Mission of the Mural

What is Happening on the side of St. MArtin’s Episcopal Church?!

During the Spring of 2026, St. Martin’s was discerning how best to be with our neighbors. After years of direct but inconsistent ministry to our unhoused and neighbors in need, we discovered that some of our closest neighbors on 7th street were already doing ministry and “being with” those in need in remarkable ways. Through prayer, a deep-immersion in Matthew 25 (the scripture that converted St. Martin himself) and relationship-building, we discerned that we want to support these on-going ministries and programs already doing good work in our neighborhood and began a relationship with Promise Resource Network located right down the street. The International House…

We also have come to know that sometimes art speaks louder than words and that the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd is a powerful reminder of how we are loved, cared for, and nourished by God. Mother Justi is leading a parish-wide discernment of who we are fundamentally as a parish. This is why there has been such an emphasis on Matthew 25 as it was the scripture that converted St. Martin himself. We’ve been praying with this scripture through Lent. The vision of Matthew 25, of finding Christ in the poor is fundamental to who we are and our entire Be With approach that we’ve been cultivating for 11 years. Additionally, the image of the Good Shepherd is central to our identity: it is the image of the stained glass behind the altar, it is the emblem of our formation program for our children. We as a parish find our culture between these two images of finding Christ in the pain of the world and being found by Christ the Good Shepherd. 

Creative expression of our faith is also of great value here at St. Martin’s and we knew that we wanted a large art installment to show our city our commitment to our mission of being with. Fr. Josh floated the idea of a mural on the ?-facing wall of our parish house. Our director of Creative Engagement found muralist Matt Willey and it all fell into place, Matt is on a mission with his art to … this imagery of the bees and pollinators…

Come on by to watch the process and check back on this space for progress updates! If you’d like more information click here. If you’d like to donate to our mission of “being with”, click here.