a publication of the episcopal diocese of rochester, ny

ROCHESTERFaith Shared — To Give and Receive — To Teach and to LearnThe Rev. Dr. Denise Yarbrough, The Church of the AscensionThe Rev. Gordon V. Webster, Lake Avenue Baptist ChurchNathan L. Jaschik, The Interfaith Alliance of RochesterOn Sunday, January 30, an extraordinary event tookplace at two Rochester churches. As part of the traditionalreadings on a typical Sunday, a member of theJewish faith included a lesson from the Prophets and amember of the Muslim faith included a lesson from theQur’an. And both received a lesson from the Gospels.What’s going on here? No Qur’an burnings, no vilificationsof other beliefs. Afraid not. No inflammatorypictures or shouts; no TV cameras rolling to see whocan get the most outrageous quote. All that’s going onis a demonstration of what America is all about – theability of persons of all faiths and creeds to speak toGod in a fashion that goes beyond mere tolerance. Itwill be a service that welcomes the “other” – not for thepurpose of conversion, but for the purpose of sharing– of learning from what another faith has to say andletting others take away the important lessons of yourown faith.We will be thus affirming the religious truth that whatis helpful to us as Christians, as Jews, as Muslims, willalso be found in the writings, practices, and beliefs ofpersons who do not share our specific faith. What we allshare, though, is our belief that we worship the sameGod and that, indeed, others may have insights andwisdom about that God from which we can benefit.The two churches, the Episcopal Church of theAscension and the Lake Avenue Baptist Church, havestepped forward to participate in the Faith Shared projectof the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First.From this simple act, it is hoped that other opportunitiesfor shared service and learning will emerge. TheInterfaith Alliance of Rochester, the local affiliate of thenational organization, and the Interfaith Forum, a majorinterfaith umbrella in the Rochester area, recruitedthe participating churches.The recruiting was not hard. Both the Rev. Dr. DeniseYarbrough, Priest-in-Charge of Ascension and the Rev.Gordon V. Webster, Pastor of Lake Avenue, have beeninvolved in interfaith affairs for decades and are wellaware of the benefits that such a program can bringto the community. Following on the heels of MartinLuther King Jr. Day, it builds on the spirit of strengthin our diversity. Lake Avenue Baptist boasts a congregationwhich includes about 66 percent of its membersfrom Burmese refugees, 4 percent from the Republic ofCongo (not the Democratic Republic), and the balancemade up of English-speaking Euro-Americans, African-Americans, and Latin-Americans.9