St. Sarkis Participates in an Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service
by Anahid M. Ugurlayan
On Tuesday, November 24, The Community Church of Douglaston hosted an Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service and food drive for the Freeport Food Pantry. St. Sarkis was among the eight congregations represented. Rev. Dr. Linden DeBie, Pastor of the Community Church of Douglaston, welcomed the clergy and congregation, asking all in attendance to keep the victims of the Paris terror attacks in their thoughts and prayers and to pray for peace around the world. The service included recitations from the Old Testament and the singing of hymns and a Hebrew song representing the meaning of Thanksgiving -- giving praise to God for the blessings in our lives. Rev. Forrest Parkinson, pastor of the Community Church of Little Neck, Rabbi Gary Greene, the spiritual leader of the Marathon Jewish Community Center, and Rev. Msgr. Anthony Sherman, pastor of Saint Anastasia Roman Catholic Church, provided their respective interpretations of the scriptures that were recited. They stressed the need to be humble and grateful while also being mindful of the plight of the less fortunate all year around.
Fr. Nareg Terterian invited the children of area schools to bring baskets of food for the Freeport Food Pantry and lay them at the foot of the altar. Each child then explained what he or she was grateful for -- be it having a family member serving in the armed forces who is home for the holidays, the love and support of their parents, or a good education. These children were so humble and mindful that children like them in many war-torn countries around the world lack many of the things we take for granted. Cantor Robert Heyman of the Marathon Jewish Center, who delivered the benediction, invited one of his congregants, whose son serves in the armed forces, to blow into a shofar, which is a horn of a kosher animal with the marrow removed. Cantor Heyman explained that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is the "The Day of the Shofar Blast" -- a call to action. Similarly, Thanksgiving is a call to action to renew our faith and be more mindful of God's blessings and to "pay it forward."
On a personal note, I am delighted that St. Sarkis participated in this Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and that I began the holiday season praying with people of all faiths and learning about different religious traditions. Our differences -- spiritual or cultural -- should unite and not divide us. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!
Fr. Nareg Terterian invited the children of area schools to bring baskets of food for the Freeport Food Pantry and lay them at the foot of the altar. Each child then explained what he or she was grateful for -- be it having a family member serving in the armed forces who is home for the holidays, the love and support of their parents, or a good education. These children were so humble and mindful that children like them in many war-torn countries around the world lack many of the things we take for granted. Cantor Robert Heyman of the Marathon Jewish Center, who delivered the benediction, invited one of his congregants, whose son serves in the armed forces, to blow into a shofar, which is a horn of a kosher animal with the marrow removed. Cantor Heyman explained that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is the "The Day of the Shofar Blast" -- a call to action. Similarly, Thanksgiving is a call to action to renew our faith and be more mindful of God's blessings and to "pay it forward."
On a personal note, I am delighted that St. Sarkis participated in this Interfaith Thanksgiving Service and that I began the holiday season praying with people of all faiths and learning about different religious traditions. Our differences -- spiritual or cultural -- should unite and not divide us. Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!