Imago Dei Art Exhibition

We are half-way through the first-ever Imago Dei Art Exhibition. Check out some photos from our first who Art Shows at Sweet Palette and a Woodpecker’s Game. Our hope and prayer is that this is far from the end of this endeavor.

For anyone who is unfamiliar, Imago Dei means that all people are created in the image of God. All people - no matter their ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, religious, or political beliefs, etc. - deserve to be treated with love, respect, kindness, and dignity. It’s very easy for us to subconsciously or systematically disregard this belief. We (wrongly) think there is an ‘other,’ someone who is less human than we are.

The homeless are an easy target for this dehumanization. Maybe we think we are somehow better, maybe we are afraid or uncomfortable when they approach us, or maybe we feel impotent when we cannot or don’t know how to help then and there.

The purpose of the Imago Dei Art Exhibitoin is to create awareness and raise money to care for Fayetteville’s homeless population. We are not so self-aggrandizing to think we will solve all of the problems of Fayetteville’s homeless, but we do hope this keeps the conversation moving in healthy directions.

When we are talking about the homeless population, we are not talking about one homogeneous group; there are situationally homeless - someone has lost a job, gotten kicked out of their house, came out of prison, or something like that, and they have nowhere to go. There are also chronically homeless, this is defined as someone who has been without a home for more than a year. A chronically homeless person has many crushing life barriers that have stacked the cards against them; most have experienced serious trauma and abuse, many have serious mental illness and substance abuse problems.

No matter the circumstances that have gotten them into homelessness, these are people with thoughts and feelings. Some still have hopes and dreams, but many have been struggling and suffering for so long, that their mental space to dream and hope has been drowned out by near-constant fear and crisis. Many have created their own social networks with other homeless and look out for each other in their own ways.

I say all of this to give us some frame of reference that the problems of the homeless are so complex and tangled. It takes a great deal of time, resources, and patience to make a difference. I have the honor of serving on the Board of Directors of Operation Inasmuch, which exists to be the hands and feet of Jesus among the broken, hurting, and homeless by offering relief, recovery, and restoration of hope. If you’re reading this, there is a chance that you’ve served breakfast to the homeless through their morning breakfast ministry. This is the heartbeat of the organization and has been for over a decade. This breakfast ministry is the foot in the metaphorical door with the homeless to offer other relief services like sick call, showers, glasses, haircuts, etc.

Operation Inasmuch also has The Living Hope Program run thorough the Lodge. This is transitional housing for men who want to make meaningful change and get out of homelessness permanently. The men living within the Lodge take classes - everything from art to character development, bible study to group counseling. This Imago Dei Art Exhibition was born out of the art and photography classes led by Christian Prince, the Lodge Assistant Director, as well as Ray Im, a professional artist within Fayetteville. Any art, designs, or work purchased through Imago Dei Art is a 50/50 profit share; half the profits are given directly back to the artists. Many of those artists are the guys in the Lodge, working hard to rebuild their lives and get out of homelessness. We have professional artists who wanted to support the cause also contributing pieces. The other half of the profits goes back into running the Lodge and the Living Hope program. They go toward paying the amazing staff, running the facility, providing food, and various other opportunities to the guys there.

Our next Imago Dei Art Show will be this Friday from 5-7p, at the Cape Fear Studio (1148 Maxwell St, Downtown Fayetteville) for the city’s Fourth Fridays. There will be other happenings, so come down and enjoy the environment! Also, please check out our website; it’s been designed and executed by an amazing team of designers from Nepal!
** Photos generously provided by Kori Frazier Photography

IMAGO DEI: ALL PEOPLE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD ART EXHIBITION

IMAGO DEI: ART EXHIBITION HOSTED BY FAYETTEVILLE AREA OPERATION INASMUCH

We believe all people are created in the image of God with equal worth and value. God created us as beautiful multi-faceted people of different ages, genders, ethnicities, classes, etc. Often the homeless, some of the most hurting and vulnerable, are the least seen and respected within society. Out of that sentiment, the Holy Spirit has brought about a project in collaboration between a few Veritas Covenant Partners and the staff of Operation Inasmuch. The desire for this art exhibition is to create awareness and show the humanity of those struggling with homelessness. This project will be told from the perspective of those experiencing homelessness.

Ray Im, professional artist, and Christian Prince, Assistant Lodge Director, have been teaching art to participants within The Lodge. The Lodge is transitional housing through Operation Inasmuch, a homeless ministry within Fayetteville NC.

Ray Im has begun teaching them the craft and mechanics of photography. Christian Prince is teaching them drawing, painting and other mixed media. Along with being a wonderful form of self-expression, we are hoping this will become an opportunity for income for not only these men but also for The Living Hope Program in the Lodge.

These original art pieces will be for sale at art exhibition events, and they will also be digitized to be sold on a website. Kori Frazier, professional photographer, has been helping with photography as well as design for artwork, clothing, and other merchandise on the website. The website is under construction, but here is the url!

Dates and locations of the Art Exhibition are:

  • Sweet Palette - Saturday, August 12

  • Woodpeckers Game - Friday, August 18

  • Fourth Friday Downtown - Friday, August 25

  • The Lodge Show - Saturday, September 16

Fellowship During Community Group Break

Veritas is currently taking a break from Community Groups (CGs) formally meeting this summer (June and July). CGs will pick back up in August, but we wanted to offer a few opportunities to fellowship in the meantime! Also, we want to have a heart for our city, so we are taking our fellowship into the community!

These are just a few relaxed, low-effort times for Veritas to come together and have fun in our city! If you have any questions or need anything, feel free to reach out to Emily Ruth Perry at 412.414.9227 or emilyruth@veritasfayetteville.com


Hang at a Park - 1921 Wilson St. Downtown

Thursday, July 6, 4-6p

Weather permitting, join us at the small park on Wilson St. downtown. If you have kiddos, bring them and let them play on the playground while we fellowship and watch over them. Remember to pack snacks and drinks for yourself and any littles, maybe even bring a picnic dinner!

Fayetteville Woodpeckers (semi-professional) Baseball 

Saturday, July 15, 5:05p

Feel free to buy General Admission tickets and sit on the BERM, which is a grassy area near the outfield and is across from a great play area for kids!

Hang at Honeycutt Park (with Splash Pad/Playground) - 352 Devers St.

Sunday, July 23, 2-4p

Weather permitting, enjoy the shaded areas of Honeycutt Park! If you’ve got littles, they have a wonderful splash pad and playground! Remember to pack snacks and drinks for yourself and any littles!


June 1, 2023 Local Partner Update

You may or may not know this, but Veritas has a few Local Partners throughout the city of Fayetteville. These partnerships are tangible ways that we can be For the City; God calls us to love and serve people as an outpouring of His love and Spirit. I’ve had the true pleasure to work closely with these organizations, and I get super jazzed to see and share the ways that the Lord is working through them!

 

FAYETTEVILLE AREA OPERATION INASMUCH

Fayetteville Area Operation InAsMuch (FAOIAM) exists to be the hands and feet of Jesus among the broken, hurting, and homeless by offering relief, recovery, and restoration of hope. Veritas has consistently been a part of their breakfast ministry for about 3 years now, and our opportunities to serve the homeless of Fayetteville are growing as the organization grows!

Opportunities to Serve, Support, and Donate

  • Next Breakfast Ministry Date for Veritas; Tuesday, June 13, 7-8:30a

  • Seeking Bible Study teachers for men in The Living Hope Program within The Lodge (Mondays or Wednesdays, 8:30-9:25a) - call or text Emily Ruth Perry at 412.414.9227 if you’re interested

  • If you have any old/left-over computer parts, please reach out to Garrett Langhauser at 407.234.8585 to donate them, as he is leading a Computer Course with the men in The Living Hope Program within The Lodge. (They don’t need to be in working order, as they’ll be taking them apart!)


HAND OF HOPE PREGNANCY SUPPORT CENTER

Hand of Hope is a Pregnancy Support Center with locations in Fuquay-Varina, Raleigh, and Fayetteville. They offer free services and support for pregnant women. Veritas partners with Hand of Hope by giving donations, organizing baby showers for new mothers, and volunteering as life-coaches and sidewalk volunteers.

Opportunities to Serve, Support and Donate

  • Seeking women to be ‘on-call’ for driving women to and from the triangle area for necessary appointments (great way to get time in the car to get to know mothers in need) - email Jenna Micol at jenna@handofhope.net

  • Sunday, July 30, we will do a drive for baby items and prenatal vitamins and for The Baby Boutique, which offers items to mothers in need to offset the financial burden of having a baby. Items can be purchased or gently used, and brought to church that day.


FAYETTEVILLE AREA HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

Fayetteville Area Habitat for Humanity offers home repairs, disaster relief, veterans builds, and neighborhood revitalization throughout Fayetteville and the surrounding counties.

Opportunities to Serve, Support and Donate

  • Maggie Kettler, a Veritas Church Covenant Partner, will benefit from Habitat home repair starting in the next 2-4 weeks! We as the church body will have the opportunity to support and volunteer for the repair project, stay tuned for more details!

  • The Habitat Restore takes donated house items and resells them to support the work of Habitat. Habitat Restore Day will be Wednesday, June 14!