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Religions come together to celebrate Thanksgiving

By Jason Sweeney

Different religions have different traditions and holidays. But Thanksgiving Day is a holiday that Americans of every creed can celebrate together.

That's what the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is all about--bringing people of different religious traditions together to give thanks, and also perhaps learn a thing or two about each other, Rabbi Melanie Aron explained.

This year, the Los Gatos Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is being hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 15985 Rose Ave. on Nov. 21 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

"Thanksgiving is not about one particular faith, but about what brings us together as Americans," Aron said.

Aron, from Congregation Shir Hadash, has participated in the interfaith service for the last 12 years. "It's a nice experience for people to go into a sanctuary that they might otherwise not visit. It breaks down stereotypes and fears that people have."

Each year, leaders from several divergent Los Gatos congregations assemble for an interfaith council. The council then hammers out the details for the annual interfaith service. One congregation hosts the service, but each respective religious leader is responsible for a section of the program. Songs sung intermittently during the service include music from all the faiths.

"We look for themes and prayers that will be meaningful for everyone," Aron said. She said for the prayer service last year, a Catholic prayer was chosen. The prayer, Donna Nobis Pacem, which means "God give us peace," was sung in English, Latin and Hebrew.

The interfaith service initially started with the local Protestant congregations, but then expanded to include the St. Mary's Catholic Church, Congregation Shir Hadash and the Bahai Faith of Los Gatos.

Nine congregations are participating, including the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bahai Faith of Los Gatos, Congregation Shir Hadash, Faith Lutheran Church, Los Gatos Presbyterian Church, Los Gatos United Methodist Church, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Skyland Community Church and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Los Gatos. But everyone in town is invited, Aron said.

The service includes a prayer service, a canned goods collection for the Second Harvest Food Bank, a monetary collection to help individuals in need with disaster preparedness and a multi-faith choir from the participating congregations.

Mormon Bishop Brent Knudsen said some challenges arise when people of different faiths attempt to hold a service together. "But when you do things like this you learn how much you have in common," he said. "We really do have a tremendous amount in common." He said a commitment to faith, family, community and service are some of those commonalties. "We focus on different scriptures, but certainly our scriptures overlap to a certain extent. The nice combination here is that Thanksgiving was certainly a religious event. One of the things the Pilgrims were giving thanks for was religious freedom."

"This is a different type of service," deacon Jo Weber, of Saint Luke's Episcopal Church, said. "We have to write the service very carefully. It's a wonderful service. As an Episcopalian, our purpose is to restore people to unity with God and with each other. We find that this service resonates with what we believe."

Weber said while many of the people who attend the interfaith service know each other in other contexts, the service allows them to come together in a spiritual one. "Thanksgiving seems to be a day that we share in common. It's a holiday that's on all of our calendars."

Bahais began participating in the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service after 9-11. Fedross Famadani, the secretary of the Bahai spiritual assembly in Los Gatos, said he hadn't been aware that an interfaith council existed in town. But after 9-11, the Bahai international body issued a proclamation of unity that Famadani carried to Los Gatos religious leaders. He then learned of the interfaith council and the Thanksgiving Day service.

"We were graciously invited," he said. "It was a little awkward at first, but we were welcomed. There is the unknown, but then you become familiar with each other. People are people," he said. "Thanksgiving is a good excuse to come together. The interfaith service has become a warm connector in the community."