Gospel in Harlem on a Sunday is becoming a mandatory stop on any New Yorker tour. Guide books often recommend the historic "Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church" in Harlem founded in 1796, which is a polished and well-behaved affair. For the real thing, explore the neighbourhood for the many smaller and more obscure churches. You might be met with a stiff look by the "bouncer" but if you promise not to take any pictures, you will be welcomed inside to a scenario only thought possible in the movies. A preacher under a neon-lit cross yelling the words of the Lord while a hyper energetic band, counting more members than church-goers, keeps the clapping crowd on their feet, singing for salvation for the soul. Some of the most committed followers might even go into trance and drop to the floor. It is pure religious madness. Hallelujah.
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