hen Scott and Lindsay Nimmon met at Olan Mills Family Portrait Studio six years ago, they never imagined their mutual passion for God and photography would send them far away from their home in Shippensburg, Pa. to Dublin, Ireland. “There are a million and a half people living in Dublin; but due to the busy city culture, people don't often notice one another or the amazing things around them,” says Lindsay. “Black-and-white photography causes people to actually stop and look at something. That pause can help them think about their world.”

Lindsay and Scott Nimmon.

The Nimmon’s love for photography developed while they were college students. Scott took classes at West Chester University to hone his photography skills, while Lindsay chose to minor in the subject at Covenant College. The couple, both 28, married in 2004. With Scott operating a portrait studio in Scotland, Pa., and Lindsay teaching English at a local school, they began brainstorming about how they could use their talents to communicate the Gospel as partners – until God threw them a curveball.

“When I first started realizing God was calling us to missions work, it took me months to be at peace with it. My dad is a pastor, and I wouldn’t trade anything about my years growing up as a pastor’s kid, but I was never interested in spending my adult years in ministry,” Lindsay says.

Answering the call

But God’s call was undeniable, and the couple began searching for arts-based missionary work near their home, hoping to somehow integrate their photography talent while still living close to their family. However, finding a nearby location to serve proved challenging, and the couple began wondering where God might lead them.

Frustrated and hoping to find guidance, they attended a Living in Grace seminar sponsored by Mission to the World, the missions arm of the Presbyterian Church of America. They were elated to discover one mission field with a desire to begin an arts ministry: Abbey Presbyterian Church in Dublin.

“When we were confronted with the idea of using artwork combined with our testimonies and using that as a tool to evangelize, it struck me that all my intrigue in the idea had been leading up to this – that photography can help people understand the world from a biblical perspective,” Lindsay says.

The Nimmons committed to one year of missions work in Dublin and spent six months raising financial support before they went to Ireland in January 2007. Alan Boal, pastor of Abbey Church, picked up the couple from the airport, and the trio constructed a plan to officially launch an arts ministry that could reach out to Dublin’s artistic community.

“Our work in 2007 was largely administrative,” Lindsay says. “We began generating plans for starting an arts café called Xpresso, where the church doors are open for four to five hours in the evening. It’s like a relaxed coffeehouse atmosphere with visual art on the walls, and the artists are present to share the Gospel through their artwork. The feelings Dubliners have while looking at the art can lead to addressing issues from a Christian perspective.”

Left to right: Jakub Baronowski, Leland Stewart and Jim Petit play instruments at Abbey Church.

Due to the immense planning involved in the arts café – from securing American musicians to getting Irish artists involved – the Nimmons were only able to hold the event twice. However, they hope to eventually hold arts cafe events year around, as well as introduce a two-week Christian arts festival with the end goal of ministering to the thriving arts culture in Ireland.

By August of that year, the couple knew God was calling them to be long-term missionaries in Dublin, a city they had grown to love. After witnessing Ireland’s desperate need for church renewal, the couple resolved to utilize the growing arts ministry field to show God’s love to the Irish people.

Building relationships

Abbey Presbyterian Church, Dublin, Ireland.

Because many of the churches in Dublin have been converted to museums and pubs, passers-by do not always realize Abbey Church is still a place of worship. To combat this problem, the couple utilized their talent for graphic design to make pamphlets and a Web site to promote Abbey Church.

The Nimmons employ photography, music and graphic design as tools to bring people to the church; but their work as missionaries also entails building relationships with believers and non-believers alike.

“The arts ministry is a mechanism to meet people in the community. We met all different kinds of people with all different kinds of needs. There is an amazing opportunity to build relationships and bring the Gospel to their lives,” Scott says.

The Nimmons built one such relationship with a 20-year-old Polish man, Jakub, who moved to Dublin to look for work. He lived near Abbey Church and walked by the church every day to apply for jobs in the city. One day he walked by the church when an American jazz band was playing outside to promote the upcoming arts café event.

“He is classically trained in the trumpet, but he couldn’t speak any English,” Scott said. “He ran back to his apartment to get his trumpet and started playing with the band. He played the next morning in church and the whole rest of the week while the band was in Ireland.”

The Nimmons began seeing the fruits of their labor – the arts ministry provided an ideal way to build a relationship with Jakub, although the language barrier produced interesting, and often confusing, conversations.

“He would come to our house with a Polish-English dictionary to try to learn 10 English words a day. Most of the time it was like playing charades to explain the English words to him,” Scott says.

As Jakub learned more English, the Nimmons eventually discovered he had a Catholic background and some familiarity with Christianity. He also asked a slew of questions, which they answered using Bible verses and a Polish-to-English translator on their computer, a process Scott describes as “long, tedious and difficult.”

Jakub left Dublin in November 2007 to take a job outside the city, and the couple never saw him again. Although Jakub did not make a profession in Christ during their time in Ireland, Scott and Lindsay know God will continue to work in his life.

“Jakub’s conversion is not a matter of a long-term relationship with us; the Holy Spirit will bring that to fruition,” Lindsay says.

As the Nimmons continue to raise funds for their long-term missions work in Ireland – they currently have raised about 35 percent of their budget – they find themselves longing for the arts-based work they love, the life they began building and, mostly, the relationships they developed with people like Jakub.

“I miss the people we met and their stories. It was incredible to be a part of their lives,” Scott says. Lindsay wistfully says she longs for “the accents, the experience, and the understanding and challenges that each person brought to the church, whether they were believers or not.”

Making the sacrifice

Lindsay Nimmon and Sekai Mabika, an Abbey Presbyterian Church member.

Although the couple faced “trials and periods of doubt and disappointment” while serving in Ireland – including being robbed in July 2007 – the trials only served to strengthen their resolve to return to Dublin: “Through those challenges, we grow closer to God,” Scott says.

“The church in Ireland is very small, and people feel like it is dying. But when I look at it, I see hope and possibility. It will be a long, hard struggle, but I can see God bringing people together,” Lindsay says.

Scott and Lindsay hope to return to Ireland by the end of 2009, and “Lord willing,” they hope to continue serving “for as long as God calls us and there’s a need for us to be there.” Ultimately, they hope to see the church grow and the arts ministry branch out to other churches in Ireland.

“As missionaries, our long-term goal is to work ourselves out of a job. What we pray for is that the people of Ireland will take our place.” Lindsay says. “In 10 years, I hope our position in Ireland looks very different, that we see people coming to faith and taking over the positions we have now.”

When the Nimmons returned to the United States in January 2008, they called their friends and family to catch up and share stories about their year spent serving God in Ireland.

“I called my Pop Pop, and he said that one of the things he loved about being old was he didn’t doubt anymore that God would be faithful. I was challenged by that,” Lindsay says. “We have had to surrender everything we own; but in doing that, there are so many opportunities to see God is faithful. Every time I get scared, I am soothed by God’s promise. You see, there truly is nothing out of the reach of God.”

To learn more about the Nimmon’s ministry in Ireland, visit www.scottnlindsay.com.