Roseville Covenant Church opens its doors for the Turkish American Society of Minnesota to celebrate Ramadan
Once the sun goes down during the month of Ramadan, Muslims break their fast with a large Iftar meal, which is often celebrated with friends and neighbors. But it’s not always easy to find a place to host large groups for the meal.
On Sunday, April 7, Roseville (Minnesota) Covenant Church hosted an Iftar meal, welcoming the Turkish American Society of Minnesota to our gymnasium. Our congregation has some connections with the society and by way of those friendships came the idea that our gym could hold their Iftar meal. It provided a beautiful opportunity to share food, conversation, culture, and religious practices.
Members of the Turkish American Society provided an incredible meal of traditional foods including soup, meat, and rice dishes. Members of Roseville Covenant Church were seated with Muslim friends at each table. A member of Roseville Covenant offered a word of welcome and an opening prayer, followed by a Muslim leader who shared about the meal and Ramadan practices. A side room was set up to accommodate prayers for Muslim members at the meal to honor their religious tradition.
Seated at my table was a man who is in the US on asylum, having left behind his wife and child in his country of origin where he was a practicing doctor. For now, he has chosen to open a restaurant in downtown Minneapolis and was eager to invite me to visit. To my left was a mom, another practicing Muslim, who was in the area visiting a friend. She was invited at the last minute to this Iftar. She teaches math at a university in the Midwest, and we connected as fellow moms.
One of the things that struck me as we ate and shared conversation was that crossing cultures doesn’t mean talking to people unlike me. These Muslim neighbors care about their families, their faith, and their careers. We related around these common aspects of life while curiously asking about one another’s spiritual practices. They shared about the Quran and asked me how I became a pastor. We talked about prayer and what it means for each of us.
For our church, it provided a tangible opportunity to practice one of our missional priorities of “Reaching Out.” Jesus often used tables in this way—to share meals, curiously explore life, and build relationships. Matt Kennedy, lead pastor, said, “We agreed to because truth is better heard when it’s spoken by a friend. I would like my Muslim friends to know that Jesus is more than a prophet. But before they can hear that word of truth with open hearts, maybe they need to feel the grace of friendship from those who believe.”
