United In Harmony
By Rev. Liddy Barlow, Executive Minister, Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania
What if, instead of tension, misunderstanding, and isolation in our communities, we had harmony?
That vision inspired the second annual Pittsburgh Community Love Anyway Feast on October 22, 2025. Over 100 people from varied perspectives, backgrounds, and identities filled the cafeteria of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary to celebrate all that we have in common.
Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania first heard about the Common Ground Gatherings concept in summer 2024 through my work with Common Ground USA’s Pennsylvania Resilience Network. I brought the idea to my frequent collaborators: the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Center for Loving Kindness, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and the Turkish Cultural Center of Pittsburgh. Together, the four organizations planned the first Pittsburgh Love Anyway Feast immediately after the November 2024 election.
It was great! Participants who evaluated the potluck dinner and evening of dialogue overwhelmingly indicated that they would like to attend another Feast in the future.
So, the organizers set the intention of organizing another Feast in 2025. As a first step, we widened the organizing team, adding representatives from AHINSA (a Hindu organization focused on nonviolence) and two churches (one Baptist, one Presbyterian) who had participated in the first Feast. Meanwhile, through their involvement in Pittsburgh’s new hate and bias action coalition, Stand for All Pittsburgh, we discovered that October 19-25 would be observed as the city’s United Against Hate Week. Hosting a Feast during that week seemed like an ideal match.
After months of planning, on October 22, Pittsburghers gathered from across the city’s neighborhoods and organizations. Some were members of a co-sponsoring organization; some had attended last year’s gathering; others were attracted by the opportunity to spend an evening in diverse community. Guests filled a long table with their contributions to the potluck: mac & cheese, saag paneer, black bean salad, and so much more. We sat at round tables with friends and strangers. Faith leaders from Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian traditions offered blessings for the meal. Over dinner, the tables engaged in questions designed to foster community, such as these:
What does “neighbor” mean to you? What does “friend” mean to you? What about “family”?
How have recent divisions (political, cultural, or personal) affected your
relationships?
Tell a story about a time when you made a meaningful connection with someone who was different from you.
After dinner, local musician and spiritual leader Sara Stock Mayo came to the microphone to lead our first-ever Love Anyway Singalong. We sang familiar favorites, like “This Land Is Your Land.” We learned songs that combine Hebrew and Arabic, praying for peace across languages, faiths, and cultures. And we joined in a newer song by folk musician Carrie Newcomer:
I see sorrow and trouble in this land
Although there will be struggle we’ll make the change we can …
Miracles do happen every shining now and then
If not now, if not now, tell me when?
Finding literal and figurative harmony with neighbors feels like a small miracle in challenging times: a miracle we are better prepared to make together through the soul-satisfying sustenance of our Love Anyway Feast.
