Empowering indigenous people to worship through the arts

By Maria | Philippines in East Asia

"This is the first time I have felt that I can be a Christian and an indigenous person at the same time. Before I felt like I was a Christian on Sundays and a Bla'an from Monday to Saturday. Now I feel like I can be a Christian and a Bla'an from Monday to Sunday!"

 Workshop participant from the Bla'an people group

These are the kinds of comments we receive after we run ethnoarts workshops for indigenous Christians in the Philippines. Our goal is to encourage indigenous believing communities to consider using their own languages and art forms to worship and teach others about God. 

Sometimes church planters here copy the church culture they are familiar with in new locations. This approach can lead indigenous people to struggle to see how Christianity relates to their everyday lives.

In our workshops, participants think through their own creative art forms, including music, dance, drama, verbal arts and visual arts. They consider which ones might be appropriate to use in worship and to communicate the gospel. Although our aim is to spread God's word, an unexpected outcome has been seeing people understand how their Christian identity intersects with their ethnic identity.

We are working in a country where certain ethnic groups have been labelled Christian, others Muslim and others animistic. What does it mean for a person to follow Jesus if he or she isn’t from a 'Christian' background?

As our participants' art forms are deeply connected to their ethnic identities, it is encouraging to see them energized by what it means to follow Jesus within their people group and cultural setting. Many have learnt they can be themselves in the community that God has placed them and still follow Jesus.

Serve with us

Do you have a passion for the arts? Are you interested in serving in arts ministry, empowering others to worship God through the arts? Contact us today to find out more.

SIM Asset Publisher Portlet

Publicador de contenidos

SIM Asset Publisher Portlet

Publicador de contenidos

Related stories

SIM Namibia brings joy through Christmas shoeboxes

Hilary, serving as a teacher in Namibia, is adjusting to an online classroom of 27 six-year-olds due to the pandemic lockdown. Find out how her ministry continues with some stark changes.

Honor inspires others to nursing dreams

Hope for Life partner, Shalom, is championing community leaders of tomorrow by empowering teens living with or impacted by HIV. Read Honor’s journey & be inspired by her heart to be an agent of change & healing in her community.

Bébé’s story of hope

As we approach World AIDS Day, read this inspiring story of Bebe. Initially a beneficiary of Hope for Life Benin’s services, Bebe is now leading the way in supporting & encouraging others in her community who are living with HIV.

SIM Founders' Day 2023

Our SIM community is dependent on God in prayer. Let us unite in prayer as we seek God’s face together. Click here to download your Founders’ Day resources.