The Church of the Epiphany in Gates shares a budding relationship with the Turkish Muslim community
It all started two Christmases ago when a woman from the Turkish Muslim community rang our doorbell with a box of Christmas cookies. She introduced herself and said, "We understand Jesus to be a great prophet, but we know for you he’s the son of God, and so we wanted to help you celebrate his birth with these cookies."
We were so moved by the gesture that we tracked her down and eventually met with them at the Turkish Cultural Center (TCC). What followed over the next few months were two gatherings of our communities, a potluck picnic at Epiphany, and a Thanksgiving meal at TCC, at which we shared food and fellowship, as well as knowledge of our respective faith traditions.
There are so many sub-stories to be told, like the moment Imam Yasar said they needed to leave the picnic shortly or find a place at our church where they could pray. Our congregation was deeply moved when we spread tablecloths on the floor of our salon and were invited to observe as they touched their faces to the floor in prayer together. One of our parishioners recently shared that she now prays the liturgy of the hours because of their witness.
Back in December, I received a call from a parishioner saying her daughter, who had been married civilly, wanted to have her marriage blessed by the church. I affirmed this, and then she asked if it would be possible to make it an interfaith marriage blessing because her daughter had married a man from Morocco who was a Muslim. I smiled to myself, feeling God's providence that we had just initiated a relationship with the Turkish Muslim community. I contacted Imam Yasar who was very happy to concelebrate the blessing. When the two of us met to plan the service, we were moved deeply by how similar our services are, praying for faithfulness, mutual respect, and honest communication.
It’s hard to communicate in writing the depth of joy and the breath of meaning in these new relationships. It feels like, in a world filled with chaos, anger, judgment, and division, this little effort is helping to create greater unity and peace.
God bless,
Fr Greg
Rev. Gregory Kremer
Church of the Epiphany
Gates, NY
.
. 
