ENDOWMENT FUND: for Spiritual Formation & Art
God's Business Plan for the Arts
Part 1.The First Patrons of the Arts
Exodus 31 tells an elaborate story of BEZALEL, the first artist mentioned in the Bible. Bezalel's friend Oholiab shares with him the most famous art commission of all times ~ to create holy treasures designed by God himself.
Spiritual power sent to Bezalel and Oholiab fills them with wisdom and the skill to make art for the tabernacle. In their studio, they shape the first golden menorah and The Ark.
God's special anointing gives Bezalel another power as well: the ability to teach anybody with a desire to learn. Thus Bezalel becomes an artist with a double mission: to do and to teach.
Why did God do this?
God tells us why, very simply: for glory and for beauty. Our creative God, who's image we somehow reflect, this designer God absolutely loves beautiful things. He wants to share beauty with us when we gather with him in worship.
God loves everything about the act of creating things. Creativity may well be God's first name. So that day with Moses, on a mountain in the desert, God sends creative power to an artist.
Part 2. The First Patrons of the Arts:
God's Business Plan for the Arts ~ Free-Will Offerings
So, who's going to pay for God's rich vision for his tabernacle?
Imagine sitting up there on mystical Mount Sinai. Divine fire flickers across Moses' face. God gets ready to send Moses back down the hill. Moses holds two tablets inscribed with Ten Rules; hundreds of others are carved in his mind.
"... and uh, Moses," maybe God says, "before you go...." Moses is used to this by now ~ always something else. Here it comes,"Could you ask around the village for me, and see if someone can spare a few things for the artists to work with? Gold, jewels, precious fibres? No pressure. Just let their hearts stir."
The Israelites need very little persuasion. They're new in the desert. They have nothing to eat, and nowhere to spend gold anyways. All their provisions come from above: manna appears on the sand in the morning and water springs out of rocks.
The tabernacle project launches with great enthusiasm. But soon, the artists run back to Moses, and cry out to him for help. "Please, Moses, ask them to stop giving! We have too much gold. It's causing storage problems. Ask them to stop!"
This problem does not exist in Vancouver.
Come join us as partners in arts mission today!
God's Business Plan for the Arts
Wondering how to invest your ten talents?
ENDOWMENT FUND: for Spiritual Formation & Art
How does an endowment fund help non-profit organizations?
The funds from our Endowment will support ongoing programs.
These programs include:
Endowment funds remain with us until the End of Time!