Thanksgiving celebration reflects many faiths

November 21, 2001

FREE PRESS STAFF

Mindful of the tremors still reverberating from the Sept. 11 attacks, representatives of many faiths will gather tonight in Troy to deliver a message stressing cross-cultural understanding.

The metro area's 15th annual interfaith Thanksgiving celebration will include prayer, music and dance. But the main message will revolve around the theme, "Listening to Understand."

The Rev. William Gepford of Littlefield Presbyterian Church in Dearborn, who helped found the event in 1987, said Tuesday that organizers wanted to be sensitive to what people are feeling in the wake of the terrorist attacks.

The popular event, which is open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Bharatiya Temple, 6850 N. Adams in Troy. The temple is just north of the Adams Road exit off I-75.

Representatives of several faiths will share personal stories, and there will be musical presentations and a dance by Parini Mahta, who is a student at the Hindu temple.

Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, Bahai, Sikh and American Indian representatives also will be among those participating.

For more information, call 313-933-4086 or 248-879-2552.