Preaching the Gospel with a Paintbrush

Bethany DuVal • May 08, 2017

Every artist has a story to tell. Some tell it through vague symbolism. Others let you take away your own meaning.

But when TEAM missionary Kennedy Paizs sits down at his easel, he makes no attempts at subtlety.

He creates art to lead Thai Buddhists to Christ.

On any given day, you might find Kennedy painting Bible stories, co-hosting an art show or telling Bible stories while volunteers paint illustrations.

“It is a good, fun way to interact with people,” Kennedy says. “We get to talk about the painting, and it’s not so directly about them, even though they know it can apply to them.”

One teenage girl, Lawan*, took art and music lessons at a Christian community center where Kennedy taught. On the weekends, Lawan visited the open market where Kennedy was painting scenes from the Gospel of John.

“She would show up … and watch me paint and ask me questions about what it meant,” Kennedy says.

These conversations built on talks with her Christian music teacher. Then she started attending a Bible study with Kennedy’s family.

Then, Lawan decided to put her faith in Christ.

“This is a group effort,” Kennedy says. “[Thai people] hear and see God’s faithfulness and are loved well … and invested in over years. In the process, they have become believers.”

But over the years, Kennedy realized few people were making that effort for artists.

Who’s Reaching the Artists?

Kennedy now uses his skills to connect with other artists in hopes that the Thai Buddhists will one day know Christ. Photo by TEAM

“I would do portrait paintings of tribal people and got to thinking about Thai Buddhist artists and [wondering] who was working with them. … So I started to seek them out and do art with them and try to be intentional about Christ,” Kennedy says.

Sometimes, painting with artists in the park will lead to one-on-one painting sessions. Other times, Kennedy takes lessons or attends art shows by Buddhist artists. As the relationships build, Kennedy gets to share about Jesus.

Kennedy has yet to lead one of these artists to Christ, but patience is key in a country like Thailand.

“Thailand is not an easy field,” Kennedy says. “It takes an average of two years for a Buddhist to come to Christ with a clear understanding of the Gospel — after much teaching and investment.”

The good news is, more and more Thai believers are taking on the effort to reach their nation.

Thais Reaching Thais

Kennedy hopes to form a network of Christian artists so Thai believers will be equipped to reach other Thai people with the Gospel. Photo by TEAM

When Kennedy hosts an art show, believers come to start conversations with nonbelievers.

At parks and universities, volunteers paint predetermined illustrations while Kennedy tells Bible stories.

And soon, Kennedy and a local believer hope to form a network of Christian artists.

“We get excited thinking of the potential of Christian artists having a vision to reach out to Thai artists who are lost,” Kennedy says.

But Kennedy’s art ministry hasn’t only opened the door for more art ministry. In recent years, Kennedy has trained Thai believers in a question and answer method of storytelling. The result has been people coming to Christ — and new ministries being formed.

“Hearing about prison ministry, street evangelism, discipleship and church planting happening because we trained some folks is much better than me going out and doing it personally,” Kennedy says. “Thai to Thai ministry is the goal.”

This Gospel work won’t be easy, but Kennedy believes Christians have a great opportunity in front of them.

“[Thai Buddhists] are hard to reach but, I believe, more open to the Gospel than any other time in history,” Kennedy says. “We just need to communicate better and learn how to help them see the truth in ways they understand.”

*Name changed for privacy.

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Bridging Dissonance: Finding Connection in Music and the Gospel

By Emily Sheddan • 18 Jul, 2024

TEAM worker Luke Standridge and his fellow musicians use music to build connections to faith in Japan. In music terms, dissonance creates movement or even suspense in a song. It invites tension. That tension is what helps grab our ear’s attention and the interchanging of these notes with pleasant melodious parts is what makes music such a delight. In a similar way, God is using music to grab people’s attention and catalyze Gospel impact in the largely unreached nation of Japan. TEAM Global Worker, Luke Standridge moved to Japan in 2019 with no clear direction on how he was going to use his passion for composing music while doing ministry. However, after Luke got involved with a local church and began developing deep friendships, the Lord opened unimaginable doors for Luke that in time, coordinating his creative skills with sharing the Word. “People Need to Come to Japan!” Growing up as one of ten kids in a family that was heavily involved in ministry and missions, Luke never considered that it would one day be a part of his own journey. In 2016, via a Japanese language learning class in Indiana, Luke and his brother had the opportunity to travel to Japan. Hearing, learning, and using the language in the context of Japanese culture was the goal. While it was Luke’s first international trip – even his first trip on a plane - it was also his first time hearing about the spiritual condition of the Japanese people. “And just through that, God did a huge 180 change on my heart,” says Luke. “More people should come here as global workers. People need to come to Japan!” The call God was laying on Luke’s heart is echoed when looking at the spiritual landscape of Japan. The nation is home to the second largest unreached people group in the world. It is one of the most difficult places for the Gospel to take hold and grow. Japan is also home to a deep and rich culture that prizes creative arts from pottery to ink to music to anime – a fact that would help Luke find his niche in life and ministry. God’s Guiding Hand In the short three-month timespan of that first trip, Luke found that opportunities came naturally to share about life, and people’s curiosity for Christianity grew. “I left Japan knowing I just had to come back,” Luke shares. “Even if I didn’t get back to the same area, I knew Japan was where God wanted me to be.” The Lord is good all the time and all the time the Lord is good. His plans do not fail. Luke returned to Japan in 2019, and less than a week after arriving, he was put in touch with a renowned composer in Japan. The composer saw some of Luke’s music and invited him to help write the music for a beloved in-country animated show. But God wasn’t finished yet! Fast forward a year, and more connections and opportunities allowed Luke to help with music for Pokémon - a franchise that has brand recognition around the world and was being developed into a TV series in Japan. Luke recalls how the Lord began using these connections in the production world to open doors for Gospel conversations. One night while having dinner in downtown Tokyo with famous artists and composers from all around the country, Luke was asked about his ministry-focused visa. This was a rare opportunity in a setting with people otherwise uninterested in Christianity. Luke shares, “The whole time I could see God’s hand in guiding the entire thing.”

Connecting in a New Kind of “Neighborhood”

By Lorena de la Rosa and Suzanne Pearson • 13 Jun, 2024

Through creative arts and other forms of innovative outreach, “The Neighborhood” is creating connections to the Gospel and the love of Jesus. CONNECTION. It’s a common word with powerful implications. Dictionary.com defines connection as a joining or linking together; a relationship between people or objects that unites or binds them together. God has created each of us with a deep need for connection with Him as well as connection with others. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks to this, as the writer exhorts, “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” This God-given need for connection lies at the heart of a creative and innovative ministry in Japan known as “The Neighborhood.” TEAM Japan global worker, Kelly and her family created The Neighborhood as a place where connections are formed through creative arts, educational opportunities, and simply just providing a space for people to be together. A Family Calling The journey to the creation of The Neighborhood began over 5,000 miles away from Tokyo, in California where Kelly, her husband Jeff, and their five children were living. The kids were the first to sense God’s calling to missions, and asked why their family wasn’t serving in this way. How Kelly and her family came to TEAM is a God-story in and of itself. “God placed a TEAM Japan worker at our lunch table the same week that the kids posed that question to us,” Kelly recalls. “We had never heard of TEAM and so we thought, ‘let’s check this out.’ After that, God just kept confirming that we were supposed to be here.” After a period of fundraising and with much excitement, the family of seven moved to Japan in 2014. For the first five years, Kelly and Jeff served as a part of other TEAM ministry initiatives, but they began to sense a stirring for something new. Creating The Neighborhood Kelly and her family truly have a deep gift for hospitality, and regularly opened up their home to others they met in Tokyo. They saw a great need for people to have a place to gather and connect, and they wondered what doors the Lord might be opening for them to meet that need. “About a year before we were to return the States on home assignment, we were just really thinking about our future in Japan,” Kelly says. “We saw a need for people to have a ‘third place’ – a place that’s not home and it’s not work. They didn’t have a church community or any other place where they could meet people and just connect.” Kelly goes on to explain that in Japan, the culture is such that people don’t generally invite each other into their homes, but as her family did so, people embraced that opportunity. “This idea formed in all of our hearts of a student ministry center – a place where we can create community and learning,” says Kelly. “It was born out of what we were already doing in our home, but seeing how we could expand it and have better space.” God’s Provision What happened next is a true testament to God’s provision. Kelly, Jeff, and the kids returned to the States and began sharing their vision for The Neighborhood with their supporters and churches who responded generously. Upon returning to Japan, the search was on for the right space. “We had a Christian realtor that we told our dream to, and he just went looking for it,” Kelly recalls. When the realtor found a 5-story apartment building, he said, “It’s kind of out of your budget but it has what you need and want.” The Lord provided the funds and the family moved into the space in November 2019. They now occupy all but the ground floor, with living space for their family as well as classrooms, areas to study or hang out, and guest rooms for exchange students or others who need a place to stay overnight. The first floor is occupied by a pizza shop – a welcome amenity for the many groups and students who visit The Neighborhood. “It’s very convenient!” Kelly says with a laugh. The Neighborhood began to see lots of activity right away until the pandemic hit in early 2020. During the height of the quarantine, Kelly and Jeff used the time to redecorate the space and plant gardens outside the building. Then as the restrictions eased, they invited individual students or families over for meals and fellowship. It wasn’t until March 2023 that The Neighborhood was able to fully open again as intended. Kelly shares that despite the setbacks of COVID, the Lord continued to provide the funds to pay the rent.