Art for Jobs: More than a Fundraiser
From our Director of Programs & Community Engagement
Dear Friends,
I’m writing this from our warehouse that has been transformed into a beautiful art gallery! Our 11th annual Art for Jobs art sale and show is next week, and it just continues to grow and morph. For those of you who have attended in the past, you may have experienced the fact that Art for Jobs is not just another fundraiser. We are SO grateful for the amazing sponsors, art buyers, and donors who generously give to promote economic stability for our neighbors in South Memphis! But even in the midst of a pandemic, Art for Jobs is and always will be about RELATIONSHIPS. Happening September 21-23, Art for Jobs is an opportunity to safely gather in small groups, celebrate, reflect, and cast vision for what God is doing in our midst. Will you partner with us in this ongoing relational work this year? As you pray for this event and the Kingdom work it represents in our city, plan to preview the amazing artwork in person Tuesday - Thursday next week and invite someone else to join you! Here are a few ways that you can continue partnering with us in this work by inviting guests to preview artwork safely in person at Art for Jobs:
Invite graduates from your Ally or Champion small groups! This could be a fun way to reconnect if you’ve lost touch.
Invite a friend who has never heard of Advance Memphis. Preview the artwork with them and share some of your experiences or favorite memories with us.
Invite someone who’s skill or expertise we could benefit from! We are consistently trying to improve the way we serve our staffing & outsourcing customers, increasing opportunities for our graduates to work at our warehouses.
Cultivating long-term relationships is a core value of ours. My prayer is that Art for Jobs is another opportunity to grow our Advance Memphis family and strengthen the ongoing work that Christ is doing in our midst! Thank you for joining with us in all of these endeavors.
Please Pray with us:
Pray that Jesus’ name would be made great as a result of all our efforts and through the ministry of Advance Memphis.
Pray that Art for Jobs would reflect the value and dignity of God’s image-bearers and the good works He’s prepared us to do (through artistic expression and in working). Ephesians 2:10
Pray that we would continue to have wisdom as we make decisions to ensure that all patrons have a safe viewing experience during this time of COVID-19.
Pray that Art for Jobs would be a gathering, both in-person and virtually, where God’s people would be encouraged and invited to participate in true fasting (Isaiah 58:6-12) and that new volunteers, participants and donors would find a place to plug into Advance Memphis and/or His Kingdom service.
Pray for the Communications team and our amazing volunteers as we try to make sure all of the technical details of an in-person and virtual event come together.
Pray the Lord would rain down His resources for His ministry through the generosity of individuals purchasing art as they partner with Advance Memphis!
Pray that the Lord would keep our students, Advance Memphis staff, and all Art for Jobs patrons healthy and would protect them from the spread of COVID-19.
Pray for South Memphis, and that God would give us “a mind to work” as referenced in Nehemiah, and that generational cycles of unemployment and underemployment would be broken through the power of the Holy Spirit. Nehemiah 4:6
Pray for physical, emotional and spiritual healing from traumatic experiences that affect the ability to maintain stable employment (and so many other areas of life). Pray for our neighbors in South Memphis and ourselves, that we might seek the one, true healer of our souls. (Luke 6:19)
In His Grace,
Kelsey Martin Dees
Director of Programs & Community Engagement