Hundreds of people gathered this spring for a creative showcase for the third Southern California Conference (SCC) One House arts and music festival at the Temple City church. “Our goal for this event is simply to allow a safe space for young adult creatives to display their gifts and talents,” shared Geoff Sewell, SCC senior youth and young adult ministries director.
An unexpected rainstorm threatened to derail the event an hour before it was set to begin, but teamwork brought plan B to life. “The whole team flew into action with the help of some of the event attendees,” Sewell recalled. “What took hours to set up, they tore down and reset inside the fellowship hall.” Sewell also recognized Temple City church pastor Brett Poynter and church member Teddy Raffijandi, who were instrumental in helping move everything indoors and reset the entire venue.
Inside the fellowship hall, attendees and participants enjoyed good food, uplifting music, and creative art. The event highlighted many local small businesses, musicians, and artists, offering Christian creatives an opportunity to showcase their God-given talents.
Jesús Noland, a video game designer who hosted a booth where attendees could play a game he created, expressed his gratefulness for the event. “I think it’s awesome that I got the opportunity to show what I create in the Adventist Christian space,” he shared. “Having an event like this means a lot, it really does. It goes a long way to keep me connected to this community, and it definitely allows me to show a different side of myself than what I usually show as myself on a Sabbath. That’s very powerful and very helpful for me to continue to stay connected to the church.”
“These types of creatives usually keep their talents to themselves because the ‘church’ doesn't really know what to do with these things,” Sewell noted. “But God does! The arts and music festival gives a platform for them to be seen. We are truly blessed by a God whose first act with humanity is creation!
