Sandy church opens its doors for first interfaith Thanksgiving gathering
Leaders from six different religious groups will share scriptures on gratitude at a 3 p.m. service on Nov. 15, an event organized in under five months.
By Gabriela Ivanov ·
Community of Grace Presbyterian Church in Sandy will host its first interfaith Thanksgiving service on Nov. 15. The event begins with a musical performance at 2:30 p.m., followed by a formal service at 3 p.m. Leaders from multiple faiths plan to read passages from their scriptures that focus on gratitude.
Rev. Dr. Sue Coller, the interim pastor at Community of Grace, initiated the project. She returned to Utah in June to take up her position after serving as a pastor in Lincoln, Nebraska, for ten years. During that time, she worked with rabbis, imams, bishops, and other leaders to celebrate shared values rather than differences.
"We had a wonderful tradition of people from all of these different faith backgrounds coming together around the one thing that we knew we all shared, which was gratitude, the need to give thanks," Coller said.
The local plan formed when Jordan and Julie Clements, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, approached Coller after a service. The Clements have attended Community of Grace monthly for three years. They introduced Coller to Rob Yates, president of the Sandy Utah Granite Stake of the LDS Church. Yates supported the proposal and asked his bishops to announce the event during upcoming Sunday services.
Six groups have accepted invitations to participate. They include Congregation Kol Ami, the Utah Islamic Center, the Utah Marshallese Church JRD, the Second Free Methodist Church, Hilltop United Methodist Church, and the Sandy Utah Granite Stake. Choirs from these groups will perform music during the afternoon.
Coller noted that the idea came together in less than five months. She credited the Clements for providing introductions to local religious contacts and Yates for his organizational support. "I couldn't do it without them," Coller said. "I certainly couldn't do it alone. So it really is a team putting this together."
The church sanctuary at 2015 Newcastle Drive seats approximately 200 people. Coller hopes to expand the list of participating faith communities in future years. "Hopefully, this is just the beginning," she said. "Next year, with more lead time to plan, we'll be able to invite more faith communities in our Salt Lake Valley to be a part of this."
