Making Moves
March 2022
Dearest Friends & Family,
What a wonderful season we are in! Spring is just around the corner, & with it comes the promise of new life. Our team has been quite busy, & we are thrilled to share all the beauty we’ve seen over the past month, as well as the new adventures we are about to embark upon.
Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.
Hosea 6:3
The COVE: Afterschool
The week of Valentine’s Day marked the beginning of Afterschool for 2022. Our students are back——& they brought friends! It is truly wonderful to see new faces. We consider it a huge blessing, not to mention confirmation that God is up to something good, when we see our kids inviting others to drop in to The COVE Art Center. Now is the perfect time for new & returning students to come regularly because we have a lot going on!
In honor of a student’s birthday, our team decided to throw a buffet-style Ramen party! We laid out a smorgasbord of toppings, from chicken katsu to soft-boiled eggs. We filled bowls with noodles & taught the kids how to use chopsticks. Running an arts program necessitates that we infuse creative expression into everything we do, which naturally includes our cooking! The food was as eye-catching as it was delicious. The whole experience meant so much to our kids—especially our birthday girl—& the Afterschool team was equally delighted. We cannot wait to do this again!
Tiny Eden
Our careful study of creation has been quite the quest of discovery. Our students have now learned several Hebrew words & how the biblical authors often used these words to incite vivid imagery, draw important parallels, & foretell the coming of Christ. They have gained a deeper understand of God’s grand design for the world & for humanity. Would you believe we’ve only just completed our lesson on Day Three from Genesis 1:9-13?! Of course, our studies have led us to other parts of the Bible since we started up programming in September. It is simply astounding how rich the scriptures are. The Word is, as the writer of Hebrews says, living & active!
On Day Three, the Bible says God spoke to the waters & separated them so that dry ground would appear; then He spoke again & called forth plants & vegetation of every kind.
For our connecting art lesson, resident artist Megan Gray showed our students how to create terrariums! Using soil, rocks, moss, & various plants, the kids got to encapsulate their own little self-sustaining ecosystems——tiny slices of Eden! We could not be happier with their response & the amount of participation.
Made to Move
The concept of art encompasses nearly limitless forms of expression & application. Though we have twelve studios at The COVE, we can’t possibly cover every outlet… Fortunately, when it comes to dance, we’ve got space in spades! Last week, the newest member of our Afterschool crew, Shanee Moman, performed a “mime” for our students. Shanee has used her gift of dance to minister in churches for a long time, & we are so thankful she chose to share it with our students! A few of our kids love to dance & have already expressed an interest in learning more. Don’t forget, you can view more photo & video content on our social media (links below)!
Mountain Path Ministries
We are beyond excited to announce that we will be hosting some very special guests during the week of St. Patrick’s Day, from Monday, March 14th, until Thursday, March 17th. Vicki Petersmarck of Mountain Path Ministries, accompanied by her longtime friend Jackie King (my mother), will be teaching a sewing class to our students every day of Afterschool! Vicki takes sewing machines to impoverished women in other countries, teaches them how to sew, & shares the gospel with them! Please be in prayer for Vicki, Jackie, & our students. We are expecting an incredible testimony, & we will take lots of photos so you can celebrate with us! On that note, make sure you do not miss next month’s newsletter!
Hoopin’ and Hollerin’
Most of the art we create at The COVE Art Center requires a fair amount of sitting. Whether we’re painting, making jewelry, or building a robot, stillness & concentration make for the best results. However, we know how important exercise & the need to unwind are for our young people, so we are taking an hour every Thursday afternoon to visit the gym! We are partnered with our friends at the Salvation Army North Boroughs (link) less than a block away who have graciously given us access to their space.
Our avid athletes are grateful for the extra outlet, & it’s encouraging to see them bond over basketball. We plan on organizing activities for them once in a while, but the free time has been a real “game-changer.”
The Home of the Nomad
As you may know from previous newsletters (or even a personal visit), a vital aspect of The Novelty Collective is its hosting ministry. Our artist residence is currently home to six gifted creatives who devote countless hours to our overall mission, & that includes caring for out-of-town visitors, right here, at Home of the Nomad.
The pandemic has made travel difficult for many members of our precious community, & it has been especially hard for the musicians who typically tour for several months out of the year. However, things seem to be looking up, & we have had the privilege of extending our hospitality to five friends within the past two weeks——with more on their way this month & next! Travel is expensive, & comfortable lodging isn’t easy to find. It is an honor to host our extended NoCo family at Home of the Nomad, & we know it makes a real difference to do so for free.
Our resident artists are here because we are passionate about what we get to accomplish together for the Kingdom; however, we have expenses of our own, & we sacrifice a significant portion of potential income when we take time out to host, disciple our Afterschool students, & work behind the scenes to make it all possible. Whether you have been blessed by our ministries or simply believe in what we are doing, please consider giving. The work God has called us to is vital, as evidenced by the fruit we see daily, & we know the Author of our faith will sustain us——but the Body needs all its members to function & resources to keep going. Please visit our donation platform today & pray how you might contribute to The Novelty Collective. You can use the comment box to specify what/who you would like to donate to.
Rosemont
In addition to its core purpose, Home of the Nomad has also been an excellent conduit for introducing our Afterschool students to artists of the NoCo community from all across the nation.
Just this past week, it was our pleasure to host professional musician & long-time friend of The Novelty Collective, Daniel Hassel. Daniel hails from southeast Michigan, where he has been an active singer-songwriter for years under the moniker Rosemont. He has more recently begun to perform with the support of a full band throughout Michigan & other states across the East Coast. Daniel stopped here on his way back from a music festival in Williamsport, PA, so we asked if he would play a few of his songs for our students!
We love having visitors who are willing to engage with our kids——& they enjoy it even more! Daniel was not only willing to perform, but he stuck around for a Q&A that naturally became more of a heart-to-heart. If you are someone who is interested in sharing your passion with The COVE: Afterschool, or even coming in to teach an art lesson, please shoot us an email. There are few things we enjoy more than showcasing a guest star like you!
NoCo: Open Studios Announcement
It’s finally here! On March 26th, we are swinging wide our doors for NoCo: Open Studios. This drop-in style event is the perfect opportunity for adults in our artist community to come & see our space, utilize our studios, & take a day out of their busy schedules to create. Open Studios is absolutely free, & we will be providing a light lunch for all in attendance. Inner noise, outside distractions, time constraints, & spacial restrictions are some of the obstacles that keep us from creating, so we are making every effort to remove those barriers.
Our team is assembled, & we are ecstatic for launch. We anticipate a decent turnout & expect interest will only grow & spread as we continue making connections over these next weeks & months. NoCo: Open Studios will happen at The COVE Art Center on the fourth Saturday of every month from 11:00am - 5:00pm. If you can make it out, we would love to have you. Please continue to pray for our team, & pray for our potential guests—that they would experience a new sense of freedom & the powerful presence of God, as well as the inspiration to make something beautiful when they step into The COVE.
Until Next Time
We hope you have enjoyed this update! What we have shared is still only a fraction of the activity happening in & around The Novelty Collective, & we could likely fill another whole newsletter with content. Thankfully, we have April to catch you up on it!
As always, we would like to thank you for your prayers & support. If you have friends & family that you believe would benefit from our ministries or might like to support our mission, please have them email us. Also, take a peek at our FaceBook & Instagram profiles for more visual content…
Finally, we pray that you will be blessed, having everything you need, as you continue to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the measure of faith given you by the Holy Spirit.
O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small. See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea. They all depend on you to give them food as they need it. When you supply it, they gather it. You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied.
Psalms 104:24-28
In His Service,
The COVE Team
Article written by Jordan A. King
