Why Graffiti?

Some of you may be wondering why we are headed to do some "service" work for the Graffiti Church and staying in the David Dean House.  Claude Rhea, the senior advancement officer for the School of the Arts, just crafted an email giving the answer to this question. See his email below - I've added "headings" to make it easier to read:

Philip,

I am excited our Samford student singers will be serving at Graffiti Church and lodging at the David Dean House. Samford connections and history abound at both of these special places.

How Samford is Connected to the Graffiti Church:

In 1975, a missions team of Samford students spent Jan Term in New York City helping to start a fledgling store-front church in a crime-ridden Lower East Side neighborhood. Part of their work was painting a wall next to a basketball court for community kids. It became clear that solid color was not an option for this paint job, since local "artists" would immediately embellish it with spray cans at nightfall.


Art majors Joe Godfrey and Dick Bodenhammer suggested that the wall be adorned with colorful graffiti sharing biblical themes. So our Samford mission team went to work in the freezing cold on this artistic endeavor. The wall remained for several years and inspired the church to call itself "Graffiti." I will always remember the report the missions team delivered upon their return to campus.

A unique ministry to New York City:

Thirty-six years later, Graffiti Church occupies a prominent place in a neighborhood that now houses a growing population of affluent young professionals. The Church serves the spiritual and practical needs of their diverse community and has started six congregations across Manhattan. With this mission, our present Samford students will write a new, redemptive chapter in the story of this remarkable outreach to New York City.


After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Southern Baptists across the nation dispatched disaster relief teams to New York City for over one year. Many of these same teams are now serving across Alabama in the areas devastated by the tornadoes. Volunteer relief teams helped to feed recovery workers at Ground Zero, comfort those who had lost jobs and loved ones, and counsel traumatized children. The children's counseling ministry was housed at Graffiti Church for several years. Individually and through their churches, Baptists also gave several million dollars to help the people of New York through "Enduring Hope."

How is Samford connected to the David Dean House?

Dr. David Dean, who served as head of the Metro New York Baptist Association, wisely requested that part of these funds be used to purchase a place where future volunteers could stay economically while ministering in the City. I was privileged to serve on the committee of the North American Mission Board that approved the purchase and refurbishment of what is now the David Dean House, named in honor of a visionary servant leader. The building was previously a church, a theater and a funeral home!


Dr. Terry Robertson, who leads our Baptist family in the state of New York, is a Samford alumnus. He plans to visit with our students at some point during their mission. His wife Elizabeth, who sang with me in the A Cappella Choir, will be joining him. They greatly look forward to meeting our students and hearing them sing.


I, too, look forward to a marvelous experience of ministry, music and mirth with you and our students in New York City!


Blessings!


Claude