HYDE PARK – For over 20 years Cache Community Connections (CCC) has held an Interfaith Thanksgiving program. This year they are changing it to a musical event and calling it the Thanksgiving Gratitude Concert.
The concert will be held this year at the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church located at 725 S. 250 E. in Hyde Park. The service will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23.
With the push from CCC this year to invite the public to different congregations for a chance to meet and understand the varied faiths in the valley, organizers hope this will be another opportunity for understanding and cooperation between the many congregations in the area.
Carole Holland and other committee members organized this year’s Thanksgiving event and in the past the program has lasted up to three hours with the different congregations giving a short comment. They felt like this kind of musical program would take less time.
“We are going to do it a little different this year,” she said. “We are doing mostly music performed by choirs and soloists in the valley.”
CCC has a committee that has been working on how to keep the event to an hour, and they thought a night of hymns may be the key.
Wayne Dymock, the chairman of CCC this year, will welcome everyone and conduct the meeting. Dymock is on the Bear River Communication Council for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The evening will begin with an invocation by Father Oscar Martin Picos, the Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
“We have the Westminster Bell Choir sponsored by Logan’s First Presbyterian Church as one of the choirs performing,” she said. “We also have the Married Student Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performing.”
She said the Cache Valley Interfaith Choir will do a number as well as Prince of Peace Lutheran Church’s choir.
To culminate this year’s Thanksgiving Gratitude concert the combined choirs and will sing, “Praise the Lord, the Almighty.”
Soloists include Rebecca Lopez, Christie Pulotu and organist Karla Axtel.
The benedictions will be given by Andrea Tatkon Coker of the Jewish faith and Masoumeh Hashem, a Muslim.
CCC is hoping the public will take time to attend this year’s Thanksgiving Gratitude Concert.