Church on the North Coast is connecting with the community through art.
The church recently installed a mural by Lorain artist Aaron Casey at its Cleveland site.
The other three church locations are in Avon Lake, Lorain and Wickliffe.
The mural depicts the Cleveland skyline, a guardian and the phrase “Live Right, Love Everybody, Pray Hard.”
The Rev. Jeremiah Burris, pastor of Church on the North Coast, said the church’s close proximity to downtown Cleveland influenced the mural design.
“The guardian is an iconic symbol for Cleveland, and the phrase is the DNA of our ministry,” Burris said. “When my grandfather started the ministry over 50 years ago, he said that at the end of every service, and that’s really what we’re all about.”
As a multicultural and multigenerational church, Burris said the church also wanted the artwork to be representative of the community.
“It was exciting to have Aaron come in and do some art that not only represents the city, but uplifts it,” he said. “But, we also wanted it as a representation of the culture we have and embodying the young, exciting energy of what’s to come on that campus.”
Casey, a Lorain native, said he was honored to work on the project.
“It was great to be able to bring beautiful art to this church,” he said. “It was a fun project for me to do from start to finish, and it was cool to do something that incorporated my faith as a follower of Christ.”
Casey said he enjoys creating larger works of art.
“I want to do more wall murals; the bigger the better,” he said. “The larger pieces are a bigger obstacle to tackle, but it’s also exciting because I can see the impact it makes and how it connects with people.”
Burris said the church aims to be a welcoming and peaceful environment for all.
“It’s cool to be in different areas and bring our light to different communities,” he said. “We don’t always find kindness in this hard world, but when we’re present and share God’s love, we can be that beacon of light and help others find peace and joy.”
Youth in grades seven through 12 are invited to ride the shuttle from the church in Lorain or Avon Lake to Cleveland for youth night, Burris said.
“We’re shuttling kids in from all our sites and other areas to this campus as the central hub for our youth ministry,” he said. “We have service and dinner every week to pour into their lives and know who they are.”
