Last month, I spent August 6-9 in Nairobi, Kenya to attend GCOMM (Global Consultation on Music and Missions), a conference that meets every 2-3 years in different parts of the world. It is perhaps the largest gathering of missionary artists in the world. This conference focused on church planting happening around Africa through the arts, with a heavy emphasis on music and dance, including stories and testimonials from around the world. We looked at the “Nairobi Statement on Worship and Culture” formulated by missionaries twenty years ago to discuss the relationship between church and culture and how that has changed over the past two decades. We talked about examples in rural and urban church planting and as exotic as redeeming drums made of human jaw bones! The week was full of networking, building new friendships, and strategizing which helped me clarify my vision for arts and church planting in Japan, and I strongly encourage you to join me for the next one in Dallas, Texas from July 20-23, 2020!