Paintings in state Baptist churches reinforce, remind members of biblical truths

Remember the days when the only artwork in the church was the painting of the Jordan River behind the baptistry? These days, more Alabama Baptist churches are turning to visual arts to aid in worship and to communicate the message of the Bible.
   
Andrew Jenkins, pastor of Crossroads Community Church in Birmingham, has used large paintings as backdrops for his sermons. He was searching for a way to communicate better to his congregation when he discovered the effectiveness of artistic backdrops.
   
“When I started preaching, I tried different things, like doing more topical sermons,” he said. “I felt I really wasn’t connecting with people. Then I tried expository, old-school preaching. I finally realized that Scriptures were communicating images.”
   
He began creating large paintings to go along with his sermons. He described a recent sermon series on the Lord’s Prayer.
   
To supplement the sermons, he used a series of five paintings, each 4 feet by 8 feet. The first one was a large, comfortable sofa.
   
Jenkins explained, “I tried to leave people with an image, rather than a lot of words. In the first sermon, we looked at the phrase ‘Our Father.’ The Greek word for father is ‘Abba,’ which is more like ‘daddy’ than any other word in English.”
   
“I think of it in terms of, my little girl likes to sit on the couch with me and watch Veggie Tales or just sit and read, and that’s what I think Jesus was getting at with God. He was saying, come up close and personal. That’s why we drew a big picture of a couch. That’s what people left with,” Jenkins said. “It’s not a lot of words to have to remember. All they have to remember is the couch, and they remember God as Father, or Abba.”
   
Pointing out that the Jews would not say or even write God’s name, Jenkins described the God that Jesus was addressing in the Lord’s Prayer.
   
“Jesus portrayed our heavenly Father as a personal, relational being rather than being transcendent and higher off,” he said. “Of course, God is transcendent and higher off, but He is also very close and personal.”
   
Jenkins went on to add that there is room for more than just one person on a couch.
   
“There is room for as many as want to claim God as Father,” he said. “We’ve tried to get people to believe that the Bible is communicating words, but it’s not. It’s images. All major texts are visually driven.”
  
Jenkins believes people learn best through images.
   
“I noticed that when I used props, people paid attention. Not just our church members, who are generally in their 20s and 30s, but also their parents, the 60-year-olds.”
   
Lakeview Baptist Church in Auburn uses projected images instead of paintings to enhance its worship, particularly music.
   
While they used banners for the same purpose in their previous facility, media specialist Jere Cooper reported that changes had to be made when they moved to the present site.
   
“The banners looked really small when we moved into our new building. Where we had used them before on our other campus, they looked huge,” she said. “Visually, they were like postage-stamp size. We still use them in the choir room, but not in the auditorium.”
   
Now the church uses projected images, primarily photographs.
   
“We are more used to seeing real life, as opposed to drawings,” Cooper said. “One example where I really use them a lot, and I’ve had a lot of feedback on is to enhance music.”
   
Cooper uses images to illustrate words and phrases for those who may not be familiar with them. One example is the God and Country Day service, where she is careful to include visuals for phrases like “amber waves of grain” and “spacious skies.”
   
“People will come to our service brand new [to] America and when they see those images with the words, they get an idea of what we’re talking about,” she said.
   
Churches also use artwork in areas other than the auditorium. At Crossroads, there is a great deal of art hanging on the walls.
   
“Art is an act of worship,” Jenkins said. “We have art done by our members hanging on the walls. Some are really good artists, and some of them aren’t, but just doing something in the moment to the glory of God is an act of worship.”
   
A Sunday School class at Cropwell Baptist Church near Pell City has decorated its classroom to reflect the group’s theme verse, John 15:5.
   
Lynn Bishop, an artist and member of the church, painted an illustration on one wall to go with the verse. The illustration serves as a reminder of their relationship to God.
   
“The verse says, ‘He is the vine, and we are the branches,’” Bishop said. “It definitely makes you stop and think whenever you see it.”
   
First Baptist Church, Hartselle, had a mural painted several years ago to commemorate its centennial. Originally created as a backdrop for a skit by church member and artist, the late Billy Don Mitchell, the mural had such an impact that the church kept it and placed it in the fellowship hall. Newer members can see the images that represent their church’s history.
   
Susan McKee, a longtime member, is reminded of the church’s past whenever she looks at the mural, pointing out the old church buildings, including one that is now used as the chapel.
   
Ginny Shaddix, who joined the church nine years ago, appreciated the information about the church that the mural portrays. “It helped me see that they were proud of their history and heritage, and that they wanted to let others know about it and appreciate it,” she said. “I could see where they had come from and learn about the heritage of the church.”