A Common Ground of Faith in Glen Rock
Monday Ministerial Musings
By Rev. Mark William Ennis
2024 Blog #49
December 2, 2024
A Common Ground of Faith in Glen Rock
I was given a great honor this past week. I was given the privilege of preaching at the Thanksgiving Eve service for the town of Glen Rock, NJ. This was the 55th annual Thanksgiving Eve celebration sponsored by the Religious Communities of Glen Rock. It is hosted on a rotational basis and the preaching is also done on a rotational basis. By chance, or God’s providence, this was the year for the pastor of the Community Church of Glen Rock to preach, and I began the position of interim pastor of that congregation almost ninety days ago.
The service, having been held for 55 years, is well organized and runs like clockwork and includes a great many diverse faith groups. Jews, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Hindus, Sikh, and a group I was not familiar with, Baha’I, all gathered together to lead members of the Glen Rock Community in giving thanks for the blessings we have received during this year.
A worship service at the Jewish Center, having a Reformed Church in America preacher, and being attended by such a diverse group, was a unique experience for me. I was somewhat familiar with all of the religious groups represented, except for the Baha’I, whom I had no experience with. Yet, we all worked together to be a blessing to all those attending. I believe that we succeeded.
Those faith groups that originated from the faith of Abraham share a common faith ancestry. We had less in common with the Hindu, Sikh, and Baha’I communities. Yet, we all had common ground; our love for our creator and our respect for one another.
Unfortunately, this is not representative of the whole of the earth. Too often, people of various faiths find ways to be in conflict with one another. We only need to be aware of world news to know the conflicts that exist. Not everyone respects the lives, or property of others. Not everyone sees other types of people as equals, or cares about the welfare of people from other cultures or religions. I’m not quite sure why the world community tolerates conflicts instead of demanding that all treat everyone else with the respect shown to one another in Glen Rock. Even in our nation, there are people who treat other kinds of people with dis-respect.
I can only hope, pray and work toward, making the whole world a place that shows as much respect as we, the faith community of Glen Rock exhibit. I doubt that I’ll see it in my lifetime, but that is no excuse for not trying. I pray that all people of faith, and people of no faith will join me in this mutual quest for us to respect and care for, everyone that we meet. Will you join me in this noble quest?