Alaskans of several religious backgrounds sang, and prayed, in Soldotna High School's auditorium Thursday in celebration of National Day of Prayer. The Celebration of Prayer Concert was organized by the Kenai Peninsula Interfaith Group, whose goal is to promote inclusion and unity among all beliefs. The concert featured about 15 songs.
"We all come from different faiths, but we can still love one another and work together for the betterment of our community,” said Deb Shuey, a lead member of the local interfaith group.
Shuey says Thursday's celebration wasn’t the first religious concert the group’s held, but the last one was almost exclusively Christian music. So, they decided to host another – showcasing prayer from other religions and cultures, too.
Since the Kenai Peninsula is on Dena’ina land, the group thought it was appropriate to feature several songs from Alaska Native tradition. Members of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s Mother Earth Drum Group performed “Praying for You,” a healing song. It was one of the first numbers performed that night.
“The drum, it represents a circle, and all things are connected,” said drum leader Jamie Ball. “We want everybody to be together because to heal yourself, it also heals the community, which heals the nation, which heals the world.”
The Baha’i faith isn’t a widely practiced religion, but it's centered around the idea of unity and religious harmony. So, Wrangell’s Omid Rahmanian sang a Baha’i prayer of unity.
Rahmanian says performing the prayer was important because of the divisiveness he’s noticed in the country. He recognizes unity as health.
“Earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens," Rahmanian said. "So let's feel that we are one. And that feeling, projected onto others, they start to respond greatly.”
Shuey, of the Kenai Peninsula Interfaith Group, is also of the Baha’i faith. She hopes the concert inspired attendees to work together to improve communities, big and small.
“I think that the one thing I just want to say is that as we come together in unity, we can accomplish so much more,” Shuey said.
The concert was the interfaith group’s first held on National Day of Prayer. They hope to continue the tradition for years to come.
