Barrs Open Pottery Studio in Excelsior Springs, Bringing Art and Faith to the Community

Crystal Lakes, Mo. (Dec. 15, 2024) – From France to Missouri, Russell and Carol Barr have shared their love of art and dedication to their faith, culminating in the opening of a unique pottery studio in Excelsior Springs. The studio offers clay crafting classes for individuals of all ages.

Natives of Independence, Missouri, Russell and Carol share a passion for various art forms, including calligraphy, sketching, writing, and pottery. The couple received an opportunity to go to France in October 2000 when Carol won a trip to Paris after selling 1 million wallpaper rolls through her employer. 

As they spent time in Paris, Russell explained that the couple took the opportunity abroad to explore the region, including traveling to London, as Russell pursued a career as a graphic designer for families living in the Maldives.

While visiting local tourist destinations, they learned about a missionary family from Overland Park, Kansas, living and working in northeast Paris. After meeting the family, the Barrs became curious to see how faith practices were implemented in France and began attending local church services.

“The family asked us to come back to yearly prayer conferences in Paris every summer,” Russell said. “We went to the prayer conference and heard about the French Protestant reformations. We did a lot of prayer walking and asked God to break down strongholds. That’s when God called us to go back to work in Paris using our art skills.”

In 2005, the couple returned to France, teaching pottery and English while pursuing their goal of establishing an evangelical church. Russell said their mission was significant in a country where only 0.06% of the population—about 350,000 out of 60 million—identified as evangelical Christians. “Out of 200 people, one might be an evangelical Protestant, three would be reformed Protestants, two would be Jewish, and three out of four would be Catholic,” he explained. “The majority, 151 people, wouldn’t practice religion at all.”

Despite the challenges, the Barrs continued their work, balancing their time between France and the U.S. In 2011, they began working part-time with World Team Ministry, and by 2013, they had returned to France full-time, dedicating another decade to their mission.  Their work began in the Valley of Chevreuse, where they helped establish places of worship through what World Team Ministry calls “church planting.”

“Our first church planting experience was with a team of young French believers,” Carol said. Originally, it was “started by an American couple, and for many years, people were meeting in their home.”  The church eventually matured under a local French pastor, who also served as the area’s mayor. Once the church became independent from the mission team, the Barrs moved on to start another project.

In 2019, they relocated to La Celle-les-Bordes, 10 minutes from their original mission site. They set up a pottery studio using their landlord’s garage and workshop and continued their ministry work. “Meeting in a home was the norm,” Russell said. “There wasn’t any money to purchase or rent a building. It was up to us to raise our funding.”

The couple raised funds by hosting concerts featuring Christian musicians, especially during holidays and after COVID-19 restrictions eased. “The mayor didn’t want to work with us at first,” Russell said. “But eventually, because of the gloom of lockdowns, he agreed to live music.” The concerts, funded through their pottery and English classes, were a hit with the town. “The community loved it,” Russell said. “It led people to see what our church services were like.”