Community Spotlight
- NativityWV Episcopal
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Spotlight: Jacki Kellum
This is a special week for me, I am opening my new arts space Jacki Kellum Studios & School of Arts at 26 South Main in Water Valley, MS, and in doing so, I am celebrating the answer to a prayer.
I moved to Water Valley a bit over two years ago, but it was only recently that I found an arts space. For more than two years, I had knocked on every door in the business district of Water Valley. I had pleaded for a place to hang my art, but nothing worked until it finally did. As usual, that happened when God was ready, and when God was ready, He provided me with an arts space with style. Once again, I am reminded of the scripture:
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
Waiting is difficult for me. Invariably, my nearly fatal flaw is my impulsiveness. I want my world to spin on MY time, which is often not God's time. But at some level, I have always realized that while I was waiting for God to work His miracles, He was preparing me to accept the miracles He had in store for me. Before, I was trying to put my cart before my horse, but during my wait, God had a plan.
When I think about God's foresight and planning, I think about the Wee Little Man Zacchaeus who climbed into the tall tree that allowed him to see Jesus, who was passing by. Here is a possible rest of that story: Long before Zacchaeus needed a tall tree to see Jesus, God planted a sycamore, and the world [and ultimately Zacchaeus] waited for it to grow.
Most people do not know this, but God has placed me in one situation after another and through those situations, I have acquired many skills that I plan to offer Water Valley through my new arts space. Many of my programs will be free to the public. I endorse the notion that to whom much is given, much is expected, and for many, many years, God has graced me with many skills and has provided me with opportunities to teach those skills. The Free things I offer to Water Valley will be part of my tithe.
Let's look at some of the ways that God has been preparing me to open my arts space in Water Valley--Let's begin with Church:
I grew up as a Southern Baptist, and that church is where I learned many Bible stories and sweet songs. But while I was in college, I became Episcopalian. I have been affiliated with the Episcopal Church most of my adult life. Since I have lived in several places during that time, I have been part of several different groups of Episcopalians, but it was at the Church of the Nativity that I found my Church Home
At one point in the typical Episcopal service, the congregation is directed to "Pass the Peace" to one's fellow congregants. At many Episcopal churches, this peace-passing is a rather subdued--a rather stiff affair that barely deviates in tone from the rest of the service. At Church of the Nativity, Passing the Peace becomes downright rowdy as congregants jump up out of their pews and greet their friends who might have been sitting in a spot far away from them. At Nativity, Passing the Peace is a time of laughter and hugging and loud salutations across the building. At Nativity, Passing the Peace is a jubilant celebration of friendship, and that universal friendship at Nativity is how many of us have found not only a church but also a community of friends.
Soon after my marriage, God moved my family to Jackson for my now ex-husband to attend medical school. Because of another set of miracles in Jackson, I found the job of teaching art to the young children at St. Andrews Episcopal School. I grew in many ways through that job. First, I learned to love children's art. Second, I learned to love children's books.
I often tell people that I grew up in a cotton patch of a town. The only books that I remember from my childhood are The Little Red Hen and Chicken Little. The St. Andrew's Lower School has a vast library, and while I was teaching there, I read every children's book in that school's collection. Those books changed my life.
Since my time at St. Andrew's, I have become an enthusiast of children's literature, and during much of my adult life, I have worked as a storyteller for children. In thanksgiving for that gift, I am offering a free Story Time on Saturday Mornings at Jacki Kellum Studios, from 9:30 - 10:30. Story Times will begin Saturday, September 6, 2025.
Another miraculous thing happened while I was teaching at St. Andrews. During the Christmas season, the children and I created the almost life-sized Nativity Scene that covered a large room. The children drew and colored all the characters who were in Bethlehem at the first Christmas, and I painted the hills and night sky surrounding the City of Bethlehem. Together, the children and I transformed a large room into a child's perception of the Christmas Story. The result was magical. For that effort, Mississippi Magazine featured me in a large article, and I was named National Teacher of the Year. My dream is to one day begin replicating that scene in Water Valley.
Long after I taught at St. Andrews, I translated the Christmas Story into my picture book The Donkey's Song, which was published by Doubleday for Young Readers--a division of Penguin Random House. Everything about that book was a miracle.
To God be the Glory. Great Things He hath Done." Nativity, Let's Open God's Gifts Together.
Sunday, August 24, 2025 - Rev. Ann Whitaker - will be serving
Lessons
Those who serve:
Lectors: Jack, Mary Beth
Altar Guild: Vivian
MC POD: Eddie
Flowers: Katelynn
Refreshments:
Set-up: Shannon
Food: Katelynn and Shannon
Clean-up Jen
Volunteer sign-up sheets are on the center hall table.
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