Muslims/Christians Come Together for Worship Today

Christians and Muslims worshipped together Sunday at St. John's Episcopal Church in Montclair as part of an effort to build sustainable relationships between the two communities.

The 10 a.m. service was tailored to include both Christian and Muslim traditions, incorporating music and readings from both faiths.

Indeed, the "groundbreaking" morning began with the adhan, the call to prayer with “Allahu akbar,” (God is greater), which rang out in the Episcopal Church. During the service, verses from the Holy Qur’an complemented verses from the Holy Bible.

The service was led by Andrew Butler, Rector of St. John’s Church, Abdul-Alim Mubarak-Rowe, assistant Imam at Masjid Waritj ud Deen in Irvington, and Anisa Mehdi, award-winning journalist and interfaith advocate in Maplewood.

One member of St. John's said that she thought "some people at our church were pleasantly surprised to find that there are so many similarities between some basic Christian and Muslim beliefs."