(Click here for a video of John reading this Catch.)

I met a Millennial art teacher yesterday and he pretty much confirmed everything we know and love about Millennials … and art.

Yesterday I did online church from the Laguna Sawdust Festival, an art fair that goes on every summer here in Laguna Beach. It fit right in because the topic I had already decided on was about finding good in the world, and what better place to find good but in an art show? Beauty and truth was everywhere. 

Case in point was a booth operated by our neighbor, Patsee, that is entirely taken up with her beautiful underwater color photography of reefs and tide pools from local beaches. The clarity and natural colors are breathtaking. That kind of theme was carried out everywhere. In photography you find God’s creation; in art you find human interpretation of God’s creation; and being close to the beach meant God’s creation was well represented. 

Marti and I had planned to go earlier in the day to be back for church online at 6:00 p.m., but when we were delayed and ready to cancel, I thought of doing it there. I was a little uncertain about finding a place to film until I found an empty booth that was set up for art classes. The booth was surrounded on three sides by long tables and stools and no one was anywhere near. I asked around and found out there were no more classes that day, so it was perfect. However, just a few minutes before I started, a man showed up and started arranging pictures he was pulling out of cupboards along the back wall. I asked him if he was going to need the space in the next 30 minutes and he assured me I could go right ahead. I did notice he stayed the whole time and it seemed he was just puttering around as if he wanted to hear what I was saying. For some reason I imagined he was an atheist, so I listened to what I was saying from that perspective.

When I was done, he smiled and commented on how much he enjoyed what I was saying. I was pleasantly surprised. He mentioned he agreed with some of the misinterpretations of truth common to many Christians and told me he had pretty much given up on the institutional church. When I told him we had an online church full of people like him, he was surprised. He then went on to mention some of the things he was looking for in a church and I told him he had just described our community. When we parted, I gave him the address of our website and invited him to look us up. If you run into a Millennial art teacher named Gabriel, welcome him in.

To view yesterday’s Church at the Catch from the Laguna Sawdust Art Festival go to <www.facebook.com/thecatch>.