Worshiping Together

I think I will forever remember the first Friday afternoon that I worked in my office at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center. I was stunned into reverent silence as I heard the Muslim call to prayer from the nearby sanctuary where a congregation gathered for their afternoon prayers. What a privilege it was then – and still is now – to witness their sacred act.

I think that was the moment when I began to fall in love here, not only with UUCC, but also with OBIC. It is a gathering place for persons of any and all faith; a home for worship and prayer and fast-breaking and faithful action; a building that is used thoroughly, day and night, seven days a week; a space where children laugh and cry and learn; a venue where artists sing and dance and play. It is sacred space for Muslims and Jews and Christians and Hindus and Unitarian Universalists.

And we have the sacred privilege of joining in worship with all these faithful siblings – and others from the Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills Interfaith Centers – in a service celebrating 50 years of interfaith community in Columbia.

Please bring a blanket or lawn chair and gather at The Chrysalis (in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods) next Sunday, September 17, 2017. The service will begin at 2:00 pm, and you should plan to arrive early. Parking will be available in Merriweather Lot 1 (enter from Broken Land Pkwy or Little Patuxent Pkwy) and Lot 3 (enter from South Entrance Rd near Toby’s), and there will be attendants and ushers to direct you from there.

In the service, I will speak on UUCC’s behalf, as will Braidon McLaughlin; UUCC’s Chalice Choir will perform; and there will be lots of other reflections and music. It promises to be a moving, uplifting experience.

Together, Columbia’s People of Faith… Appreciate the past. Imagine the future.

I hope you’ll be there!

In community and love,
Paige