· By Vera Sandronsky, Special to The Davis Enterprise
· Jul 11, 2025
On the evening of June 24, almost 70 people of many faiths from our local community joined together at the Davis Methodist Church for an interfaith prayer service sponsored by the Celebration of Abraham, a local interfaith organization that was established in 2001.
The Celebration of Abraham’s mission is to create a welcoming tent for all people in our community to nurture a sense of compassion, respect, and appreciation and to foster learning and understanding in the framework of the three Abrahamic traditions.
The impetus for the June service was the undeniable reality that many of us are experiencing grief and fear in response to the instability and violence in places both near and far. Yet the evening’s planners chose not to focus on the circumstances or horrors of any one situation, place, or vulnerable group. We realized instead that it was important to offer our community a place to hold our grief and fear in response to these challenging circumstances that seem so pervasive and can erode our sense of well-being.
We developed a program that included prayers and readings from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions, opportunities for silence, and prayer stations for participants. People brought desserts to share and nonperishable food for Paul’s Place.
The program began with a welcome from Pastor Brandon Austin of the Davis Methodist Church and Helen Roland, president of the Celebration of Abraham. The opening prayer consisted of “Rituals of Peace and Prayer” by Maya Angelou: Let Gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” The subsequent offerings included the singing of a traditional Jewish prayer for shelter by the Bet Haverim Songleaders and the reading of “A Prayer for the Tired, Angry Ones” by Laura Jean that recognized our weariness, our work for justice and the need to find courage.
Next came offerings from members of Muslim DEIN: a reflection on peace from the Qu’ran, which included the recognition that we are all caretakers of one another and this earth; we are all called through faith, conscience, or love to be vessels of mercy and builders of hope. The next reading was the poem “Think of Others” by Mahmood Darwish, a Palestinian poet. The poem ended with these lines, “As you sleep and count the stars, think of others—there are people who have no place to sleep. / As you liberate yourself with metaphors think of others—those who have lost their right to speak. / And as you think of distant others — think of yourself and say /”I wish I were a candle in the darkness.”
The program in the church sanctuary concluded with Reverend Brandon Austin reading a “Benediction for Compassionate Action” by William Sloane Coffin, Jr. The benediction, which began with the words “May God bless you and keep you,” ended with a call to act in the world with our minds and lips and hearts.
Some participants then went to the prayer stations to light candles to accompany their silent prayers. After leaving the sanctuary, people lingered in the courtyard over conversation and desserts. Friends who hadn’t seen each other for years reconnected and others made new connections. There was a strong spirit of friendship and yes, love that we shared that evening. The phrase, “Wow, I needed that” was said often. The service and the conversations in the courtyard were welcoming and comforting, reminding us that, even as we carry our grief and fear, we can be a light for each other.
If you are new to the Celebration of Abraham , please sign up for our mailing list here or at https://celebrationofabraham.net/newsletter/. The words to all the prayers and poems in the service will be sent out in the newsletter.
We have an annual event for the community in February; earlier this year the theme was “Finding Strength to Move through Challenges.” The planning committee of the Celebration of Abraham welcomes you to join us for future events, including our next annual community conversation on February 1, 2026. All are welcome, regardless of faith or tradition.
— Vera Sandronsky is secretary for the Celebration of Abraham.