Staring at the Thanksgiving feast in front of him, one little boy was asked to give a prayer of thanks.

"None of his favorite foods were on the table, so he said 'Dear Lord, I don't like the look of what it is, but I'll eat it and be grateful for it,' " said Calvary Baptist Church Pastor France Davis as he related the story of one family's Thanksgiving.

In a booming voice, Pastor Davis went on to say, "The economy is upside down. It doesn't look very good.

"There are people facing foreclosures. People who are hungry and homeless," he said.

"The poor are with you always. Nowhere does it say that while you have the poor with you always, should they be hungry."



Pastor Davis and other representatives or leaders from several faith organizations proclaimed the message of giving back during the Interfaith Thanksgiving Service Sunday night. Nearly 200 people braved the snow to attend the 20th annual service at the Salt Lake Masonic Temple organized by the Inclusion Center to promote solidarity and tolerance among people of different faiths or beliefs.

"If we practice acceptance for each other, we develop solidarity," said Kilo Zamora, executive director of the Inclusion Center.

"Think about any era of our nation's history when hate crimes and violence increase against one specific group," he said. "After 9/11, we saw hate crimes increase against Muslims 1,200 percent."

Discussing the meaning of Thanksgiving, several religious leaders stressed the importance of giving back to the community and making sure no person or family goes hungry.

As part of that challenge, the center encouraged each Interfaith Service visitor to donate a can of nonperishable food.

"As we celebrate, we should assist others, those who do not have the luxury to share," Imam Muhammed Mehtar, of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake, told the audience.
In three-minute speeches, religious leaders from the First United Methodist Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Calvary Baptist Church, Congregation Kol Ami and others explained how Thanksgiving is about reaching out to everyone in need and giving thanks for what one has.

Elder Kent F. Richards of the Seventy of the LDS Church explained how everyone, no matter his or her background, has a common heritage.

"Those original pilgrims came to America seeking religious freedom, and they bonded with the Native Americans," Elder Richards said.

Zamora said he hopes the service, which featured the Rev. Eun-sang Lee of the First United Methodist Church, Elder Richards, Pastor Davis, Rabbi Tracee Rosen of the Congregation Kol Ami, Mehtar and Forrest Cuch, executive director of the Utah Division of Indian Affairs, will make more people aware and accepting of the different faiths and beliefs that exist.

The center also uses workshops, community dialogues and youth and adult camps to spread a message of acceptance.

It was in one of the youth camps that Mario Duran, a 16-year-old intern for the center, said he became more aware of the inequality in high school and oppression between groups of people.

"We talked about how judgment, stereotypes, bigotry, how it escalates, and how we can break it down," Duran said.

When he first returned from the five-day summer camp, Duran said he would hear people use the derogatory comments about members of different races, faiths and sexual orientation, and it would upset him.

"I just wanted to say, 'Shut up! Don't say that,' " he said. He no longer takes offense but instead tries to use such incidents to explain the need to try and get along.

In her keynote address, Pamela Atkinson, a community activist, encouraged everyone in the audience to "rededicate" and "reach out to those in need."

"It's up to all of us to let people know how they can give back to others," she said. "Thankfulness at Thanksgiving is not segregated from the entire year."

E-mail: lgroves@desnews.com