Sophia Victor

Father and Son

2021-24: Of her painting “Father and Son,” Sophia Victor writes:

When I went before the Lord concerning my marriage, I prayed from many different angles. When I began to grow weary, finally I reminded the Lord of the covenant that I have with him concerning my son Pharaoh. I stood on that covenant and interceded. My prayer was, “Lord, this child needs a kingdom father so that he can grow in your ways. I have given you full custody of him, now provide someone that will stand for him and guide him in this thing called life.” That prayer was answered and continues to be answered through the life of my husband.

During the year when the world shut down, so many changes occurred. I watched my son grow from a child into an adolescent before my eyes. He began to navigate art materials as an outlet to maintain his peace. My biological family grew closer than ever as we attempted to be a village raising four boys, my mother’s grandsons. My son’s biological father was also incarcerated during this time. I reflect in this piece on the community needed to raise a child and the new personal community of a new family that the Lord has given me. It is a reminder of the seeds sown at different stages in early childhood development and stands on the biblical instruction to train up a child in the way he should go.

Exploring Art Therapy in Faith-Based Settings

This affinity working group consists of diverse practitioners—an art therapist, a music therapist, a minister, and a ministry music director—who collectively serve communities across an urban environment where spiritual life, cultural expression, and emotional needs often converge. The group’s shared goal is to explore how creative arts therapies can meaningfully support and strengthen pastoral care and congregational care within churches and faith-based organizations throughout the city. Their inquiry is guided by two central questions that shape the purpose and direction of this work: What practical, accessible approaches can churches use to integrate creative arts therapy methods into their ministry practices? In what ways can creative arts therapies function as tools for emotional healing, spiritual formation, intergenerational connection, and deeper understanding within diverse urban congregations?