Differences on Display

Written by Grace Childrey

When you enter through the back doors of Waypoint church, you may notice a new art piece hanging below the wooden cross in the alcove. Here is the story behind it: 

In November, I attended “The Guild” Creative Conference hosted in Raleigh. During one of the breakout sessions, professional visual artist Willis Norman and his wife led us in a contemplative collage activity. When he first explained that the individual collages we created would all fit together onto one large canvas, I was skeptical. How could a room full of people (of varying artistic abilities and backgrounds) create anything that would look well together?

Thankfully, I was proven wrong. The collages we made came together to make a much more visually interesting and appealing piece than we would’ve created on our own. As someone who values order and predictability, I was amazed at how the variables and unpredictability that come with creating a collaborative art piece added to its beauty. 

I was hopeful to replicate the activity at a future women’s event at Waypoint. In early 2026, we were able to do just that at the Women’s Create Event. I reached out to Willis (the artist and original creator of the idea for the session) and chatted through logistics of how we could replicate the idea for our event.   

The piece you see hanging in the hallway is the combined result of different members of the Waypoint community working together. The construction of the wooden frame, the donation of the materials for the collage, the scripture reading and guided contemplation read during the collage session, and the sixteen different tiles were all contributed by members of our church body.  

Under the piece hangs this description,   

“In response to Psalm 23, ten women in the Waypoint community participated in a contemplative activity where they were tasked with creating a collage based on the passage of Scripture and theme of rest.

The wide variety of images, colors, and styles used in these collage tiles are reflective of the different ages, cultural backgrounds, and life stages of the women who created them. While these collages are each unique, they come together to create a cohesive design.

The differences on display in this piece are meant to be a reflection of God’s design for humanity and vision for His church - not a group defined by uniformity, but a community that is made more beautiful, more full, and more complete in our diversity.”

In all areas, may Waypoint be a place where we value diversity and the different ways we experience God as we continue to grow towards glorifying Him together.