Trinity Presbyterian Church and Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center co-hosted an Interfaith Hunger Banquet this past weekend in Arlington, VA to unite the community in the fight against hunger. The Oxfam Hunger Banquet simulates the number of people living in poverty worldwide. Guests sit according to a randomly assigned income level and eat a corresponding meal with the high group enjoying a nutritious feast and the low group, half of all attendees, eating just a small portion of rice.

Pastor Bernie Nord and ONE Sadaqa endorser Imam Johari Abdul-Malik opened the ceremony with prayers from their distinct traditions. Despite their differences, these two faith communities are working together in the fight against global hunger. They welcomed Congressman Jim Moran to the podium who shared a message of unity reflective of his career-long commitment to human rights issues in the developing world. He invoked a metaphor of the human organism to illustrate how our lives are interconnected. He said:

“We really are part of a human organism, of really one organism, hence the organization that is represented here, ONE…A majority of the humans on this earth really don’t have a whole lot of opportunity to realize their full potential, so we as a human species will never realize our full potential…when we ignore so much of that body of which we are a part.”

At the end of his speech, Rep. Moran pointed to my ONE shirt and reminded the audience, “That’s really what this night is all about. It’s recognizing that we’re all one.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5ReK927cjo&feature=player_embedded

Faith communities in Virginia and across the country are organizing to raise awareness and take action to end the suffering caused by global poverty. Learn more about ONE Sabbath here.

-Lauren Conn