing”) is a method for praying with images or other media. This inspired us to begin a monthly series of Creative Faith Journal Workshops that explored a myriad of ways to visually respond. Our workshops included watercolor, wire sculpture, batik, photography, bookmaking, collage and mosaics. You can find inspiration and “how-tos” for all these things on our Brunswick Church Pinterest. Scripture shows us that imagery has been an important part of God’s way of communicating with us. Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14 NASB), and Peter’s dream on the rooftop (Acts 10), are just two instances of how images and prayer are vitally connected.
For our November 19 and December 3 Creative Faith Journal Workshops at 11 AM after Worship, we will be making an altered-book style journal that may be used for our Advent journaling creative responses. We found online an Advent Bible Reading Plan created by Dr. Cynthina Johnson that we will use for our Advent 2023 devotional reading. We encourage you to read her blog page – Why should I Read the Christmas Story Verses Daily? (Please note that these daily Advent devotional readings begin on December 1).
You may decide to read, contemplate and respond to the daily Advent readings with a written or creative response. Or perhaps you will consider them while hiking or sitting quietly. Whatever you choose, you are opening your heart to hear God’s word and a deeper understanding of this miraculous event of Jesus’ birth!
Here is a print version of the readings.
October 9 – Learn to knit
Are you intrigued when you watch someone using sticks and beautiful colored yarn creating something warm and cozy? Then the October Creative Faith Journaling Workshop is the one for you! Our very talented Ginny Hanby will be our instructor this month, teaching the basics of knitting. It will be a simple scarf project for beginners. If you are already an experienced knitter, please bring your current project and join the fun!
The Workshop will be on October 15, after Worship (around 11AM) in the Commons!
September 10 – Ring Journal
The idea for this was inspired from something called a “Junk Journal”. Junk journals are made with the scraps of paper leftover from art projects, or beautiful paper items that have been saved because they were too interesting to toss out. You can include greeting cards, business cards, postcards, tags, photos, pages from brochures or magazines, programs or tickets. Do you have a box or drawer with a stash like this? If you do, please bring some to the September 10th workshop. We will create a unique journal that can be used to write in or as a visual aid to your prayer time. There will be plenty of supplies on hand to do the project whether or not you bring your own items.
August 9 – Bookmark home project
We are taking a vacation for the month of August. But we have set up a creative station on the table in the Commons where you can find materials to make a sweet little bookmark.
JULY 9 – Sew Easy! Workshop
In the spirit of celebrating our family and the special people in our lives, we will make a primitive-style, hand-embroidered picture. You can stitch a stick-family group, a child’s drawing, hand prints, or whatever you love. No sewing skills are required! We will meet after Worship in the Commons.
- Draw a favorite memory with your family. What makes it so meaningful to you?
- Describe or draw the one thing that you like most about each member of your family.
- What does the word “family” mean to you? Using watercolors, create an abstract image of this.
- Imagine traveling back in time and spending a day with any family member or ancestor. Who would you visit, and how would you spend the day?
- Describe your family to someone that has never met them. Think about what makes your family different, unique, or normal.
- Do a simple sketch of several people who are special to you. Write words that describe them around the drawing.
June 11 – Photography
What color is light? Does your camera see things the way you do? Do you have a box of old photos? Our monthly Creative Faith Journaling Workshop will be on Sunday, June 11 after Worship.
We will explore the art of photographic seeing and repurpose some old wood to make beautiful rustic frames for your old or new photos. We will also begin a group photography project for a display in the Commons. Please bring your cell phone (camera) or a digital camera to the workshop as well as your journal if you would like to share your May responses. All are welcome to attend!
The Journal Prompt for June is very simple but powerful!
Every day, use your phone to take a quick picture of the things you are thankful for or something that makes you aware of God’s presence. It might be a kind note that someone has written, your steaming cup of coffee in your favorite mug, or maybe your sneakers. Then, when you journal, draw these things in a very simple manner and label them. You will be amazed at how this practice will help you become more full of gratitude and happiness.
Click the picture for the Pinterest Board for Photography Ideas:
May 7 – Mosaics
Mosaics are made from broken pieces of ceramic, stones or glass. We will provide the materials and instructions needed but please feel free to bring your own materials if you have them. Also please bring a smock or an old shirt, this process is a little messy!
For our May meeting, we encourage everyone who participated in the Lenten Journal Workshop to bring in their creative journal, “inchies”, batik painting, or other artwork that they would like to share with the group.
If you have any questions, please email Pam Hoyt, pandmhoyt@earthlink.net or Tamara Hansen, thphotoworks@gmail.com so we can have enough materials. Everyone is welcome – even at the last minute!
Link to our Pinterest board of Mosaic ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/
May Journal Prompts
Use one of these per week to contemplate and respond to in your journal
1. Ecclesiastes tells us there is a season for everything. What season are you in right now?
2. Write out the lyrics of a Christian song or hymn that brings you joy.
3. Describe a blessing that happened this week.
4. What do you love most about your church family?