Well, here’s what I promised: a brief visual update covering the last nine months. Of course, it’s not entirely comprehensive, but it gives a small glimpse into what I’ve done creatively from spring through fall. There’s a little bit of everything, from photography to video to graphic design. The variety in projects has been enjoyable and has challenged me to develop skills that aren’t my strongest.
Tomorrow is the first day of the A Photo A Day project, so I’m sure I’ll have sufficient content to update the blog on a more regular basis. If nothing else, I’ll have a fresh image up each day for the next year (provided I have daily internet access). Be looking for the first image of that project tomorrow, December 1, and check back each day for a new addition.
But for now, take a glimpse at what’s below.
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
At First Free Church’s Junior High youth group, dAN and Jamie Hartke occasionally perform this really compelling dramatic reading from The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. They take the roles of two demons, a teacher and an apprentice, aiming to destroy (or at the very least distract) a Christ-follower from being effective.
dAN and Jamie pull off the creepy look pretty good, huh? It must be all those years of putting on face paint for Jr. High night games.
NEXT STEPS FAITH PROMISE
First Free began a capital campaign to raise funds to complete a few major projects on the church property and in the community. Included in those projects are renovations to existing church facilities, completion of two unfinished spaces, debt reduction, and new church initiatives. As a physical reminder of the pledges made to the capital campaign, the church wove together pieces of fabric into a frame, representing the united church at First Free joining together to reach the collective goal.
EASTER
Well, what to say about Easter? It comes around every year, and let’s face it: it’s hard sometimes to look past the bunnies, the candy and the decorations. I know that’s the case for me, often enough. But the services at First Free were a great encouragement and reminder of what Easter is really about. The church came together in what was less of a church service and was more of a remembrance and a celebration. There was a solemn recognition of the immense sacrifice made on the cross, but that wasn’t the end.
The meaning of Easter is a celebration. It’s freedom. And that’s how the service ended: with a celebration. The atmosphere of that room differed greatly from most other Sundays. A presence lived in that room. There was life. It’s a shame that more Sundays can’t be like that, that we’d all come with an attitude of expectation and humility for the gift we’ve received, and that’d we’d be a community of love because of it.
JOHN BROWN FRIENDS VISIT
Being done with college is a weird thing, living out in the “real world.” It’s such a monumental shift in environment. Leaving from a place where thousands of people, all close in age are living in close quarters for four years and then entering a world where you live with just a few people, work with people as much as 40 years your senior and are expected to just get with the program. It’s a rough transition for many, including myself.
That’s why it’s always nice to see good friends. Two friends, Anna and Beth, stopped in St. Louis for a few days back in April to hang out and catch up on life. The morning began with java and pastries in a Tower Grove coffee shop then jumped across Highway 40 to the St. Louis Art Museum. (I could spend hours in that building and not get bored.) We ended up in the Delmar Loop for lunch at Fitz’s, which, of course, included a bottomless mug of Fitz’s root beer. Other stops included the Arch, Citygarden and Caleco’s.
CARDINALS GAME
Is there really any better way to spend a summer night than watching a Cardinals game? I can’t think of anything. Looking back on this 2011 season still stuns me. As July turned into August, the Redbirds appeared to have no chance at the playoffs. And if we’re all honest, we’d all given up hopes of watching the Cards in postseason play. The Atalanta Braves lost all traction in the wild card race and plummeted out of first place. The Cardinals hit a hot streak and hammered out an unbelievable end to the regular season.
The underdog Redbirds rallied against the “best team in baseball” and beat the Phillies 3-2 in a best of 5 series. (Some would argue that the rally squirrel had something to do with that.) They carried their momentum to Milwaukee to take the Brewers in 4-2 in a best of 7 series. Then came the World Series. St. Louis fans were ecstatic just to be in the Fall Classic, and after the Cards bested the Texas Rangers in the first game, it looked like the Gateway to the West might win its 11th world championship. All seven games of the World Series were captivating, to say the least. Congrats, Redbirds. Way to bring another one back to St. Louie. #11in11.
But jumping back to May 2, a game the Cardinals lost to the Marlins, 5-6, despite Lance Berkman’s home run and four RBIs. I spent the night at the ballpark with the Sartin family, and despite the disappointing loss, it was an enjoyable game to watch.
JUNIOR HIGH SUMMER CAMP
Ah, Junior High summer camp at Lake Geneva, Wisc. It’s arguably some of the most fun you’ll ever have in a week, either as a student or as a leader. I had the privilege of leaving for camp early as part of the set up crew, all quality guys. My role for camp: sound guy, video guy. (I’ll put up some of the video from camp soon. For now you’re stuck with still images.)
This year’s theme was “Go West.” In the 1800s, people went west searching for something better than what they had, even if what they had was pretty good to begin with. We talked about how that idea should parallel our walk with God. We should always be pursuing a better understanding of Him and a better relationship with Him, even if what we have now seems pretty good.
SENIOR HIGH SUMMER CAMP
Well, it appears that images from Senior High camp aren’t on the hard drives that I have with me at the moment. They’ll appear here some time in the near future.
OUTDOOR SUMMER BAPTISMS
The outdoor summer baptism was first held as a student ministry event two years ago. This year was the first for the event being a church-wide celebration. First Free even partnered with a different church (who meets in the same building). As is tradition, cars trickled into the parking lot a couple hours early for a tailgate cookout followed by worship and the baptisms. If I remember right, there were more than 70 people who were baptized, ranging from elementary-aged all the way through the latter stages of adulthood. It was definitely a cool thing to be a part of.
NEXT STEPS CONSTRUCTION
The Bigg House on First Free’s campus has needed repairs for a while, but it’s just one of those things that if you don’t have to fix immediately, you don’t fix it immediately. The Next Steps capital campaign provided funds to renovate the building and allow ministry to be done in an environment that doesn’t smell like…we’re not exactly sure what it smelled like, but anyone who’s been in the Bigg House or Berean House can attest to their unique odors. These images were during the renovation stage. The project has been fully completed for a couple months now, so if you haven’t seen the final product, go check it out.
FAMILY LIFE: SHARING CHRISTMAS
As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had the chance to produce work in mediums that I’m not entirely fluent in yet. Video definitely qualifies for that description. I’ve learned a lot by trial and error, and I’m gaining confidence in my ability to create consistent work. This is a promo I did for an event at First Free called Family LIFE: Sharing Christmas. The video kind of explains what it is.
DESSERT THEATRE
Christmas is quickly approaching, which means that the dessert theatre at First Free has been in the works for several months now. I got to do the graphic design work for this year’s production. Wahoo! I haven’t done much graphic design work recently, and because my focus has always been photographic, graphic design has never been something that I’ve actively pursued. I’ve designed a few things when I’ve needed to, but it’s never really been great work.
That’s why I was excited for a project solely based on design. Above is the advertising poster for this years dessert theatre, “Let All Heaven Rejoice.” (I’ll, of course, have images up of the production at a later date.) Next to the poster are the tickets. Each ticket has a colored stub, unique to which performance the ticket is for. I’m not sure how helpful the distinguishing colors are for anyone involved in the ticketing process. I just think they look cool.
Tickets are selling out quickly. If you’re planning on attending, get your ticket soon.
MIZZOU INTRAMURAL SOCCER
And that brings me to now. I’m in Columbia, Mo., hanging out for the week with friends on campus. (I’ll be watching my cousin Grace swim in the Mizzou Invitational for the next few days, too.) First up on the schedule was an intramural soccer game. Three guys from First Free were on the team together, so Matt Stolwyk (accompanying college visitor and fellow First Free goer) and I showed up a bit late to the game. The game was scoreless in the second half when we arrived. Two zeros stayed on the board for both overtime allowances. After the designated five penalty kicks for each team, the score was still tied. After the second or third golden PK, the other team broke the tie. It was a nail biter of a match, for sure, but with as well-played as it was, the game was hardly disappointing.
