‘Love Grows Here’ interfaith concert to be held Sunday
Published at | Updated at
POCATELLO — During the winter season, many faiths celebrate holidays. “Love Grows Here,” an interfaith concert, will be held on Sunday to bring many faiths together in celebration.
Now in its second year, the concert will benefit Aid for Friends, a non-profit organization that provides shelter, services and support for low-income and homeless families.
Aid for Friends was founded in 1984 after two men died during a particularly bad Pocatello winter. The community rallied together to help find housing for the homeless in basements and churches.
The house on 4th Avenue was donated later that year. It was considered the first homeless shelter in the area. By 1988, the house became an emergency shelter and continues to serve the community today.
At this time of year, Aid for Friends is requesting donations of toilet paper, cleaning supplies, blankets and socks. The donations will be a part of admission to the concert.
Lou Engelhardt, one of the concert’s organizers, stumbled onto plans for the event back in September. Rabbi Sarah Goodman and Kim Jackman were discussing having a different venue for this year’s concert, and they asked Lou if she would be willing to ask Pastor Mike Connor about holding it in the First United Methodist Church building.
The Portneuf Valley Interfaith Fellowship has been visiting different religious services throughout the community to find volunteers willing to sing or perform for the program.
“We really didn’t want it to be mainly Christian faiths (even though this area does have many), but we wanted to highlight the range of faiths in the community,” Engelhardt explained.
They have about 21 people performing on Sunday evening. The fellowship is grateful for the performers, Engelhardt noted.
Organizers aim to highlight the need for community and peace in this time of crisis and heartache. Toward that end, performances will be in different languages. One person is performing in Bengali, another in Spanish. At the end of the evening, a closing number will be sung in a round, in three different languages.
“This is all about the community and who you care about. It is about everybody,” Engelhardt said.
It should be an uplifting and powerful event that everyone should experience.
Sunday’s concert will be held at the First United Methodist Church, 200 North 15th Avenue, at 6 p.m. Organizers ask that individuals bring donations for admission to the event, which will go to Aid for Friends. They will be taking socks, blankets, toilet paper and cleaning supplies. There will also be a service tree with names of people in the area who could use donations.
EastIdahoNews.com comment boards are a place for open, honest, and civil communication between readers regarding the news of the day and issues facing our communities. We encourage commenters to stay on topic, use positive and constructive language, and be empathetic to the feelings of other commenters. THINK BEFORE YOU POST. Click here for more details on our commenting rules.