Clergy rally at ‘Love Your Neighbor Gathering’
Diamond Park became the setting for multiple churches Sunday afternoon, Feb. 19, where clergy of multiple denominations gathered to deliver something of a sermon.
While they came from many different backgrounds, their message was one everyone gathered there could agree on: the importance of loving your neighbor.
David Hicks, rector of St. Peter’s Anglican Church on East Jefferson Street, said he and the Butler Clergy Network, which consists of clergy from numerous parishes around the county, wanted to promote this message after concerns in December of growing division in the community.
“The idea that we came up with was that it might be nice to gather and talk about it,” Hicks said of promoting a message of love. “Even if we don’t agree with our neighbor or if we don’t particularly like our neighbor, we can still be kind to them.”
The Love Your Neighbor Gathering began at 2 p.m. and featured speeches from clergy of different parishes and other organization officials, poem readings and the singing of “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.