Swansea UMC hosts Paint and Praise nights

SWANSEA—Swansea United Methodist Church hosted its third Paint and Praise night Feb. 3. The event had a Valentine’s Day theme, and as with all Paint and Praise nights the church hosts, the foundational message was Christian love and grace.

Paint and Praise is led by Alex Booth, a 2018 University of South Carolina honor graduate and middle-level teacher at Sandhills Middle School, who holds a minor in studio art. Participants are given everything they need for the event: canvas (or board), paint, a variety of brushes and instruction. Booth leads the participants in preparing the canvas and mixing paints, then guides them through the art of painting the selected image. She has many samples of her own on display to provide ideas for others.

The first Paint and Praise night this past summer featured an abstract painting of a cross on canvas. The second was a painted board for Thanksgiving.

The event has brought many churches together in fellowship. There are no denominational lines, and everyone paints together and praises together.

“Through this activity, people can express their love of Christ in a visual form,” Booth said. “And then they can take their painting home with them and hang it on the wall as a reminder of that love.”