The Art of Restoration: A Volunteer Feature

Peyton Silvius
Jul 24
3 min read

How Outside Program Volunteer, Danielle Scott, Is Making a Difference

🎨 It’s not about pencils or paper.

It’s about presence.

Each of us who works in the building has come to know the sound of the soft sketching and small talk that echos in the building on any given Tuesday morning. Danielle shows up with a few art supplies and a heart willing to serve our participants each week. In a quiet room inside the Indigo Hope Center, a group of men gather to draw.

There’s no spotlight. No stage. Just a simple lesson. It often ends with a rustle of papers, a laugh about how “This isn’t anyone’s future career,” and a cheerful goodbye. From the outside, it may seem like an insignificant blip in the week. If you're not paying attention you might almost miss it:

But for most of those men, it’s more than art.

Because the enemy is loud and he isn't afraid to shout when he's losing —

"You can’t start over."

"Society doesn’t give second chances."

"You’ll always be who you were." Yet, in the stillness of this classroom on a Tuesday morning God whispers:

“You are not who you were, and she sees it too.”

You might ask: What does an art class have to do with ministry?

For us, it's the seemingly "small" care that restores those we serve best. Men and women burdened by their past, this kind of care speaks louder than words. A home decorated with care, a hot meal after a long shift, a text of encouragement from a mentor, or a Tuesday morning art class. It reminds them they are seen, loved, and chosen in the little things.

It's the concept of Matthew 6:28–29 lived out: "And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”

If you can feel the love of God through my people in these small, seemingly insignificant ways, how can you not trust that I will carry you through these seasons of transition?

So, what does an art class have to do with ministry?

Everything.

God is NOT passive about His glory. He is actively calling us to use our gifts to serve others. Are you fulfilling this calling? Everyone in the body of Christ has a gift and talent to offer. It may or may not be here, but serve where God is calling YOU today!

"I just instantly felt God say, 'Oh you're doing that.'"

Danielle shares about how God connected her to JUMPSTART.

Ask God prayerfully if He is moving you to serve. When you delay God's calling in your life, you rob yourself of the blessings He has in store. Who knows if God is calling YOU for such a time as this?

If you feel you have a heart for what we are doing here, we would love for you to get involved in how God is moving you! We always need more volunteers to reach those who haven't heard, to mentor those who have decided to follow Jesus, and to walk alongside those taking the next step in a future that is greater than their past!