Standard Examiner – by Janae Francis

OGDEN — Organizers of “A Celebration of Faith Through Music,” an interfaith concert designed to bring together members of various area faiths, said they were pleased with a standing-room-only crowd on Sunday, Sept. 25, at the Ogden LDS Tabernacle.

“We had people standing in the hallways/doorways and turned away more than 100,” said Mike King, a local spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a member of the Ogden Interfaith Council that sponsored the event along with the LDS Church.

Rev. Monica Hall of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Ogden said she believed more than 2,000 people attended, including many clergy and community members of many different faiths.

“It’s rare that we all gather together,” she said. “Music is one of those things that draw people together. … It was a great day, a great night.”

Hall said she believed the event, and others planned like it, help build bridges between faiths.

“This is one way we were all able to gather,” she said.

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Pastor David L. Duncan of Valley View Baptist Church also said he believed the concert helped to spur interfaith relationships.

Vocalist Vanessa Joy performs during “A Celebration of Faith Through Music,” sponsored by the Ogden Interfaith Council and the Utah Weber Public Affairs Council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The event, held Sunday, Sept. 25, drew a full house at the Ogden LDS Tabernacle. The event, in it’s second year, is planned to be an annual activity.

“The groundwork was laid for opportunities in the future to come together,” Duncan said.

Duncan said the concert was enjoyable as well as functional.

“We had good representation from our church,” he said. “We had good fellowship with other faiths. They included everyone that really wanted to be included.”