Created to Inspire: Art & Faith Conference Comes to Chicago

rgonzalez446
1 day ago
2 min read

Roberto Gonzalez

Associate Youth Director

Youth, Youth Adults, & Public Campus Ministries

I have become increasingly convinced that our churches are filled with young people who possess remarkable creative gifts. Photography, music, filmmaking, design, writing, painting, and other forms of art offer powerful ways to express faith, reveal beauty, and share the gospel.

That conviction came vividly to life at Art & Faith, an annual gathering that invites youth and young adults to discover and develop their God-given creativity.

The weekend began Friday evening at EPIC Church in Lombard, where we gathered over pizza and fellowship before worshiping together. Ed Artiga, a gifted photographer and leader at EPIC Church, then shared his experience and passion for photography. He encouraged us to look at the world through a different lens—and to consider how perspective, art, and faith can come together.

On Sabbath morning, we continued the weekend at EPIC Church in Chicago. Pastor Jon Remitera shared a message about God’s grace and challenged us to reflect His character and light in the way we see and treat the people around us.

One of the weekend’s highlights came that afternoon, when more than 30 photographers and other creatives gathered in downtown Chicago for a hands-on photography experience.

This was more than a walk through the city with cameras. Every participant was given a seemingly weird mission.

Each person received a color and a word to bring together in a single photograph. One participant might receive “Blue and Light,” while another received “Purple and Love.” The challenge was not simply to locate those elements, but to interpret them creatively and use them to tell a story.

Suddenly, walking through downtown Chicago became an exercise in seeing differently.

Participants began searching for colors, light, people, reflections, architecture, interactions, and unexpected moments that could communicate the words they had received. Streets we might ordinarily pass through without a second thought became filled with possibilities.

There is something deeply spiritual about learning to pay attention.

Faith also teaches us to see differently—to recognize beauty where others might overlook it, to notice people who might otherwise remain unseen, and to discover signs of God’s grace in ordinary places. Creativity helps us slow down, look more closely, and recognize that the world around us is filled with stories worth telling.

God is the Creator, and when we use our gifts to make something beautiful, meaningful, or true, we reflect something of His character. Our art does not have to look overtly religious to express faith. Sometimes it does so simply by helping others see familiar people, places, or experiences in a new light.

That is what Art & Faith is ultimately about: not merely becoming better photographers, musicians, filmmakers, writers, or artists, but becoming more attentive disciples—young people who recognize their creativity as a gift from God and choose to use it in ways that spotlight His love.

We were created by God, created with gifts, and created to inspire.

Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.