2018: Year in Review
Every change is a death, and when we look back at 2018, we’ll think of it as the death and resurrection of Torn Curtain Arts. Last January Paul had just left the church he had worked at for seven years and even more than that he had left the eighteen-year career in church ministry to the non-profit company he created but of which he was afraid to commit.
Brian was also in the throws of his own internal revolution which propelled to him leave his church ministry job to join forces with Paul on this new venture into the unknown. The only compass they had at the beginning of the year was the ache they felt for new kind of community and new kind of Christianity ( sorry McClaren, it just fit so well!). They stumbled in the wilderness together trying to write a map for the journey while looking for guides who could give them the right tools and magic spells to survive the elements and get water from stones.
The most significant achievement was the treacherous development of a vision and a plan for where TCA would be going in the next ten years. However, we also did a lot of other cool stuff! Here is a look back at work we did!
The first event we produced in 2018 was a collaborative effort with New Denver Church and Belong Church in Denver. Darkness was an interactive stations of the cross experience that took people to the limits of their faith and doubt through the use of an audio guide. About 200 people attended the event across both locations. It was unlike anything we had ever produced!
Another highlight of the year was the opportunity Paul was given to perform again at Colorado Christian University. This time in the world premier of the new play, “Prodigy” by Jenny Stafford. The role of Father/Mozart was intensely personal and challenging for Paul but extremely rewarding. He is currently working with the production team to record a cast recording of musical.
The game-changer that set Torn Curtain on a new course in 2018 was the discovery of Crankset group’s 3to5 club and Fastrak. Brian had recently reconnected with our friend Joshua Allen Dykstra who invited us to check out this business leader Chuck Blakeman and his company that gives small business owners training and a supportive community to encourage them to build a healthy business within three to five years. After thoroughly researching this company and trying it out a few times Brian and Paul took the plunge and signed up for their crash-course called Fastrak which trained them on a system and philosophy that gave them the tools they needed to clarify their mission and unabashedly serve people. Paul and Brian are continuing to attend the bi-weekly meetings at 3to5 club and expect it to continue to produce results!
Paul and Brian have continued to lead the music for Denver metro area church throughout the year. Brian continues to serve part-time at New Denver Church and late last year Paul began a six-month contract with a brand new startup called Missiongathering in Thorton. Along with these churches they have also led at Journey Church in the Castle Pines area and Waterstone in Littleton among other churches.
One of the highest points of the year for us was producing the “41 Girls” campaign. Together with twenty-five other supporters we raised over four thousand dollars to pay the education of six girls in Uganda (bringing the total number of sponsored girls to forty-one) through the organization SITEAW. Along with the excitement of reaching our goal we also made a deep soul-friendship with Sr. Stella Sabina and we pulled off an incredible night of music thanks to the combined efforts of partners Rachel James, The Sparrow and The Fall, Kavod media, Shaka designs, Camp Experience, Fastlane productions and Missiongathering Thorton. Torn Curtain intends to continue this partnership with SITEAW to continue fighting oppressive practices in the world that rob women of their humanity. Stay tuned for the next event!
There we a few other notable projects from 2018 as well here is a quick list:
working with M.O.P.S. and Legacy Productions to create an opening video for their national conference.
Writing and directing two original works for Waterstone Church’s Christmas eve services
producing a series of short films about women leaders for The Camp Experience Network
Meeting with several other worship leaders and artist to encourage them to continue making great art!
We look forward to a very exciting a productive 2019! Make sure you follow our Facebook page to get the latest update on new productions and events! Thank you so very much for supporting us and loving us through this very winding journey! We’ll be here continuing to make a safe space for anyone going through a shift in their faith!