In a celebration of cultural diversity and inspirational people from all times and all places, the church of All Saints with Holy Trinity in Loughborough came alive with the sights, sounds and spices of its intercultural community last weekend.
It was “cultural collaboration in a heart shifting, soul moving setting” according to one of more than a thousand people – almost half of whom were children and young people – that visited the church during its special exhibition weekend.
Although Grade 1 listed and full of historical charm, the church is home to a vibrant, inclusive and intercultural worshipping community.
Last summer, as part of the church’s calling to embrace its multicultural parish, they embarked upon their ‘We’re All Saints’ project and commissioned Birmingham artist, Eddy Aigbe, to paint four Saints for Loughborough, rich with symbolism reflecting the story, values and context of All Saints Church community. This included a collaborative arts project with local schools.
Last weekend was the culmination of this project, where four local schools and around 550 children have explored the theme of ‘Inspirational People’ through art and writing and choosing their own ‘heroes’ from across the globe.
The schools’ project received funding from the diocese’s Intercultural Worshiping Communities’ Seed Fund and was carried out under the leadership of RE and spiritual art expert, Lat Blaylock.
With a focus on enabling children and young people to reflect at depth on the sources of inspiration in their own lives, they were asked: if ‘We are All Saints’ then what kind of person has been a saint, or an inspiration, for you?
The project unlocked profound thinking about what it means to inspire and to be inspired and the exhibition was a chance to see through windows into these young minds.
Loughborough CE Primary School created triptychs of inspirational people including Martin Luther King and Dr Hany El Bana (Founder of Islamic Relief) but lots of parents, grandparents and family figures, too. They also made a mosaic of the best in human qualities.
Rendell Primary School’s work, created by 8- and 9-year-olds, included a 30-piece ‘stained glass’ installation featuring their own choices of inspirational people and 30 ‘date stamp prints’ of their chosen inspiring people from Rosa Parks to David Attenborough via Usain Bolt and Freddie Mercury.
From Cobden Primary, the 5- and 6-year-olds created a ‘tree of special people’ with 60 children contributing a leaf each, while the 8- and 9-year-olds built an installation of over 90 lightbulbs, reflecting on ‘who lights up my life?’
Rawlins Academy (CofE) involved 240 students from Year 8 in making 2D artwork about their inspirations, thinking about faith-based examples. The church displayed nearly 40 of these in all.
Over the weekend, they were also joined by design students from Loughborough University who had created virtual wall murals, inspired by the medieval practice of storytelling through art. You can experience something of these here.
On display, and revealed as a four for the first time, were artist Eddy’s paintings of ‘saints’ - inspirational people, both ancient and modern, from the Christian faith around the world.
The paintings reflect values of hospitality, vision and sacrifice and the inclusive values of All Saints in the context of 21st Century Loughborough.
The first of the paintings, Martha, was revealed in February of this year. You can read more here.
The second, Saint Augustine of Hippo, shares a holy vision. He was a restless soul but found his rest in God.
The third painting of Bahram asks what it means to live life sacrificially, in a holy way, and given for Jesus Christ. His short life is remembered because he was different: faithful!
And finally, the fourth picture looks ahead and asks these two questions: what is a holy future for a human being? And for our human communities? For every kindred, and people, and language, and nation? (Revelation 7:9)
Reflecting on the project, Lat said: “Probably most of us don’t feel holy, saintly or inspirational most days. But if the graceful Spirit of generosity, of welcome, of safety, of an open heart or a faithful mind can get hold of us in any moment of our lives, then surely anyone can be a saint to someone. Perhaps all of us can share the love, the vision, the hope of a better future. We can be saints for each other.
“Just imagine a town - or a world - where we believed in ourselves and believed in each other like this. Are we all saints? Can anyone hope for this? Yes. We can each, all of us, choose to be saints.”
The three days of festivities also included east- west musical collaboration at an evening concert of Indian light and classical music, with young Loughborough Schools Foundation string players joining South Indian, Carnatic musician and veena player Krittheeka, and North Indian musicians, Daljit and Bhindarjit Neer.
The local Nepalese and Indian restaurant, Everest Lounge, served up a generous buffet meal afterwards.
Bringing a bit of something for all ages, DJ, Munroop Panesar, aka DJ Mo, also played a world music mix.
Lat added: “I was moved by Bindarjit Neer, the tabla player, who spoke from Sikh spirituality about the common ground we share and the connection of love and music in the spiritual life of Jesus. It was a chance to remember and pray for those caught up in the Indian air disaster, tragically close to many in Leicester diocese.”
Feedback from the weekend has been affirming and encouraging. Comments made included:
‘Beautiful music in a beautiful setting. Cultural collaboration in a heart shifting, soul moving setting. Do it again!”
“What a fabulous exhibition! It has been a pleasure for Rendell Primary to be part of a wonderful, inspirational project.”
“The whole thing has been really inspirational. I LOVE Eddy’s four paintings. I was also blown away by the depth of insight and artwork of the children. Excellent displays.”
Bishop Saju, who preached during Sunday’s worship and spent Saturday enjoying the festivities, said he was particularly moved by the fusion of the young quartets, Keerthika's Veena, and the Punjabi music, declaring it ‘truly a treat’.
He used lots of other superlatives to describe the weekend’s events, saying: “Encouraging, stunning! God is clearly at work.
“It was also wonderful to meet Eddy, and I feel so inspired and blessed by his painting.”
Summing up the events of the weekend, Kate Burns, Project Manager at All Saints said: “It’s very difficult to pick out one highlight from the three days - there were connections of all sorts being made.
“There was the joy of seeing a diverse community of all ages wandering around the exhibition, an autistic child of South Asian heritage having such a good time he came back three times bringing more and more of his family each time. And then there was the Saturday’s evening concert, a spiritual conversation with a Sikh gentleman about the power of music and sound, and words and music from Iran in the Sunday morning service,” she explained.
“However, Saju’s sermon summed up and communicated the heart of the project, that God invites us all to be saints, in all our diversity and our restless hearts only find rest in Him.”