SALT LAKE CITY — At Christ United Methodist Church, a Jewish family from Congregation Kol Ami recently brought dinner to the four temporarily homeless families that were spending the night as part of Family Promise Salt Lake. And there were other helpers there, as well, from Holladay North Stake’s 11th Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elsewhere in the valley, worshippers at First Prestbyterian Church left the pews for “Faith in Action,” a Sunday foray into the community to worship by serving others. They handed out clothes, fed the hungry, cleaned the Jordan River Parkway. Instead of having a service, they provided service, said one of the church’s elders, Pamela Atkinson, a well-known advocate for the needy.
When it comes to serving the community, this kind of interfaith cooperation has become the norm. “We’re all taught this from our pulpits,” said Tony Milner, program director for Family Promise, formerly Salt Lake Interfaith Alliance. “Roll up your sleeves, get involved, meet the needs. It’s an ancient calling.”
