For the past 50 years, several Morton Grove congregations have held an interfaith service to celebrate Thanksgiving.
The location of the service is rotated annually between the congregations. This year, it was held at the Muslim Education Center. The service took place on Nov 28 at 7:30 p.m., and it drew upon the traditions of all of the faiths involved.
Akhter Sadiq, the chair of the Center’s Interfaith and Outreach Committee, said that the congregation was honored to host the service. He said that the center welcomed opportunities to take part in interfaith events, because they give the village’s congregations an opportunity to work together for a common good.
The Muslim Education Center has been in Morton Grove for the past 25 years. It is part of the Muslim Community Center, which has been based in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood since 1969. The center includes a mosque and the Muslim Community Center Academy, a Muslim parochial elementary school that teaches both religious and secular subjects. The center also offers weekend classes for kids and teenagers.
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“There’s a religious program that [includes] the study of [the] Qur’an and Arabic,” explained Sadiq. “We also offer computer classes and ESL.”
The Muslim Education Center has been in Morton Grove since 1990, and this year marked the second time the center hosted the service. Aside from the center congregants, the service included members of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation, Presbyterian Morton Grove Community Church, St. Luke’s Christian Community Church, St. Martha Catholic Church and St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church, of Niles.
The service started with the singing of “Come, Ye People, Come,” a 1858 processional hymn by George Elvie. Muslim Community Center president Dr. Mohammad Sarwar Nasir made the welcoming speech.
“I welcome you all on behalf of the Muslim Community Center and the Muslim Education Center,” he said. “We’re here today for Thanksgiving, and we thank God. You cannot thank God without thanking the people, so we need to thank each of us.”
Don Sneider, of the Northwest Suburban Jewish Congregation, and Rev Dennis O’Neil, of the St. Martha Catholic Church, read Psalm 100 in Hebrew and English, respectively. A Muslim Education Center student read Verse 84 of the third chapter of the Qur’an in the original Arabic and in English. The verse states that the God of Jewish and Christian holy texts is the God that Muslims worship, and it affirms that the revelations sent down to Jewish and Christian prophets are part of Islam, too.
Pastor Elizabeth Jones, of St. Luke’s Christian Community Church, read a speech based around the metaphor of God as a shepherd and the believers as his flock. Jones emphasized the value of compassion and charity, especially when one finds oneself in an unfamiliar environment.
After that, members of the Muslim Community Center collected donations for the Salvation Army in Morton Grove. The congregations involved in the interfaith service have traditionally donated to that organization because of its commitment to helping people of all faiths.
Father Andrew Luczak of the St. John Jogues Catholic Church, and chaplain Jackie Carlton led a Litany of Thanksgiving, while Sneider and O’Neil made a benediction. The service concluded with the entire assembled crowd singing the full version of “America the Beautiful.”
After the service ended, the center staff invited everyone in attendance to come downstairs for some refreshments. The center provided cookies, grapes, water, coffee and a variety of teas.
Sadiq said that interfaith events like the Thanksgiving service give Morton Grove congregations a chance to come together for a greater purpose.
“This is a good thing to see,” he said. “All the people of faith come together to thank God almighty for everything He provides for us. Especially on Thanksgiving.”
Sadiq said that he was pleased that the center got to host the 50th interfaith Thanksgiving services, calling it a honor for the organization.
Jones echoed Sadiq’s sentiments.
“It’s nice to see all the people from all religious congregations celebrating together,” she said.
Angelo Suranno, of Glenview, usually tries to attend Thanksgiving services no matter where he is. He found out about the interfaith service from a church bulletin, and he decided to check it out.
“Thanksgiving is for everyone who lives in this country, no matter where they’re from,” he said. “We should all thank God for our blessings.”