Ministering Through Art

by Vivian Leinio

Since creating the seminars in 1997, James has taken them around the globe - to China, Canada, England, Bulgaria, and the United States.  Most recently, he has presented them in Colombia at a church, a seminary, and at the notorious Bellavista Prison in Medellin. 

Bellavista Prison

Bellavista Prison is an overcrowded facility where, a decade ago, many men died in a virtual slaughterhouse of reprisal killings.  Over the years volunteers from Prison Fellowship Colombia have worked closely with inmates in Bellavista to help bring peace to the facility.  Although murder is no longer a daily occurrence, Bellavista remains a dangerous place.  There are still areas in the prison where guards won‘t set foot. 

PF Colombia has a strong presence in the cellblocks and is respected by the paramilitary and guerilla leaders, who know that PF workers treat their men with dignity and as sacred beings in God‘s eyes.  Inside the prison are many men who are valiant prayer warriors, know their Bibles, and love Jesus Christ. 

A Prison Story

The Dreaming of Lions is, in essence, a prison story.  The images suggest that God finds us in prisons of our own making and speaks to us with love - a concept to which the inmates can easily relate. 

Eighteen chalk pastel fantasy drawings form the basis of the eight seminars and are the starting point for group Bible study, visual exercises, and personal sharing.  The drawings tell a story about a journey of faith through adversity, from a place of imprisonment and darkness to freedom, community, and light. 

With the help of Jeannine Brabon, a PF Colombia staff member, and 12 hand-picked inmates, James presented the seminars to sixty prisoners and staff members in the prison chapel.  Four of the eight seminars were used at Bellavista:  A Sacred Eye, which looks at how we are designed in His image to be able to see, imagine, and create; A Blinded Lamb, which examines the impact of trauma, abuse, trial, and suffering - how some people are broken by hurt and others spurred on to creative heights; A Harlequin Grace, which explores how God uses the picture language of metaphor to show us grace; and A Potent Seasoning, which shows how a recovered spirit and imagination can enrich and affect the world around us. 

Gershom Donner of PF Colombia said, “The talks themselves were a great way of reaching out to people who would not have any interest in religion if it were presented in the usual way.  It was a very interesting and mentally challenging event for them.”

According to James, “At least one paramilitary officer was sent into the seminars to check them out, but he stayed all the way through out of sheer interest and enjoyment.”  At the conclusion, James donated the set of drawings he used in the sessions to the prison; they are now on permanent display in the Bellavista Prison chapel. 

In Bogota, James presented a weekend seminar to people from the art and university community.  Many had lost relatives in the violence and anarchy that have plagued Colombia for 100 years.  Through the creative presentations, attendees heard the gospel message of grace and forgiveness. 

In Medellin, attendees from the seminary were deeply moved by James‘ use of images as a medium for conveying the Christian message.  With James‘ drawings to stimulate them, they were able to see the manifestation of God within themselves and others in a new way. 

At the conclusion, seminary participants had an opportunity to give form to their seminar experience by planning and painting a mural on a 120-foot wall separating the school from a long alley where several families live.  Depicting Psalm 24:3: “Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?” the mural shows a river of people marching through gates, led by the light of a triumphant Christ into Colombia.  Students, teachers, and the alley families celebrated the mural‘s completion with a fiesta.

Recounting his trip to Colombia, James said, “Jesus made this trip a success in response to many people‘s prayers.  I believe that this is just the beginning of what He has planned with this witness to His work in the world.”  James hopes one day to return to Bellavista Prison and work with inmates to plan and paint a mural on the prison walls.