Disney-Britton

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By  TAHLIB NEW YORK - Founded by Rev. Troy Perry in 1968, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) or The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC) is an international Protestant Christian denomination. There are 250 member congregations in 23 countries with a specific outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families and communities. The movement has Official Observer status with the World Council of Churches but has been denied membership in the US National Council of Churches. The church borrows from many Christian traditions, and therefore has a very eclectic approach to the religious arts. I've visited several of the denomination's churches but am most intrigued, and impressed by the murals and rich artistry of this small multi-storied Manhattan church.

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS By Tahlib "Christ in Gethsemane" (1890) by Heinrich Hofmann. Oil on Canvas, The Riverside Church, New York City NEW YORK---It was a nice service today at Riverside Church in New York City, but the highlight was the tour of the art collection. The painting however that I'd longed to see wasn't on today's tour. It is "Christ in Gethsemane" by Heinrich Hofmann , but I hope to see it before my time here is done.  In this canvas, we see unfolding the opening scene of Jesus Christ’s atonement from Matthew 26:36-44, Mark 14:32-41, and Luke 22:39-46. Christ’s solitude is intense, as you can tell from the spot lighting and the wringing of his hands. I ache whenever I see this image because my own isolation is also so intense in this city of eight million people. It reminds me of home, and how a print of this hung in my grandmother's living room.  In 1932, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased Christ in Gethsemane and donated it to the Rive...