Bible journaling classes offer expression of faith
Andrea Lawless, director of communications at Presbyterian School in south Houston, has attended West U Baptist Church for over 20 years.
In that time, she said she’s learned how to grow in her faith, and tapped into a creative spirit she never knew she had.
“I grew up in a very typical Asian family, which is very academic focused,” she said. “I didn’t take my first art class until college, and that was just to satisfy the art requirement.”
After her family moved to West University Place, she regularly attended church and joined a youth group.
It wasn’t until after she was married and had children that she began pursuing art and found ways to express herself creatively.
“I wanted a purpose for my creativity and my art so that’s when I married it with my faith, which is very important to me. It’s like I can engage in a really meaningful activity that I enjoy but at the same time process my faith alongside it.”
So in 2016, she created a class called ‘Illustrate Your Faith’, a Bible journaling class that focuses on helping attendees grow in their faith using Scripture and art.
Classes are held every other Sunday, each utilizing different types of art styles along with various Scriptures.
The Sunday, Feb. 12 class in the student building of West U Baptist saw almost 30 attendees create art in their Bible journals using scripture from Psalm 66.
“I wasn’t the kind of person to really talk about God, and this has really changed my life,” said Peggy Lucas, 65, a Spring Branch resident.
Lucas said that attending the classes for the past three years has helped her become more open about her Catholic faith.
“I learned more about the bible. I talk about God now, and I pray more,” she said.
West U Baptist at 6218 Auden St. is one of the three campuses of City Rise Church, led by senior pastor Dr. Roger Patterson.
Antonetta Russo, a Bellaire resident and the senior pastor’s assistant, helped Lawless create the classes after they both were searching for a way to combine their need for a creative outlet and their faith.
“It’s another way for you to build your relationship with Jesus because it brings you back to the word,” Russo said. “Our lessons revolve around Scripture and making it fun.”
The type of art attendees tried last week was graffiti. They began by writing down all of their woes or praises onto a sheet of paper, which they would then rip up and use for their graffiti art.
“Life is like graffiti. Sometimes it gets messy, sometimes it’s unexpected,” Lawless said about her concept. “You’re on this particular path, then all of a sudden something gets thrown on top of it and it ruins the look or the feel. So, the look of graffiti resonated with life, metaphorically.”
Since she does not have an artistic background, Lawless utilizes videos and content from Instagram artists for attendees to gain inspiration for their ideas.
During the most recent class, Lawless credited artist Andrea Chebleu for her use of graffiti the class had learned.
“I love the way Andrea weaves Scripture into her artwork,” said Kristen Campbell, director of the women’s ministry at West U Baptist. “There’s intention behind everything we do.”
“It’s so easy to invite a friend to this because it’s free and low-stress,” Campbell said. “Everyone is welcome and you don’t have to have any talents.”