A new painting of the Last Supper has been unveiled in Glasgow, featuring 13 men who regularly attend Glasgow City Mission.
The modern take on the iconic Last Supper painting by Leonardo Da Vinci depicts 13 men who have, or may be homeless and are clients of Glasgow City Mission, a Christian charity which cares for vulnerable and marginalised adults.
The painting was commissioned as part of a social enterprise collaboration between Glasgow City Mission and the Wild Olive Tree Cafe and painted by St George's Tron Church artist-in-resident Iain Campbell. He decided to depict members of the mission in order to highlight the work of the charity, entitling it "Our Last Supper."
The name was inspired by a conversation he had with one of the mission's clients, who said: "I suppose for any one of us this might be our last supper."
"There's a sense that there is some real raw stories behind the faces in the painting."
Arthur, a client of the mission, depicted in the painting, said "it's highlighting the City Mission – the work it does and the relationship that the guys who use it build up. The new last supper, I like that."
John, another man featuring in the painting, shared how the mission had helped him over the past seven or eight years, and the community that has been built there:
"I had a lot of problems in my life at the time and one night I went down to the mission and got to meet some friends. It's not just a food bank, we've got our own clubs and outings and most of the volunteers that work in it have come from similar backgrounds, so you always know you're not on your own when you're struggling to cope.
"The painting shows a normal night in the mission and hopefully it shows to folk living on the streets or on tough times that there is always a place and it's open to everyone. I could see myself in it straight away because there's so much detail in it."
Before coming to the mission, John said he would describe himself as a "strong atheist", but after his new Christian friends suggested he pray in an effort to overcome anger issues he had struggled with since childhood, he decided to give it a try.
"I said yes just to keep them happy, but then I started seeing changes", he said in an interview with the Church of Scotland.
"I started getting word back from employers. I got my kids back. I was always the one that got myself in bother, but now I've been in situations and I've chosen to walk away. I've been trouble free for four years now.
"After prayers you feel different. You feel as if something has left you and you are a new person.
"I was a strong atheist. I really was. But over the last couple of years I've seen a real difference. You see a big difference when you accept Christ in your life."
The Gospel accounts of the last supper depicts Jesus with his disciples. Much of his ministry was working with the poor and those on the margins of society, and "so in that sense it's a great link and captures modern day society where we still have lots of people on the margins of our cities", said Graham Steven from Glasgow City Mission.
