April 13, 2007
By Mary Frances Schjonberg

A weekly arts program that is part of the ministry of Episcopal Church of Holy Apostles in New York City will be featured on "The Arts Within Religion," an upcoming CBS Television interfaith religion special.

The program will be released April 22 to television affiliates across the nation as part of the network's quarterly Religion and Culture series. The program is produced by CBS in cooperation with Interfaith Broadcasting Commission, whose members include the National Council of Churches USA (NCCUSA), the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Islamic Society of North America, the Union for Reform Judaism, and the New York Board of Rabbis.

Holy Apostles is well-known for its ambitious ministry to the hungry. It serves more than 1,100 hot meals a day, five days a week, according to its website, making it the largest emergency food program in New York City. Its soup kitchen's weekly arts program, "ArtSpirit," was created in 2005 to foster a sense of community and provide those in need of a chance to express themselves through music and art, according to a NCCUSA news release about the television show.

The CBS program will feature the program's founder, Marion Williams, who shepherds the group from week to week. She is an artist and a student at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

"It's God working through the person, through their own creative energy," says Williams. "Despite the external circumstances, they still have that spiritual core. And art can help to open the door to that and channel it into something constructive for their lives."

"I think it's so appropriate that Holy Apostles' is being featured in this television special," said Bishop Christopher Epting, the Presiding Bishop's Deputy for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. "They are a shining example of the Episcopal Church's primary commitment to mission, fueled by their own passion for liturgy and the arts. This is part of what we bring to the ecumenical and interfaith communities."

The CBS special also profiles an Islamic hip-hop group called Native Deen, whose members use rap music to promote a message of tolerance and understanding while maintaining their religious and cultural identity. The members, Joshua Salaam, Naeem Muhammad and Abdul-Malik Ahmad, drew their name from the Arabic word "deen" meaning "religion." Their music and lyrics are meant to inspire peace among Muslims and non-Muslims alike, according to the news release. "I think what they (listeners) will see is that this music is something that they can relate to because it has a sound and feel that they're used to. But we're talking from a different perspective," said Muhammad.

The program also looks at "Bharata natyam," the classical dance of South India. This art form originated 5,000 years ago in the temples of ancient India. The roots of this tradition are from the Hindu Vedas, the holy books of India, the news release explained. The program will air at a variety of times, so viewers should check their local CBS station for the exact time and date of broadcast.

Episcopal News Service
The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is national correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.