Volunteer event puts faith in interfaith

”
It’s becoming impossible to find a bra,
”
the petite Muslim woman confessed.
”
They all push you up here or shape you there, or have padding or
parts that accentuate your figure. How can a Muslim woman find
anything modest to wear?
”
she sighed, and all the women in the room laughed with her.
“It’s becoming impossible to find a bra,” the petite Muslim woman confessed. “They all push you up here or shape you there, or have padding or parts that accentuate your figure. How can a Muslim woman find anything modest to wear?” she sighed, and all the women in the room laughed with her.

Some of you may remember the article I wrote when I had the opportunity to co-chair a Leadership and Membership Development Event called “Making a World of Difference.”

One hundred and fifty women attended from 41 Methodist churches throughout the Santa Clara County area including representatives from Greenfield, Salinas, Hollister, Aptos and Monterey.

The women from Gilroy particularly enjoyed a class called “Creating Interfaith Communities.” One surprising moment came when keynote speaker Maha Elgensidi admitted how hard it is to shop for bras.

It was that kind of moment that humanized someone who had at first seemed strange and foreign to us. But the more time we spent together, the more we could relate to each other.

That same kind of peacebuilding occurred in Sunday at Gilroy when members of three particular faith communities — Muslim, Christian and Jewish — united to feed some of Gilroy’s most needy residents.

Partnering with St. Joseph’s Family Center, the diverse group of faithful served the evening meal at the Lord’s Table behind the gymnasium at St. Mary’s Catholic Parish. This blend of volunteers was called together by Abrahamic Alliance International, whose goal is to unite all three faiths peacefully while collaborating in charitable community service.

Grant Gordon gave a blessing provided by Rabbi Debbie Israel of Congregation Emeth, the Jewish community of South Valley.

“We have come together today finding a wellspring of goodness, compassion and kindness, the foundation for creating justice and peace,” he said. “We give thanks for the power of the heart to sense the holy in the midst of the simple. We came together today not to satisfy our own appetites but to support those in our community who need nourishment of body and soul.”

The volunteers kicked off the event by participating in ice breaker and team building exercises. They paired off in buddy teams with a member of another faith community and asked each other questions such as, “Share one of your earliest memories of entering your community’s house of worship. Can you think of any funny stories or incidents you experienced in that context?”

Another question was, “What are some of your faith heroes and how have you been inspired or guided by their example?”  

The group of about 35 cooked the evening meal together including a Middle Eastern chicken dish, long loaves of buttery garlic bread, tossed green salad and mixed fruit. They worked together in harmony to cook the meal and set up tables and serving platters outside. About 70 low income and homeless people gathered for the meal, eager to dig in. They were men and women; young and old. 

“We are delighted to do this with our brothers and sisters of Congregation Emeth,” said Aziz Baameur (whose name means “dear”), a member of the Interfaith Relations Committee of South Valley Islamic Center, which numbers about 200 members from Hollister to Morgan Hill.

“It’s a great opportunity to see all the children of the House of Abraham coming together to do good.”

Baameur served side by side with his wife who is Christian. The Christian servers were a combination of Mennonite, Evangelical Free and Community Church members. Baameur said he has been blessed by gaining acceptance in the Christian and Jewish communities.

“It has reinforced my belief that there is a lot of good in people,” he said. “We don’t have to agree on everything. The more mixed the merrier.”

“We need to begin to root our understanding of each other in real relationships rather than myopic stereotypes,” said Rod Cardoza, director of Abrahamic Alliance International. 

Gordon agreed, “Life is too short for those kinds of boundaries.” 

After the meal had been dished up, the servers sat down to eat alongside the homeless. I hesitated to join them until Salah Hamed (whose name means “righteous thankful”) said, “What, you don’t trust our food?”

So I had to sit down to eat with him, and everyone at the table laughed.

May we never lose touch with the simple joy and wonder of sharing a meal.