Charlotteans gather to urge peace for a world torn by conflict
They invoked Paris and Charleston, Ferguson and Mali, Baltimore and Beirut. But even amid all these one-word reminders of the turmoil and tragedy far and near, about 1,500 people of various faiths gathered Tuesday night at St. Paul’s Baptist Church to join hands, pray for peace, and offer gratitude for God’s gifts.
Charlotte’s 40th annual interfaith Thanksgiving service began with calls to worship in Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi and English. It ended with the diverse congregation lifting their voices, singing “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.”
In between, the Rev. Todd Yeary, a dynamic guest preacher from Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore, urged those of the various faiths to reject the strife tearing at the country and the world and instead try to outdo each other in helping humanity.
“If we’re going to have a competition among faith traditions, let’s compete in out-loving our neighbor,” he said to applause from those packed into the pews.
Invoking the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Yeary added that it’s also time to begin moving from neighborhood to brotherhood and sisterhood. “It’s got to be more than us just being neighbors,” he said. “At some point, we’ve got to become family.”
It’s got to be more than us just being neighbors,” he said. “At some point, we’ve got to become family.
The Rev. Todd Yeary
Then he asked his listeners to turn to each other and say, “Welcome to the family.”
The theme of this year’s service, in keeping with the 40th anniversary, was “Wilderness & Hope.” In some faith traditions, the number 40 has special significance – in Judaism, the Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert; in Christianity, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry; and in Islam, the Prophet Muhammad was 40 years old when he began receiving revelations from God through the angel Gabriel.
Out of these wilderness struggles came hope, said the Rev. Danny Trapp, executive director of MeckMin, an interfaith group of about 100 member congregations that sponsored Tuesday night’s event.
He cited Charlotte’s own challenges, including the racial divisions and pain exposed during the trial this year of former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick, who is white, in the shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell, who was black.
“The journey through wilderness is often difficult, painful and dark,” Trapp said. “Yet the wilderness can teach us about our limits, our stamina, our strengths and our weaknesses. When we learn about ourselves, we gain new insights, harness our strengths and create new ways of engaging the world. … In truth, wilderness is the mother of hope.”
Those at Tuesday night’s gathering contributed canned goods to help the hungry through Loaves & Fishes as another Thanksgiving approaches. This year’s offering was split between Crisis Assistance Ministry, which helps the needy, and MeckMin, which has been struggling financially and, Trapp said, will be looking in the coming months at new ways to operate.
Tim Funk: 704-358-5703, @timfunk
This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 9:56 PM with the headline "Charlotteans gather to urge peace for a world torn by conflict."