The Unhurried Wonder of Painters Prophets Poets

Oklahoma City welcomed a distinguished, eclectic collection of artists, ministers, and authors on October 4th and 5th for the first annual Painters Prophets Poets. This conference was designed by Travis Lowe and Robbie Gaines, founders of the HopeWords Writers’ Conference in Bluefield, West Virginia, and Hannah Anderson, a mainstay at the HopeWords Conferences. (To learn more about HopeWords, please read this article: https://iphc.org/2024/09/25/hopewords-is-at-home-in-bluefield-wv-a-small-town-with-big-hospitality/ )  

 

 

 

Travis Lowe, who now serves as President of the IPHC Extension Loan Fund, and Robbie Gaines, Prayer and Special Needs Director of the One More One Less Project, wanted Painters Prophets Poets (PPP) to include a broader range of artistic individuals, not just writers. According to their website, they sought to “promote redemptive creativity, counteract current fragmentation, and inspire participants in their shared calling of cultural renewal.” These former pastors feel strongly that creativity “is an expression of our shared humanity as people made in the image of a creative, imaginative God” and not limited to a particular vocation, socio-economic class, or educational level. Though PPP was similar to HopeWords in a lot of ways, PPP emphasized arts as a whole and not just words and writers. The arts can unify people and bring forth imagination, seeing a world that could be. IPHC Presiding Bishop A. D. Beacham, Jr. was able to attend the conference saying, “Susan and I joined a number of other IPHC people at this joyful, informative, and inspiring event in Oklahoma City. I encourage IPHC writers to take advantage of the Hope Words Conference in 2025 in Bluefield, West Virginia.” 

Painters Prophets Poets was held at First Baptist Church on North Robinson Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City; Pastor Sarah Stewart and her team were gracious hosts. The church’s sanctuary had a presence all to itself, setting the stage for the wonder that was to come. The stained-glass windows, cathedral and coffered ceiling, visible organ pipes, and classic rounded church pews lent history, tradition, awe, and expectation to the coming sessions. Lowe and Gaines intentionally make the location of their events a main character throughout. Oklahoma City and First Baptist Church shined as they welcomed attendees from 31 states.  

 

 

 

 

The conference kicked off on Friday at 7 pm with a welcome from founder Travis Lowe and host Hannah Anderson. Anderson is a well-known author who uses the beauty of her hometown surroundings, the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, as inspiration. The keynote speaker for the Friday night session was Malcolm Guite, an English “Poet-Priest” who has authored numerous books ranging from reflections on the Psalms to a deeper look at other authors’ writings to his own poetry. Guite’s session set the stage for the conference as he reflected on what a poet is and the importance of imagination in creativity. He also explored a portion of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and a few scripture passages. 

 

 

On Saturday, the sessions began at 9 am with Heajin Shim Fujimura, a lawyer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Fujimura shared a glimpse into her own life and upbringing, sharing how her mother’s determination, intelligence, and perseverance shaped her. She also shared a short film highlighting her work in India, Embers International, and how she and her team are working to re-establish the family unit and a sense of purpose among children born to women who work in brothels. 

 

 

Next, Dr. Miroslav Volf, the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, took the stage to discuss the concept of a “life worth living.” Volf challenged the attendees to wrestle with “What should I want?” and “What is worth wanting?” Anderson returned to the stage with Volf to engage in an informal question-and-answer session. The two played off each other well, with the two deciding that “uniqueness is overrated” and “Christianity is disturbing.”  

 

Caption: Miroslav Volf 

 

Following Volf, the attendees were given a two-hour break during which they could either eat lunch provided by “Not Your Average Joe’s” or seek out their own lunches at any of the numerous restaurants within walking distance of the church.  

Upon return from lunch, the attendees heard from Kerry Magruder, Curator of the University of Oklahoma History of Science Collections. Magruder shared a little about the extensive historical book collection he cares for on the OU campus and explained why it is essential to preserve these materials: “The book awakens imagination,” and “the sciences without the art will perish.”   

 

 

Next, Makoto Fujimura, an accomplished artist, shared a little bit about his conversion from agnosticism to Christianity. Fujimura also touched on the “sacredness of brokenness,” challenging the attendees to consider that “if His wounds are sacred, are our wounds sacred too?” He also discussed the Japanese art form of kintsugi, which translates to “join with gold.” Kintsugi involves repairing broken pottery and highlighting the mended areas with gold leaf paint. 

 

 

The last session of the day was with Beth Moore. She started with humor and a challenge to our everyday thinking, asking if we are really open to inviting the Lord into all aspects of our lives. Moore explained that sometimes the biggest obstacle that we have to learning is thinking that we already learned it. She also encouraged the attendees with “the things I would remove from my story are absolutely pivotal to my calling,” sharing that what we wished we had not gone through has shaped us and brought us to the place to be the most effective we could ever be. Moore closed out her session with a moving short story highlighting the complex and sweet relationships between mothers and daughters.   

 

 

Dispersed throughout the event were poetry readings by locals such as Dr. Benjamin Myers, Jason Inman, and Strong Moore. The Mayor, David Holt, addressed the crowd briefly, welcoming them to the city and encouraging them to take the time to get to know the area and the people.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

An OKC Bookstore, Commonplace Books, set up in the lobby with books chosen specifically for the event. Not Your Average Joes, a local eatery, kept the attendees engaged with gallons of hot and iced coffee.  

 

 

At PPP, just like at HopeWords past, the presenters who attend the conference are as eager to learn from the speakers gathered as the attendees. The speakers were approachable and encouraging, taking the time to spend a few minutes with anyone who would wait to converse with them.   

 

 

Just as the conference began, it ended with Malcolm Guite sharing from the stage. This time, it was a simple blessing and benediction.  

 

 

The following is Travis Lowe’s reflection on the Painters Prophets Poets event:  

“This past weekend, we hosted a conference in OKC. We had no bands, no light shows, no decorations, no confetti, and no green rooms. No photo booths and no swag. The seats were wooden pews, and the sessions included hour-plus lectures.   

Maybe that sounds different, maybe not in a good way. Personally, I found it refreshing. But we were also different in other ways that I bet you can appreciate.  

We had no sponsors. No exhibit hall. The attendees’ personal information and attention were not products to be sold. Every person who signed up was given the host’s personal phone number and email address and treated as a VIP.  

We bought dozens of gallons of coffee from Not Your Average Joe’s and gave it away for free. We had a local bookstore, Commonplace Books, set up a specially curated book table to serve goodness to our attendees. We had a local rare books library curate an exhibit, especially for our attendees, and they offered free tours that were once-in-a-lifetime experiences. A local church invited our attendees and the community to a service where one of our speakers ministered beautifully. A special evening of poetry was curated and led by other organizations and local writers. We had people travel from 31 states, and then the mayor of OKC, a city of over 700,000 people, stopped by to welcome everyone. 

We gave away around 75 tickets to local college students because some of our attendees chose to pay extra so others could come. Every person who told us they could not afford the ticket received a full or partial scholarship so they could attend.  

We gave main stage time to locals. We platformed unknown and unpublished writers alongside those who are world famous.  

The entire experience was unhurried wonder. So glad to have been a small part. I love what I do.”