During this day, participants will be encouraged to consider how the gospel portraits of Jesus: Human, King, Servant and Divine, serve as lenses through which to view in detail the ‘Art of Becoming’. In order to help bring clarity, imagery from ancient manuscripts such as the Book of Kells will be used to illustrate how these portraits bridge Old and New Testaments as overall biblical foundations for understanding the first four stages of ongoing discernment from within the framework of our journey in Christ.

Following on, an ‘artistic twist in the tail’ will then be interwoven with the work of the 18th century artist Thomas Gainsborough. This unexpected partnership will be offered as a lens through which the participants might locate a fifth and final stage of ongoing discernment.

Finally, a collaborative piece of Art will be created throughout the day, with a theological surprise emerging as the place to conclude what our personal next step might be. 
 
The artwork that will hopefully evolve throughout the day, can then be used to produce a personal reminder resource for future ongoing reflections. 

Now a supernumerary (sort of retired) Methodist Minister on the Salisbury Circuit, David Hollingsworth’s Christian discernment began 30 years ago in a solitary cell in Leicester Prison. Never having been anywhere near the journey of faith, he took his very first unexpected steps – from prison, to paintbrush, to pulpit.

Purpose: answering a call from one self-centred story to one God-centred story.

Result: A Christian portrait of faith with Kingdom building intentions.

Image Credit: His Presence Makes the Feast:  Fruitless tasks to fruitful fields. Original artwork by David Hollingsworth.

David reflects: “The title and the content of the day all hinge on the Lord’s presence in our lives and how we respond in an ongoing discerning manner.  I remembered how Holy Communion was instrumental to how I discovered the art of becoming who God wanted me to be as opposed to who I had previously constructed, to become what I was.  This means that throughout all the steps we need to take in our ongoing discernment of God’s call upon our lives in service, only Christ’s presence makes the feast we partake in along the way.”