ReNew York is a ministry that follows God to love artists and create transcendent work in community. We strive to bring healthy spirituality to those who create culture in this world, to honor people who were made in the image of their Creator, and to cultivate the earth in this modern context.
Vision Statement
Our Vision
ReNew York longs to see the arts transformed into a means of metanoia.
Metanoia is a Greek word meaning a fundamental change in the outlook of man's vision of the world and of himself. It is a different perspective on the way things are or could be, a new way of loving others and God.
Art uniquely engages the heart and shapes the core of what people think is right, true, or possible. In the Bible, art is Good; it is a crucial part of worship; and we and our fellow humans are God's masterpieces. Art as it was originally intended, as it existed in the Bible, builds experiences that immerse people in God's transcendent realities. Artists were used in the construction of the temple, in the courts of the king, in songs in the desert… It turned the ordinary into the extraordinary, often literally recreating heavenly realities.
ReNew York recognizes these truths as holding special significance in New York City, a center for culture-making and a space where all the diverse masterpieces of God are gathered. Jesus tells us to make disciples of every tribe, tongue, and nation, and describes a coming heavenly city where all these people will be gathered. ReNew York longs to see the kingdom of God, this New Jerusalem, come here, in New York City.
We believe the arts are a valuable part of that. So we create and we spend time investing in other creators. Through language, dance, drawings... but also through love and discipleship, we seek to follow Jesus as He changes the hearts and minds of the people in this city — and thus brings His kingdom into our whole world.