By MICHAEL MATLOF | Intern
The Pacific Palisades Ministerial Association hosted its annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service on Monday evening, November 25, at Corpus Christi Church, with leaders from multiple congregations across the community gathering together to lead the processions.
The event, occurring annually for almost 30 years, focused on a message of unity and coexistence. It was open to all residents, regardless of membership status.
Monsignor Liam Kidney of Corpus Christi opened the service with “Give Thanks and Let Go” cards, which congregants used to write down what they were most thankful for in the past year. People were encouraged to write down what they were “genuinely thankful for,” as well as express thanks to those sitting around them.
Kidney stressed the importance of the concepts of unity and oneness as the message of this year’s service.
“We sit around the table and break bread no matter what our differences are,” Kidney said in his opening message, focusing on how members from multiple different religious sects meet for the service every year.
According to Kidney, the service meant “to recognize the importance of each other,” especially, as he said, we are quick to forget what we are thankful for.
Bishop Trevor Brazier of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke on the importance of the holiday during his reflection.
“Our society’s best production is moral outrage,” Brazier said. He noted Thanksgiving gives the opportunity to shed that tendency and focus on being positive “builders” in our daily lives.
Other speakers at the event included Rabbi Amy Bernstein and Rabbi Emeritus Steven Reuben of Kehillat Israel, Brother Satyananda of Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine, Reverend Bruce Freeman of The Parish of St. Matthew, and Reverends Grace Park and Matt Hardin of Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church.
Satyananda guided attendants in a quiet meditation focusing on unity and thanks for the holiday. Reuben led congregants in singing “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, a song which also focuses on the theme of oneness.
The event also raised Thanksgiving donations for Westside Food Bank, which provides meals to food-insecure individuals in Los Angeles. According to the food bank, three in 10 people in LA County experience food insecurity every year.
Ending the service with a hymn of “America the Beautiful” on the organ, attendees turned to conversation while enjoying Thanksgiving-themed complimentary drinks and refreshments at the entrance of the church.
The Pacific Palisades Ministerial Association consists of religious leaders from Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Palisades, Corpus Christi Church, Kehillat Israel, Palisades Lutheran Church, Pacific Palisades Presbyterian Church, The Parish of St. Matthew, Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The leaders of the congregations meet monthly, while the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service occurs every year on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
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