A special focus on young people in need and those who serve them was part of the 13th annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service Thursday at Temple Kol Emeth, with the theme “Dare to Be.”
That formed the basis of reflections from adults and teens representing several faith communities in and near East Cobb, as well as efforts to help Cobb youths.
With Thanksgiving a week away, a packed audience at the East Cobb Reform synagogue heard about the work of the Center for Children and Young Adults, a Marietta non-profit that provides more than a roof for homeless teens. It provides education and a sense of family for the youngsters, several of whom also performed musically at the service.
Angela Thornton, the CCYA’s advancement officer, spoke about the success stories of several young people her agency has taken in, including a current student at Reinhardt College.
“Our youth dare to do every single day,” she said. “It’s not just a shelter. We’re a home.”
November is Homeless Youth Awareness month, and Thornton said nearly 40 percent of all homeless people in the United States are teens and young adults.
Proceeds from the offering at Thursday’s service are going to purchase Thanksgiving food for the CCYA, as well as to the Give-A-Gobble community food support program, a longtime beneficiary of Kol Emeth’s Women of Reform Judaism organization.
In another symbol of interfaith generosity, Fred Macey, a member of the Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation on Canton Road, presented a tapestry of Mecca he acquired on a trip to Saudi Arabia in 1975 to the Roswell Community Masjid.
Macey, who also sang in the choir, explained his gesture in the service program:
“May mutual respect between worshippers flourish for generations to come, as people of all faiths grow together and work, worship, pray, share music and food—and especially listen to one another in the coming years. May we always find joy and peace in the recognition that you and I are one.”
Kol Emeth Rabbi Steven Lebow, who started the service in the aftermath of post-Sept. 11 sentiments in Amrerica, asked attendees to think about “what they saw” while taking part in a celebration of many faiths.
While some may have seen others as different when they arrived, he said, “after the 90 minutes, you came to the realization that this is what America looks like!”
He got a standing ovation, and the choir sang “Take Down These Walls” before the attendees gathered in the synagogue’s social room for “noshing” and continued fellowship.
The faith communities taking part include: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community; The Art of Living Foundation; Baha’i Faith Center for Learning; East Cobb Islamic Center; East Cobb United Methodist Church; Emerson Unitarian Universalist Congregation; Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta; Holy Trinity Lutheran Church; Interfaith Community Initiatives; Islamic Center of Marietta (Al-Hedaya); Temple Kol Emeth; Masjid Al-Muminum; Pilgrimage United Church of Christ; Roswell Community Masjid; Sikh Educational Welfare Association; Gurudwara Sahib; St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Transfiguration Catholic Church; Unity North Atlanta Church.
More photos from the 13th Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service:
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