DUNCAN — Jennifer Steil has been impacting the lives of many youth in Duncan as an art instructor, but, she believes those experiences have been preparing her for a new chapter of her life.

On Sunday, she was officially ordained as a minister at First Christian Church in Duncan, where she is assistant minister.

When she was 8 years old, Steil recalls attending a Billy Graham crusade at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. (1969).

“He (God) issued the call and I ran down the steps with tears in my eyes,” Steil said.

From then on, she knew her life would include ministry in some form — even as an artist.

“My journey’s branched out and I’ve been graced by God’s heart.”

Steil is originally from southern California, but in her youth, she moved here with her mother, Sharon Lynn and her mother’s husband, Winford Lynn. She graduated from Duncan High School in 1979. She attended Cameron University and earned her bachelor’s degree in visual fine arts.

While some may wonder how one succeeds at being a working artist in Duncan, Steil has found this area to a perfect fit for artists, proving over the past 28 years, that it is possible. She has instructed art through private lessons, taught workshops at the EDGE Academy and has for years, been deeply involved in teaching children through Gabriel’s House.

“The arts gives us a way to express something deeper,” she said. “The gifts of the arts have been a vital part of my spiritual journey. Throughout history there has been a strong connection between the arts and Christian faith. Scriptures are, in of themselves, an art form of ourselves.”

In 2002, Steil was inspired to attend seminary, after completing three years of training in spiritual direction and pastoral listening for Christian ministry.

“This ministry is rooted in the Christian Contemplative Traditions offering practices of prayer, Scripture reading, Christian meditation, spiritual listening and guidance,” she said. Studying at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich., Steil graduated with her Master of Divinity degree in May of this year.

Steil’s local church background includes attending St. Paul’s United Methodist Church for eight years and then First Presbyterian Church for 22 years.

For the past three years, she’s been attending First Christian Church. She has found FCC and The Well to be a good fit for her as an artist who uses her talents to minister to others.

“This kind of space provides the creativity needed,” she said, sitting in The Well’s sanctuary. Many of the Gabriel’s House (after school program) art classes are conducted at The Well.

“At the same time, God has called me to teaching, preaching and everything converses around the Scriptures. I personally have experienced the arts to be a means of expression, which have the potential to communicate God’s word in great depth,” she said. “When we study the ancient languages of the Bible, Greek and Hebrew, and the literary qualities of the Scriptures, we discover a great treasury of images, metaphors, narrative stories, poetry, written songs, wisdom teachings in visual riddles and the images of dreams and visions.”

Steil said discovering the history of the Scriptures through art is a wonderful way to minister to people.

“The arts are free expressive. They are soulful no matter how you approach it,” Steil said.

“When one studies art history they will discover that the visual arts were a primary means for telling the stories of the Bible before the printing press was designed.

“In the Scriptures we read of the artisans who were filled with the Spirit of God to create artistic designs for the Tabernacle and the Jewish Temple with great beauty, spiritual meaning, artistic expertise and detail. Visual and performing arts, music and literature have all offered vital contributions to the Christian community gathered in worship and service.”

Steil is excited about developing her work in the arts for ministry.

“I also look forward to developing ministry using the arts which embrace the call of Christ for restorative justice as the arts are excellent means of expressing pain and hope and offering inspiration for renewed vision and redirection of life.”

Steil gives much credit to FCC for allowing her to expand her ministry and talents.

“I have been greatly blessed and enriched by the Duncan community of First Christian Church and it has been a joy to serve Christ alongside them,” she said. “Throughout my life, Christ has been my peace, my joy, my hope and truly my strength and inspiration through many seasons of celebration and struggle.”