"Faith groups" in Topeka use Thanksgiving as an occasion to promote false religious unity

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3

Thanksgiving, once a holiday for giving thanks to the God of the Bible for the harvest He had provided, has been used for almost 40 years by various "faith groups" in Topeka, Kansas to promote a false religious unity and social gospel initiatives. The reader of the items below will notice the mention of not only Christian Science but the Shrine, which is associated with Freemasonry. As reported by Phil Anderson of the Topeka Capital-Journal, November 16, 2018 (link in original):

At least one gathering, Interfaith of Topeka’s 38th annual Community Thanksgiving Service, will feature the participation of individuals from various faith traditions. The service will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at First Baptist Church, 3033 S.W. MacVicar.

The interfaith program will honor community youths, with students from Topeka High School, Seaman High School and Hayden High School providing music.

Topeka High School students and principal Rebecca Morrisey will demonstrate restorative justice principles used in their school and other local schools to create positive relationships after conflict. A freewill offering will benefit the Topeka Center for Peace and Justice, which sponsors restorative justice training in schools.

A reception and exhibits by local faith groups will follow the service. For information, call (785) 554-8068.

Several other Topeka congregations will hold Thanksgiving services this coming week.

Among them is the First Church of Christ, Scientist, 2600 S.W. Fairlawn, which will have its annual Thanksgiving Day service at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, at the church.

Kathy Thurbon Henry, a member of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, said the Thanksgiving service is held each year at the direction of the denomination’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy, who lived from 1821 to 1910. Other Christian Science churches across the U.S. also will have Thanksgiving Day services on Thursday morning.

The order of the Thanksgiving service is determined by leaders of the Boston-based church. Henry said the service begins with a hymn, followed by a reading of the Thanksgiving Proclamation of the President of the United States, or governor of the state, or both. Readings from the Bible, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” hymns and the reading of a lesson-sermon will follow.

“Mary Baker Eddy is the discoverer and founder of Christian Science,” Henry said. “She ordained the Bible and her book ‘Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures’ as the pastor. Readings from these books comprise our sermons, and members of our church are elected to be the readers.”

Though the structure of Christian Science Thanksgiving services are the same each year, Henry said, the readings are different.

Henry said Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for people to reflect on God’s blessings over the past year. The service at First Church of Christ, Scientist, has a time for testimonies, giving attendees the chance to express their thankfulness.

“I think it’s important to pause and take time to reflect on all the blessings we have received in the past year,” Henry said, “and also to have the opportunity to publicly give thanks for what those blessings were.”

June Rockey, another member of First Church of Christ, Scientist in Topeka, said the congregation looks forward to the service each year.

“It’s one of our favorite services of the year,” Rockey said. “It helps set the tone for the rest of the day.”

Rockey said the service typically lasts less than an hour, allowing attendees to make it home in time for Thanksgiving dinner and family gatherings.

Other Thanksgiving events include:

• A community service at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, at Oakland Presbyterian Church, 2810 N.E. Thomas. Several churches in the Oakland neighborhood will participate in the annual service, which has been held around Thanksgiving for more than 50 years. Participating congregations include Oakland Christian Church-Disciples of Christ, Grace Baptist Church, Oakland United Methodist Church, Oakland Church of the Nazarene and Oakland Presbyterian Church. The service will feature a community choir. Refreshments, including pie and cake, will be served after the program.

• A service at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Faith Lutheran Church, 1716 S.W. Gage.

• A service at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 3625 S.W. Wanamaker.

• A multi-church service with participants from Lutheran and Episcopal congregations at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th.

• A Thanksgiving service at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, at the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, 2420 S.E. Bellview.

• A Thanksgiving Day service at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th.

• A Thanksgiving Day service from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 22, at Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church, 701 N.W. Gordon.

A year earlier, as reported by Mr. Anderson in the Capital-Journal, November 7, 2017:

For the 37th consecutive year, Interfaith of Topeka will sponsor a Community Thanksgiving Service featuring participation from various religious groups that are active in the capital city.

The event, which is held in a different house of worship each year, will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th. The church is on the northwest corner of S.W. 17th and Gage.

Roger Neufeld Smith, president of Interfaith of Topeka and pastor of Southern Hills Mennonite Church, called the service “one of the jewels” of the capital city.

He said those who have grown weary of the tone of public discourse in recent years will find much to like in the service, particularly in light of “the rhetoric of this past presidential campaign” and the ongoing violence in Topeka and across the nation.

“I think people are frustrated and don’t know what they can do,” Smith said. “Well, Interfaith of Topeka can be a resource for people to do something to respond to the violence and the over-heated rhetoric.

“This Thanksgiving service is our premier event of the year. It’s a time to see all the faith groups in action — to see them pray, to see their expressions of faith.

“I think it’s a great event, and I’d hope we’d fill this church on Sunday night and see people of goodwill come forward to do something about the violence and the controversy and the incivility toward each other.”

Smith added that many who attend the Thanksgiving service for the first time “would be surprised at how much we have in common among our faith groups.”

The theme for this year’s service is “For the Children.” The service will feature several children’s choirs along with other musicians, poetry readings, and prayers from representatives of various faith groups in Topeka.

Susan Zuber-Chall, treasurer of Interfaith of Topeka and co-chairwoman of the Thanksgiving program, said the Thanksgiving program takes on a family-friendly feel.

“It reminds people that we are a family,” said Zuber-Chall, a member of Temple Beth Sholom. ” We are the human family.”

Zuber-Chall added that since Thanksgiving is known for being a time when families come together, it was appropriate to have “so many different faiths involved” in Sunday night’s service, as they represented a chance for people to “come and be with their human family.”

The Rev. Vicki L. Smith, rector of St. David’s Episcopal Church, said so many different groups coming together serves as “a statement of unity in a very divisive time. And we need to make that statement.”

Beyond that, she added, the service “gives us, as adults, the opportunity to model for children that we can get along, that we can respect each other, and it’s important that we do that.”

Kathy Thurbon, co-chairwoman of the Thanksgiving program and a member of First Church of Christ Scientist, said she attended her first such service last year when it was held at University United Methodist Church.

“It’s very inspirational,” Thurbon said. “I found it very uplifting. I came away with kind of a joyful sense overall, and thought it was wonderful to see the different faiths and what they had to present.”

A freewill offering will be received at Sunday night’s service, and donations will be presented to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Topeka, Let’s Help and the Topeka Arab Shrine.

Representatives of each of those groups will make short presentations.

A reception with refreshments and displays about different faith groups will follow the service.