This Is Our City

"A big part of our mission is to bring the Bible into the regular culture around us. Partnerships are a good way to do that," says Roberts.

A portion of the funding for Spark and Echo Arts comes from Roberts and Zempel's band, which performs in churches, at colleges, and in venues across the city to promote Spark and Echo Arts. [Editor's Note, 10/15/2013: In 2012, Spark and Echo also received funding as winners of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Business Plan Competition, hosted by Redeemer's Center for Faith and Work.] Their songs prove by example the way that exploring the Bible through the arts can serve the common good of the city.

"You can sing the Bible in a club in New York City," says Roberts. "And it comes across as these epic stories and this beautiful poetry, and people get really excited about it and engage with it. We know the Bible has so much power. We know it does, but then to see why it does—it's because the words are powerful."

Ryan Pendell received his MFA in writing from the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009. His poetry has been published in Christian literary journals nationwide. He blogs about religion and culture at New Religion and Culture Daily.

Previous345