Nearly one year after their first official event, leaders of the Flathead Valley Multi-Faith Project are planning their second annual potluck Thanksgiving dinner for Nov. 22. Last week, the heads of several Flathead faith communities gathered in the basement of Kalispell’s Central School Museum to hash out the structure of a service that would be, at once, non-denominational, yet deeply spiritual.
“We thought it was important to have a unified voice and to show that we actually have much more in common in terms of our spiritual and faith traditions than we do different,” Darryl Kistler, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Kalispell, said.
About 15 different faith groups from throughout the valley are expected to participate in the Thanksgiving dinner at the First Presbyterian Church in Kalispell, drawing members of Christian denominations from Catholic to Mennonite, as well as the Bet Harim Jewish Community, Glacier Universalist Unitarian Fellowship and others.
“Too often, our religious communities focus on what separates us and what makes us different,” Rev. Chad Jones of Kalispell’s First Presbyterian Church said. “There’s something about the human condition that transcends religious beliefs.”
Last year, four congregations participated in the Thanksgiving dinner, drawing about 125 guest, but this year, with nearly four times as many churches participating, attendance could be way up. The occasion of Thankgiving itself makes a good fit for such an event, since it is both a uniquely American tradition yet one that shares similarities with harvest festivals celebrated all over the world.
“The holiday itself is Biblical in origin, so it’s common to all of us,” Rabbi Allen Secher, of Bet Harim, said.
As the leaders sat around a conference table, they discussed how to structure the service in a way that would showcase some of the more beautiful traditions from the different faiths, centered, as Kistler said, around themes of gratitude and harvest. He suggested the Psalms as appropriate readings for multi-faith services.
Decisions over what type of music and songs to sing were also part of the discussion.
“Are we talking about ‘Amazing Grace’ or a more traditional hymn?” Ed Myers, a liaison for Christ Church Episcopal present at the meeting, asked.
It was suggested that Secher perform a Kiddush, a Jewish blessing and toast recited at holidays, during the service and his wife, Ina Albert, another organizer of the event, offered to lead a Shalom chant to end the proceedings. (When one of the Christian ministers stumbled on a Hebrew word, Secher offered a quick pronunciation tip: “It’s popcorn in the throat.”)
Nor were the simple logistics of planning such a service for so many congregants neglected, with everyone agreeing that the night would not exceed 90 minutes altogether, and childcare will be provided.
At the potluck vegetarian dinner, guests are also encouraged to make donations to the Flathead Valley Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity. The charitable focus is in line with previous events organized by the Multi-Faith Project, like a pet blessing held over the summer that raised funds for the Humane Society.
The leaders present at the recent meeting also noted that the alliance of the different faith groups in the Flathead is particularly important in light of the recent upswing in white supremacist activity throughout Montana over the last several months. Demonstrations in Kalispell and Bozeman by white supremacist groups were held in October, and a large counter-demonstration against such groups recently took place in Bozeman.
The white supremacy activity underscores the need for a multi-faith group in the Flathead focused on the commonalities between cultures and religions, Kistler said, and “so we could quickly respond to such things and such groups.”
For more information about the Multi-Faith Project and the Thanksgiving Potluck, e-mail [email protected] or call 863-2333.