The Coverdale Trust 8 Fourth Avenue Teignmouth Devon TQ14 9DR Tel/Fax: +44 (0) 1626 870095 geoff4.bishop4@virgin.net
NEWSLETTER, JULY 2007
From the Chairman:
I wish all who read this newsletter could be at our Trustee meetings when Adrian and Paul talk about what they have been doing. We allocate a significant amount of time so that they can both share at length and the stories we hear are deeply moving and motivate us all to want to do more for them both. News about their children is heart-warming too. Paul at the birth of Daniel Thomas on 16 April and Adrian that his daughter Carla, who is also very gifted musically, will be travelling with him to Albania in August. What an exciting added dimension Carla is giving to Adrian’s ministry. So please pray for Adrian and Paul. The demands on gifted Christian artists are considerable and they need and deserve our full support. Talking of which please see the box on the last page about support for Adrian’s forthcoming Albania trip. Thank you and God bless. Geoff Bishop
Adrian writes:
Dear friends, Firstly, once again, a heartfelt thank-you for your prayerful and financial support that is making the ongoing work with The Coverdale Trust possible. To be able to plan ahead, to commit to dates and say yes to invitations knowing the funds will be there just creates such a positive feeling and means a lot to me personally. It gives me great joy to let you know that I shall be returning to Korce, Albania on 27th August and the flights are booked! It gives me even more joy to let you know that this time I shall not be travelling alone. My daughter Carla will be joining me!
Contd:
Have you got your copy of ‘Every Place is Under the Stars’ yet? Visit Adrian’s web site (www.adrian-snell.com) for details of how to order
Some months ago, Caralee Loring (see previous newsletters) asked me in an email whether my daughter could come to Korce this year. She was aware of the music Carla and I have been making together, particularly on my recent CD Every Place is Under the Stars, and was sure that Carla would make a significant impression on the growing community of young people within the Korce church community. Well, Carla has agreed to come, her ticket is booked, and I am SO looking forward to introducing her to my good friends in the Korce church, the orphanage for handicapped children and the Kennedy Children’s centre. We will also perform a concert together, and I’m hoping that Carla will be able to join Albana Alkazraji in some of her work with young women in the local villages that surround Korce. Carla and I have no doubt that this will be a wonderful and enriching time for her, and as you can imagine it makes this visit very special for me personally. In the meantime during the school term I continue to work as a music therapist, primarily with special needs children and young people between the ages 4 and 19 at two special schools in, and near, Bath. With concerts and workshops fitting mainly into the school holidays I increasingly feel that the different sides of my experience and practice as a musician are integrated in often unexpected and beautiful ways. My spiritual journey underpins it all, of course, and whether I’m in a ‘wordless’ time of interacting with a special needs child, facilitating others in their creative
Adrian and Carla feature in a promotonal poster for a 2006 concert in Italy
exploration, or on stage sharing my musical journey as a performer – well it’s very important to know that there are those, like you, who have faithfully stood alongside me as the mysterious path unfolds! So, again thank-you for enabling this forthcoming visit to Korce to take place, and your ongoing support is much needed and much valued. Shalom, Adrian
Paul writes:
The last ten months have been tough, but very fruitful, not least for my wife Sara, who after a very difficult pregnancy gave birth to our second son, Daniel Thomas Paul on 16th April. They are both very well and glad to have met each other at last. Apparently I was very good at the birth! The Holy Ground Project has been shown in Oxford as part of the University Chaplain’s Mission and at St Andrew ’s Church, Churchdown in Gloucestershire; and soon will be at Tadcaster Grammar School. I even talked about the exhibit on a Christian chat show about the arts being made by Rob Frost of Share Jesus International for the God TV channel. One of the chaplains at Oxford wrote: “Many students and others have found Holy Ground to be incredibly moving. The stories have reached many minds and hearts. We had 50 people praying around it this morning. The late night opening has been really special.” At St Andrew’s Church we ran workshops for a local school relating to the shoes and stories on display. It proved such a natural point of contact between people and faith in Jesus Christ. At Tadcaster Grammar School I will lead assemblies, and take classes around the exhibit. I trust that the rich variety of stories relating to the shoes will once again demonstrate the vitality of Christ in the lives of his people worldwide. It was a privilege to work with Open Doors to organise an art competition and two exhibitions about the persecuted church, under the challenging title The Art of Persecution. The competition Open Doors Exhibition in Aldridge, Birmingham drew in 130 entries, of which
50 were shown at two church venues. I led workshops for two primary school classes about the persecuted church as well as talking about the artwork at the opening nights. Open Doors were thrilled with the events, and the chance to engage a different audience about their work. Visitors were impressed with the professionalism of the show, and moved by the issues involved. Artists engaged thoughtfully with the subject and we hope that if the event is run again, it will draw in many others. Other projects have included leading a performance meditation on the crucifixion called It is finished! as an evening chapel service for Dean Close School. This involved music, slides of my artwork – principally from the Trinity/Three in One series – Bible readings and poetry, and some enacted moments with bread and wine. Performed in front of the whole school and staff in their theatre, it proved very moving for many people. It was extraordinary to see teenagers listening quietly to the music and waiting for whole minute-long periods for the next piece of reading or drama to come. The last line of one of my poems reads: ‘Stand, stand, and watch Jesus die,
Left: Sara and below, Paul with the new arrival, Daniel
challenge is to have the (financial) confidence to be making artwork (which may not pay for itself but which expresses key issues relating to the gospel and culture) rather than taking on workshops that provide a guaranteed income. After all, it is the actual artwork that is at the heart of all I do, whether it is showing, speaking or running workshops. So thank you once again for your support. Paul
alone,with nothing, God on a stick.’ It typifies the shock and horror of know -ing that this is what salvation costs. Three of my artworks went on show at the Grant Bradley Gallery in Bristol as part of the Set All Free exhibition about slavery – historical and contemporary, and other work went to a Christian art festival put on by churches in Glastonbury in May. I also led a series of workshops to celebrate summer with special needs children at a school near Wolverhampton, making designs to decorate kites. Once again thank you for all your prayers. Without them little of value could be achieved for God’s kingdom. Sometimes it is tough trying to manage all the different demands on my time, or I can lose the focus of my work to make artwork that reflects Jesus Christ and speaks of things that are on God’s heart. The
Support for Adrian’s visit to Albania on 27 August 2007 Please can you help prayerfully and financially towards the cost of sending Adrian to Albania? This is such a worthwhile project, which the Coverdale T rust takes delight in funding but we can only do so if we have the money! These annual visits are a real boost to the morale of the Christian community in Korce and to the children in the orphanage and on the streets they seek to serve. Please make cheques payable to The Coverdale T rust and send to the address at the top of this Newsletter. Thank you so much. Geoff Bishop. Gift Aid & Standing Orders If you pay tax and would like to Gift Aid your donation, please let Geoff Bishop know as we can claim an extra £2.82 for every £10 given from the Government. Standing Orders are also a very helpful way of giving so please ask for a form if you are interested. Donations from overseas can be made direct to the TCT account using the following: BIC: MIDLGB2102G IBAN: B63MIDL40091911731157 Web sites Please visit the TCT web site on www.thecoverdaletrust.org and also Adrian’s personal sites on www.adrian-snell.com and www.myspace.com-adriansnell and also Paul’s site on www.arthobbs.com.
The Coverdale Trust. Registered Charity No: 801913