The Rev. Jonathon Jensen has come up with an artful way to raise money to support a youth mission trip to Jamaica.

Jensen, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vt., has organized “Trinity — An Evening of Art,” an art show and sale at 5 p.m. today at the church that will feature the work of several artists. The event is a fund-raiser to help pay the expenses of the youth group’s May 23-28 mission project in Jamaica.

Fifteen youth and five adults, working with Food for the Poor Inc., will be working to aid Jamaica’s poor, the elderly and handicapped orphans. They will make improvements to the dwellings of local people, as well as participate in a feeding program that will distribute food to the hungry.

“Part of the trip is to help the kids understand they can’t just go in and fix everything. They’re on pilgrimage — it’s a journey to understand what it’s like to live in poverty,” Jensen says.

The cost of the trip is $1,150 per person — $23,000 for the group.

The goal of the art show, according to Jensen, is to raise about $5,000 to go toward paying for the mission project. The youth group has amassed $14,000 through fund-raisers and contributions from individuals and Trinity.

“I would think this would be our biggest fund-raiser,” says Zane Wilemon, Trinity’s youth director, who will accompany the church’s youth on the trip.

The art show and sale will feature the work of 15 Lawrence artists. Ten of the artists, including renowned landscape painter Robert Sudlow, are members of Trinity Episcopal Church.

Bronze sculptor and church member Catherine Hale Robins is one of the artists who will be represented in the event. She is contributing a variety of bronze castings of animals, as well as terra cotta sculptures.

Robins, who was a research biologist for 20 years, has a master of fine arts in sculpture from the University of Miami.

“I wanted to support Trinity, and I’m honored to be in such an august group. That’s a wonderful group of local artists. It’s a real treat,” she says.

“I think the mission trip to Jamaica is wonderful. It think it’s just a marvelous opportunity for the young people.”

Aaron Marable is another Lawrence artist who is contributing his work to the show and sale. Marable, who is not a member of Trinity, has a bachelor of fine arts in studio painting from Fort Hays State University.

He is contributing several of his oil paintings to the event. They range in market value from $200 to $450.

“I just took a trip to London and Amsterdam and looked at a lot of the Dutch Masters. These (contributed) pieces are really influenced by the Flemish painters, Rembrandt and Vermeer,” Marable says.

Marable knows Jensen because the pastor comes into Henry’s on Eighth, 11 E. Eighth St., to drink coffee and write out his sermons. Marable is a barista at the coffeehouse.

“I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s doing good things for his church,” Marable said.

“Any time I can hang up what I do (his paintings) with some of my friends, I’m just happy to do that.”