Local churches come together for Interfaith Peace Service

Leaders of all faiths have banded together from across the valley with a mission of unifying different faith communities through an Interfaith Peace Service on Sunday, April 8.

Rabbis, pastors and other clergy gathered and developed the idea for the service following the church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas about a year ago.

“After the shooting in the church in Texas, we wished there was a way for people to come together in times of crisis like that to support each other and to share a common sense of grief, of hope for something better,” said Rabbi Francine Roston.

The service will take place in a public space free of any specific religious affiliation and will include Native American, Amish, Jewish and Christian prayers, singing of various hymns and songs and time for fellowship before and after.

According to Pastor David Rommereim of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Polson, he saw a need for connection and community among churches in a time of division and confusion and initiated a monthly meeting of around 20 clergy from across the Flathead in hopes of overcoming prejudice with “soul power.”

So far, Rommereim said members of the Jewish community, Methodists, Lutherans, Nazarenes, Mennonites and Episcopalians, to name a few, from the Mission Valley to Whitefish to Polson have joined the cause to promote a celebration of commonality among people of all faiths.

“We’re hoping that people understand that this is a service where everyone is welcome,” Roston said. “We’re hoping that people make the effort to leave their own houses of worship and come to something that’s not political, where we’re just trying to articulate a shared dream of more peace in the world and more peace in our community.”

Roston, who found herself in the crossfire of a neo-Nazi cyberterrorist organization last year, said she has seen situations like hers overwhelm the country’s news, causing many to turn into themselves rather than focus on the craziness surrounding them.

Roston said she feels people often get overwhelmed with the difficulty and confliction that accompanies today’s issues and discussions surrounding them. She hopes that by providing a safe, common ground for people of all backgrounds and beliefs, the faith leaders will inspire the community to gather with courage and confidence to celebrate and discuss “the shared human experience” in spite of an increasingly divisive culture.

“This isn’t a political debate,” she said. “Maybe if we come together in prayer or we come together in solidarity about our shared longings as human beings, maybe that will build new pathways.”

According to Roston, all faiths, from Jewish to Christian to Muslim and beyond, share in the common belief that every human life is sacred, a belief she hopes the service will remind people of, driving them to a place of mutual respect.

“We go wrong when we stop listening to the other because we decide what they believe or where they’re wrong. We decide their intention or we forget to ask why they are holding those positions,” Roston said. “If I can view you as a sacred being, that puts obligations upon me as to how I treat you.”

Because people often put aside their differences and cross political and religious lines to partake in other recreational, social and nonprofit events, Roston said she hopes to see the community do the same for the service.

“No one has to leave their beliefs at the door or their faith at the door. They just have to come with this openness of experiencing something that we can share,” Roston said.

According to Rommereim, the group of clergy is committed to meeting every other month, “no matter what,” to continue to develop strong spritual relationships.

The first service will be held Sunday, April 8, at the Gateway Community Mall’s event space at 1203 Hwy 2 W, Kalispell from 5-6 p.m.

For more information or to become a co-sponsor of the Interfaith Peace group, contact Roston at rabbifgr@rostongroup.com.

Mary Cloud Taylor can be reached at 758-4459 or mtaylor@dailyinterlake.com.