An innovative centre manager in Jersey has come up with a new and unexpected way to introduce people to Jesus: Graffiti church.
Stephen Lamb, a graffiti artist with 20 years experience, suggested the idea when he was doing a 'Pioneer ministry' course with the Church of England. Brought up in Yorkshire, he's now launched it at the church where he works, on the island of Jersey.
The community art-based work the 40-year-old had done before had proven what an opening the art form can have.
Lamb told Premier how a friend had first thought his invitation to try out “Graffiti church” was a typo, but later told him the session at St Andrew’s Church was “a perfect icebreaker”. Another man, attending the church for the first time, said “seeing Scripture in exciting graffiti letters really helped the message to stick”.
The married father of one has also carved the name Jesus out of an old table, carving other names for Jesus such as Creator God, King of the World and Son of God into the material, which he displays at Graffiti church events.
He said: “It’s just the word Jesus written in bold letters, so there’s no hiding and getting away from what it is and what we’re about. But spray-painting the word Jesus, for a group of toddlers, is much more engaging and less threatening than saying, ‘Sit down, I’m going to tell you a Bible story’, which they may not have anticipated. But I've also done sessions with teenagers and adults, and even on one occasion with a group of pensioners, which was really good fun.”
Lamb said he often uses poster paint in bottles with young children rather than an aerosol and also finds stencils really effective.
The Yorkshireman is currently trying to secure funding for a pop-up shelter so the events can continue through the winter.
