Missionaries Are Reaching the Lost through Art in L.A.

Featured picture: Isaac interacting with the community at an art show

Los Angeles has a fast-paced culture that poses a number of evangelistic challenges for our missionaries. Creating lasting relationships in the city is difficult. Many people struggle to hold to the commitments they make because life in LA is so transient. Additionally, the global rise in antisemitism poses an ongoing threat to Jewish and Israeli communities, which makes it especially difficult to develop trust. But we’ve discovered an interesting common thread woven between local Jewish people and Israelis: art.

Artists in LA are as diverse as they come. Many move here in hopes of getting their “big break.” We offer a space where they can find community with other artists and where they can submit their art to be featured in themed shows. Our missionaries host art classes and hold concerts and art exhibitions—and all of this is done right in our café space, Upside Down.

Upside Down is a coffee house, art space, and community center owned and operated by Jews for Jesus, serving the community of Westwood Village and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Since 2019, the café has operated by donation, and most of our events are free to the public.

Visitor views an artwork from Questions for God show

In February of 2024, we hosted an art show titled Questions for God where we imported a number of art pieces directly from Tel Aviv, Israel. Everything was painted by Israelis, depicting the story of Job and the concept of lamentation. The show opened with both original and traditional Israeli music from live artists, which noticeably set the tone for the attending community. We were helping our people grieve.

Visitors were encouraged to engage with a world-map mural.

Then in May, we featured a show called Origins, which centered around Passover (the “origin” of the Jewish people). Upon entering the art space, visitors were encouraged to engage with a world-map mural, placing a dot to indicate their ancestral origin as far back as they can recall. Some were able to trace back generations, and others simply placed a dot representing their own beginnings. We wanted to engage visitors to receive or reject their heritage, rather than be unaware and still unconsciously shaped by it. After announcing the show, we received a beautiful entry from Toby, a UCLA artist.

Toby had seen our call to enter the show and specifically produced a piece for the occasion. His piece was just what we were looking for in every way. The month of May, however, was an especially vulnerable time for the Jewish community in LA because of the uptick in very public, openly hostile antisemitism on the UCLA campus. Toby decided to pull his submission from the show out of fear that he’d be targeted. Weeks went by as we continued to put the show together, and on the eve of our opening day, Toby reached out to us. He had decided to display his art at Upside Down. He took courage and ownership of his Jewishness and engaged in deep conversations about his beliefs with our missionaries.

One of the artists greets a friend at Upside Down.

Many of our recent relationships with the surrounding Jewish community are developing through the work of Jake and Jeanne Rosen, two missionaries with the LA branch. They’re especially gifted in reaching the community through art. Jake holds art-based workshops that are very engaging and deepen connections with all who attend. The Rosens are great at fostering safe and creative spaces for individuals to explore their spirituality and have meaningful conversations. The relationships they are building offer tremendous opportunities to have real gospel conversations initiated through the common love of art within their network.

Jake and Jeanne also network in other art spaces in LA. They recently met a Jewish family at an art class they took and have since shared a Shabbat meal with them. This family is well established within the Israeli community in LA. Jake and Jeanne plan to invite them to future shows at Upside Down. Please pray that they will come and invite their friends! Israelis tend to share their discoveries with one another and gravitate to the same clubs, same shops, and same schools for their kids.

I’m studying Christianity! Can you believe it?! I’m reading about Jesus!

Our missionaries’ existing networks create amazing opportunities to share the gospel in surprising places. One of our team members was recently invited to the home of a Jewish friend for their child’s birthday party. During the party, an extended family member invited her to another room to see the collection of art the family had amassed over the years. While they conversed about art and life, the extended family member shared that she was a Holocaust survivor. Our missionary was surprised and noticed there was Christian-based content playing on the TV. The family member looked at the missionary and said, “I’m studying Christianity! Can you believe it?! I’m reading about Jesus!”

Opportunities like this are rare and wouldn’t have happened without the Lord giving us a passion for art and reaching the community. Please pray for our art-based work, that it would continue to inspire engagement from visitors to the café. Pray for Jake and Jeanne Rosen and for all of our missionaries in LA as they build meaningful and genuine relationships with Israelis and other Jewish communities around us. Pray for Toby and the Holocaust survivor, that their openness to the gospel would lead to more conversations and exploration of faith. Also pray that they would find hope in Jesus as their Messiah.