About Us

Who We Are:

A non-denominational Christian network of artists who honor Christ together through art and community service.

Our Purpose:

To inspire our world to seek God and a personal relationship with Him through Christ.

Our Art:

Displays beauty, integrity, and excellence through all kinds of media and subject matter.

We Minister by:

  • Sharing the good news of Christ as Savior in all that we do.
  • Serving our churches and communities.
  • Supporting one another as persons and artists.
  • Providing opportunities to exhibit.
  • Sponsoring imaginative fellowship events and seminars.

Where We've Been

We started with eight artists meeting at Marianne McDonough’s home. For 18 months, we prayed, planned, and sought God for His vision and purposes. It was an amazing spiritual adventure we all still treasure. Our worship was deep, and God’s Spirit encouraged us with His presence and wisdom.

In 2012, after laying much groundwork, we held our first conference, Worship in the Potter’s Hands. Everyone was excited, and we knew that we were starting a great adventure. 

Since that time, we have produced eleven major exhibits, five of which have traveled (including one now on tour) to various locations in the Twin Cities and one that occupied the beautiful gallery at the Minneapolis Public Library. We also sponsored five conferences, a DVD series, numerous fellowship opportunities for our artists, a television program on worship arts, and a number of community outreach ministries for homeless children, nursing home residents, prisoners, cancer patients, and the city of Minneapolis May Day Festival. See below for details.

We thank God for the privilege to serve Him and give Him all the glory, because His grace alone provided the vision, path, resources, and strategies. 

  • We’ve sponsored four annual Psalms Exhibits and Creative Arts Celebrations uniting art, music, and dance at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The 2016 Psalms Exhibit included our first film festival, and our winners’ art and films were displayed at the Crossroads Chapel at the Minnesota State Fair. We also gathered Psalms exhibit art for a traveling art exhibit.
  • In 2015, June 11–August 22, Great Commission Artists was privileged to present a themed exhibit called “Heroes and Heritage” at the Minneapolis Central Public Library. We enjoyed celebrating the people of our great city who have contributed so much to our heritage. Heroes and Heritage drew a good attendance at the Cargill Exhibit Hall, starting with the wonderful reception and great presentations by the artists and dancers Mexico Lindo. 
  • As of spring of 2024, we’ve sponsored and shared six traveling exhibits three of which featured high school artists and three with multi-generational artists, including high school students. The exhibits visually reflected our artists’ thoughts and feelings in response to themes: “Who is God?”, “How Great Is Our God”, “God Our Refuge”, “The God Who Sees”, “In God’s Hands”, and “Show Us Your Glory.”  All of these exhibitions have also been videotaped. For the “God Our Refuge” exhibit, we produced an accompanying documentary of the high school artists’ journey through COVID 19 and how they found refuge in God. These exhibits have been popular with local churches and have booked out as soon as we have released them.
  • Our conferences are designed to be meaningful and impactful for artists personally and professionally. We have sponsored: “Art in  the Beauty of Holiness”, “Worship in the Potter’s Hands”, “Waterfalls” with Rev. Paul Oman, “Banners” with internationally recognized banners artist Elsa Hammond, and “Journey of the Heart” Retreat and Seminar with author/teacher Betsy Lee and art therapist Katy Kinzer.
  • We’ve produced five DVDs, the “Art in the Beauty of Holiness” series, that included our seminars plus two other sessions, one featuring an artists’ panel discussion on art ministry and an interview with a local church about its success with art as ministry in a congregational setting.
  • We’ve sponsored seminars featuring local artists and experts such as Wayne Moran, a well-known local professional photographer, and Peter Wagner, Cinematographer and Director of Media Kiln. We have also sponsored photoshoots in Minneapolis and most recently in Edina at Centennial Park. The latter is the subject of a powerful video called “God in the City” that is featured on our home page.
  • In the spring of 2013, W.I.N.D. Ministries was invited to do a television program on worship art for Lake Minnetonka Communications Commission cable network. That program aired the following summer. 
  • Starting in February of 2015, we launched our annual Kids Love Valentines Day outreach to homeless children at Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis. Each year we give 400 grade school children gift bags with art supplies, stickers, candy, and “God Loves You” valentines made by other kids in local churches, schools, and residents of assisted living facilities. This is a popular project that is enjoyed by both our artists and the children at the shelter. 
  • We produced a webinar called “Get Ready To Market Your Art” geared toward the Christian artist and featuring Carolyn Edlund, the founder of ArtsyShark.com and a nationally-recognized art marketing expert.
  • We’ve provided numerous fellowship opportunities, via our “Art Klatch” fellowship group for artists in various media.
  • Our Community Outreach team staffed a booth at the Minneapolis MayDay Festival in 2015, distributing 200 Bibles, 1,600 postcards, and 1,400 Tea Packets with a Scripture notation. We also partnered to produce and present a float in the Minneapolis MayDay Festival Parade in 2016. 
  • Writers from the Minnesota Christian Writers Guild and Great Commission Artists collaborated to create inspirational writing for a local jail ministry.
  • Our Community Outreach team has ministered to nursing home residents, providing materials and ideas to help them express their hearts on paper.
  • Our Healing Love ministry has made and distributed bookmarks for cancer patients.
  • We have received numerous testimonies from people who have benefitted or ministered to others because of their experiences at our events.
  • We have encouraged art ministries in other states and countries who have written us for prayer or information.
  • In 2021, we initiated an Artists Blog, “Blogging to Bless”,  featuring our “Fresh Oil Artists” who meet and post quarterly. We have also featured our past traveling exhibitions in art in blog form in their own section. Additionally, in 2024 we added a new category called “Art and Poetry” in which we combine our art with poetry written by various poets exclusively for each art piece.

Our Brochure

Board of Directors

Founder & Director

Marianne McDonough

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Pastoral Board Advisor

Reverend Roger Kuhn

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Pastoral Board Advisor

Debbie Gustafson

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Programs Advisor

Roberta Sawyer

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Outreach Advisor

Geraldine Antoinette Mehta

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W.I.N.D. of the Spirit Ministries believes that artists of definitions are called to display the heart of God in tangible ways to glorify Him and draw people to Christ.  We pray and plan carefully to sponsor activities that:

  • Connect Christians Creatively
  • Encourage and Support Artists in their Ministries
  • Provide Opportunities for Artists to Share their Work in Meaningful Venues
  • Inspire Artists Personally and Professionally through Seminars and Workshops
  • Promote Worship Arts in Church Services and Special Events
  • Provide Opportunities for Community Outreach

W.I.N.D. Ministries is affiliated with International Fellowship Ministries, a Minnesota-based licensing organization with 50+ years of experience “Serving Those Who Serve Others.” In 2006 W.I.N.D. started as a children’s outreach organization called “Kids Celebrating Christ” and grew to its current scope of ministry, including Great Commission Artists. From its inception W.I.N.D. has specifically and passionately promoted unity and worship through the arts.

www.windcreativearts.com

International Ministerial Fellowship is an association of evangelical Christian churches, ministers and lay workers with an emphasis on the centrality of Christ and the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit which offers fellowship, multiple members’ resources including appropriate ministerial credentials, ecclesiastical endorsement and the service of a missions sending agency. With a membership of over 1,300 across the nation and 50+ missionaries in 31 countries, IMF has established itself as an organization of integrity with a heart to serve those who serve others.

www.i-m-f.org

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© Great Commission Artists 2022

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Founder & Director

Marianne McDonough

Licensed for ministry in the creative arts through International Ministerial Fellowship, Marianne McDonough founded Great Commission Artists and serves as its director in addition to directing   W.I.N.D. of the Spirit Ministries, the 501 (c) (3) umbrella ministry. Believing the arts have a unique capacity to exalt God and inspire His people, Marianne loves to encourage and mentor Christian artists toward the full expression of their gifts, especially in the context of worship. Marianne’s experience includes writing in secular and Christian venues, leadership in worship and dance ministries, teaching worship arts seminars for children, and sponsoring visual arts workshops and exhibits.

In 2010, she initiated “Art in the Beauty of Holiness” seminars, specifically designed for visual artists and subsequently produced in DVD format. After the formation of GCA and its core group in 2011, she produced four more DVDs featuring artists’ interviews and three other seminars: Worship in the Potter’s Hands, Waterfalls with Rev. Paul Oman, and Banners with Elsa Hammond. She also created a cable television presentation on art and worship. 

Starting in September of 2012, Marianne inaugurated the first Great Commission Artists Exhibition, “Psalms Exhibit and Creative Arts Celebration,” at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. This event included a juried exhibit, continuous original worship music provided by local composers, and dance presentations. Since then, as of spring of 2023, GCA has presented eleven exhibitions with multi-generational artist participation, including numerous high school students from local high schools. The last six exhibitions have traveled for month-long display at Twin Cities’ churches.

Additionally, Marianne believes the Great Commission applies to all of the body of Christ, including artists of all definitions. Thus, she has guided Great Commission Artists to create a variety of teaching conferences and art-based community service projects including Kids Love, a popular Valentines day outreach to homeless children. Great Commission Artists is fulfilling its namesake mission to minister Christ to their world and glorify God.

With a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Minnesota, Marianne is an author and speaker. She has served as a board director for the Minnesota Christian Writers Guild and also leads a Christian writers’ critique group. Her 2016 book, 8 Steps to Getting Real with Cancer, won the Midwest Book Awards in the health category. In 2018 she released Beating Cancer One Truth At A Time, another guide for newly diagnosed patients designed for individual or support group reflection.

Marianne enjoys writing in various genres and desires for writers to explore new ways to release their talents to exalt Christ. Her passion is to see God’s beauty revealed in all of the creative arts.
Pastoral Board Advisor

Reverend Roger Kuhn

Roger Kuhn has extensive ministry experience, including numerous pastoral positions in New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, and Minnesota. Most of his career he has served as lead pastor and has particularly enjoyed discipling new believers. Currently, Roger serves as the National Pastor of Member Care and the Director of Church Relations at International Ministerial Fellowship, the licensing organization for W.I.N.D. of the Spirit Ministries. Additionally, his pastoral responsibilities include all IMF Alliance Churches and 200 Lead Pastors. With deep faith and a thorough understanding of ministry, Roger provides pastoral supervision, support, and prayer for W.I.N.D. Ministries, including Great Commission Artists.

Communications Advisor

Debbie Gustafson

Debbie Gustafson has been an active member and participating artist since the first Psalms Exhibit in 2012. Consistently, she has supported our events and exhibits with wisdom and excellence. Her wisdom and faithfulness to our vision prompted us to seek her support as a board member, and she graciously accepted although she also serves her church and community in a number of other roles, including arts and education. In addition, she is an original member of our blogging ministry that now comprises our “Fresh Oil” artists group.

Programs Advisor

Roberta Sawyer

Roberta (“Bobbie”) Sawyer describes herself as “a lifetime dabbler with a love of experimentation with learners young and old.” Currently an elder at Prairie Community Church in Eden Prairie, Bobbie has participated in numerous types of ministry. She has taught art seminars for children including her “Art in the Park” outdoor summer series, served as a scenarist for church skits, plays and musicals, led Bible study fellowships for 12 years, and created backdrops and props for Vacation Bible Schools. She has also served as a literacy tutor and office support staff for South Hennepin Adult Programs in Education. Also an original Great Commission Arts core group member, Bobbie co-coordinates the monthly Art Klatch painters fellowship group. As a board advisor, she contributes much prayer, a tenacious faith, and a love for people and artists of all definitions.
Outreach Advisor

Geraldine Antoinette Mehta

Geri Mehta has served in numerous ministry positions, which include teaching Sunday school at Way of the Cross church in Blaine, directing girls programs at Hospitality House in north Minneapolis, serving on the mission field in Guatemala and India, and co-leading a home church. She has also been active in community organizations such as Jaycees and Toastmasters.
Geri brings a clear sense of vision and discernment to the board, especially in the area of outreach. She has a passion for promoting the gospel with compassion, love, and respect. As a painter and original Great Commission Artists core group member, Geri has served GCA faithfully in numerous capacities. Her wisdom, like her art, inspires us to seek God’s heart in all things.