Being involved in a Christian Fine Arts studio has been such a blessing
to our family. It has impacted the lives of all 3 of our children! I love that
the focus taught is not bringing glory to self, but to “Do everything to the
glory of God.”

My two sons were involved in theatre classes during their teenage
years and this helped to build their confidence, improve their public
speaking, and improvisation skills. These classes helped one of our sons
develop a love for acting, and was a launching pad for him as he
is currently pursuing a degree in Acting/Musical Theatre. He has
performed professionally for the Sword of Peace, Jenny Wiley Theatre in
Kentucky, and RWS Entertainment at Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania.

One thing I have really appreciated about this studio is it has been an
umbrella to protect our children. The directors have been careful with the
selection of productions, music, and costumes. The shows performed
have been Bible stories, Christian classics, or redemptive stories that have
the purpose of pointing people to the Lord. Not only were they taught
acting skills to enable them to pursue a profession, but also the same core
values that we were teaching at home were being reinforced in class and
through friendships that they developed with other students.

Our daughter has been dancing at this studio since she was 5 years
old. We have seen her grow in her ability to dance, but what has been
more exciting has been to see her desire to use dance as a form of
worship and to lead others to the Lord. The dance teachers have been
great role models, they not only teach dance, but have a heart for their
students, they want to see them succeed and draw near to the Lord. One
particular teacher noticed my daughter going through a difficult time and
asked her about it and if she could pray with her.

At 13, our daughter began dancing with Rejoice! Dance Ministry led by
Heather Zachary, who not only is a wonderful mentor, but also disciples
these young ladies and prepares them to share their gifts to encourage
others in the Lord. This group has provided opportunities for the dancers
to represent the studio and share the gospel publicly through dance. I
have witnessed them being a light and a bold witness at two college
campuses where the atmosphere was definitely intimidating. They have
also performed at a variety of churches which has taught them to respect
churches different from their own, Heather has been great at discussing
the differences with Rejoice.

I have seen the Lord do amazing things through the ministry of Arts
Alive and can’t wait to see what He has in store for Alamance Fine Arts
Academy! I would highly recommend this studio!

By Tina Southern