Salisbury Post

Thursday, Dec. 20, 2007

Baptists, Jews celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah together

Erik Thiede, with Havurat Olam, Cabarrus County's only Jewish congregation, practices his accordion before the joint Christmas/Hanukkah celebration at McGill Baptist Church in Concord. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Salisbury Post

CONCORD — The Rev. Steve Ayers, pastor of Concord's McGill Baptist Church, welcomed guests to Wednesday's Christmas/Hanukkah celebration.

"Happy Hanukkah," he said, smiling as he spoke.

Then he stepped back from the microphone and Barbara Thiede, spiritual leader of Havurat Olam, Cabarrus County's only Jewish congregation, took his place.

"Merry Christmas," she wished the 100 or so people gathered in the sanctuary of McGill Baptist.

It was a unique beginning to a celebration that has been in existence two years.

Wednesday night, members of McGill Baptist and Havurat Olam celebrated Christmas and Hanukkah with a joint service.

They shared dinner, laughed, sang, played games and even held a raffle.

They did so with the hope of bringing members of the two congregations closer.

"We don't tolerate each other, we love each other," Ayers said. "We've got a lot more in common than we've got differences."

JON C. LAKEY/SALISBURY POST Guitar trio: Above, Barbara Thiede, Rabbinic intern for Havurat Olam, plays a guitar with Stan and Kyla Mace at the Christmas/Hanukkah Celebration. Right, Glenita Riley; Charlotte Reid; Rhonda Arrowood and Amanda Hartsell, members of McGill Baptist Church, practice a Christmas song on the handbells. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Ayers and Thiede are good friends and said they were talking a couple of years ago about how they ought to get their congregations to share more than an occasional nod on those rare occasions when they passed one another in the hallway.

They said the first time the two congregations engaged in a joint activity was when they traveled to Charlotte's Discovery Place together to have a look at the Dead Sea Scrolls that were on display there.

A year ago, they decided to hold their first Christmas/Hanukkah celebration.

It went well.

Glenita Riley; Charlotte Reid; Rhonda Arrowood and Amanda Hartsell, members of McGill Baptist Church, practice a Christmas song on the handbells. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

And so, the event was continued Wednesday.

Before participants sat down to Wednesday's meal, Ayers reminded everyone to sit with someone they don't know so that they might make new friends and learn something about a religion in which they weren't raised.

"It's a party," Ayers said of the happening. "You should mingle, you should dance."

Thiede said that while members of different religions often get headlines when they clash, members of McGill Baptist and Havurat Olam wanted to show that that's not necessary.

Rhonda Arrowood, chairman of the Family Life Committee at McGill Baptist, said the service marked a means of bringing the congregations together.

"We don't know what they're doing and they don't know what we're doing," she admitted. "We think this is a good educational opportunity, and a good opportunity for all of us to just meet and have a good time."

Brian Cutler, president of Havurat Olam, said anywhere from 25 to 40 attend their bi-weekly gatherings. He noted that the celebration of Hanukkah — which is based on the Jewish calendar — varies from one year to the next.

Sharing a meal: The Havurat Olam Jewish congregation and members of the McGill Baptist Church in Concord prepare to share a meal before the joint Christmas/Hanukkah celebration. Photo by Jon C. Lakey, Salisbury Post.

Cutler also noted that while less than 2 percent of all people worldwide are Jews, the religion is growing as fast in the Southeastern United States as it's growing anywhere.

Contact Steve Huffman at 704-797-4222 or shuffman@salisburypost.com.