Everything Beautiful
November 2023
Greetings & Happy Autumn!
There is so much beauty happening around us! All that we have to be thankful for will never fully make it into writing, but it’s our prayer that the glimpses we share with you will continue to encourage & inspire you. We are not making a big push for donations this Giving Tuesday—instead, we simply ask that you read on about what God is doing here in Pittsburgh & celebrate the results of your faithful support over the years.
You are such a blessing, & we are grateful.
“What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful & to do good as long as they live.”
What’s Happening With Afterschool
From the word go, our students hit the ground running in their creative endeavors this school year! Our team put together a number of accessible, “out-of-the-box” art projects in nine different mediums with detailed instructions as a sort of initiation for new & returning students. We were not entirely sure how this would land, but all the kids LOVED it! Part of this was made possible by one of our COVE moms (thank you, Ms. Lanae!), who purchased several technology / engineering projects. Their dedication to completing all these new art projects was a rewarding experience for both student & leader, & we have used the momentum to introduce more challenging art projects that capture the essence of what we are studying in the Bible!
Bible lessons are the most important part of our day at Afterschool. Each school year, we dig into a different section of scripture to unearth the rich truths God has provided to us through the writing of His faithful followers. In September, we began a journey through the book of Psalms. For all its flowery poetry, there are a great many difficult & uncomfortable passages to face, so we have been carefully dissecting chapters, finding ways to relate, journaling, & seeking God through earnest prayer in every session. To aid in our understanding, we supplement instruction with videos by The Bible Project. We also purchased a special Psalms-only Bible for every Afterschool student, thanks to a very generous donation by my dear friend & mentor! (we love you, Kari & Vance!)
The COVE: Across the Spider-Verse
While The COVE: Afterschool is a drop-in for middle school & high school students, we do have events for for other ages groups. Halloween is one of our best opportunities to care for whole families in the local community by providing hot food, extra candy, shelter from the cold, & fun activities for kids during trick-or-treating hours. Our theme this Halloween was Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Our core team, as well as some of the Afterschool students in attendance, came dressed up as different variants of the titular character of this year’s absolute BEST super hero movie (no contest)! We made sure that each of our kids who wanted to participate in the theme received a costume, & that made it all the more special.
Halloween at The COVE is a heart-warming experience for everyone. We continue to do this year after year because of all the positive feedback we receive from parents & guardians, & even kids who would rather be at a family-friendly costume party than walking from house to house in the dark (&, historically, the rain). It’s also a chance to build relationship with the folks in our neighborhood, listen to their stories, & share the love of Christ through simple acts of kindness.
Thank you to all who donated candy, hot food, & special treats this Halloween!
The Greatest Gift
The Novelty Collective’s very last event of the year is The Greatest Gift Exchange, a Christmas party just for our Afterschool students. We go all out to deck the halls at Home of the Nomad (our artist residence) with Christmas cheer & invite the kids over for food, games, Christmas-themed crafts, & unwrapping gifts. In November we start asking our students to give us a short list of items they want for Christmas, & then invite ministry partners (like you) to purchase or sponsor one of those gifts. Not one year has gone by when a child hasn’t received at least one of the things he or she asked for! Seeing the joy it brings them, to get that special thing they wanted, is absolutely priceless. But we continue to remind our kids every Christmas that “the greatest gift,” the reason why we celebrate, is Christ Jesus!
This year The Shepherd’s Door has volunteered to help us with our Christmas party, & we couldn’t be more excited to include them in the fun. In addition to helping us host our kiddos, they will be wrapping gifts & baking treats (which are two things we always wind up rushing to accomplish at the very last minute). We are so thankful for them & the work they do in our local community.
Thank you to all those who helped make The Greatest Gift Exchange such a beautiful moment for these precious kids last Christmas. We can’t wait to share the special memories made at our upcoming party with you in the next newsletter!
Celebrating NoCo Fest 2023
We just celebrated our SEVENTH annual Music & Arts Festival, & it may very well have been our best one yet! If you have not yet read or received the related report, read it here. In summary, we just hosted our biggest event of the year at The COVE Art Center, & it was an amazing success. We love caring for the growing creative community God has led to our doorstep, & it has been a pleasure giving them the platform we have to offer for them to create, perform, & pedal their fantastic wares in the inspiring space we have spent years curating.
More Ways to Connect
Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this. We really cannot express to you how much it means. These newsletters go out to a lot of people, but they are written with individuals in mind, & we want to connect with you beyond a couple of emails & social media interactions once or twice a month. It goes without saying that you are always invited to our big events, but you are also welcome to message us, plan a visit to The COVE Art Center, & ask for ways you can get involved with what we’re up to—we’re here to serve & make space for you to be creative!
If you do feel compelled to donate to The Novelty Collective this #GivingTuesday, we have updated our 2022 campaign to reflect our current needs. Every little bit helps us continue to make art accessible & affordable, to elevate the value of art, & to empower artists to create.
We pray you find inspiration to be artistic in small ways each & every day, that your creativity would not be stifled or bogged down by the mundane, & that your eyes would be open to the immense beauty around you everywhere you go.
We are always posting new photos & updates on our social media accounts—don’t miss out. Until next time, keep creating!
In His Service,
The NoCo Team
Article written by Jordan A. King
