Nadeem Ahmed, board member of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake City, noted that the Quran places strong emphasis on giving thanks. Thankful hearts and thankful deeds are necessary for the blessings of Thanksgiving to be fulfilled, he said.

Lama Thupten of the Urgyen Samten Ling Gonpa Meditation Center said, "Giving thanks, we know, is part of all religious traditions."

The Rev. France A. Davis of Calvary Baptist Church read a short section from Second Corinthians, thanking God for life's gifts.

Elder Ronald A. Rasband, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy of the LDS Church, spoke at the Salt Lake meeting. He and his wife recently returned from Germany, where he served as a member of the Europe North Area Presidency, helping to oversee church activities in 37 countries.

He read a passage from the Book of Mormon about the importance of charitable giving. Those who do not help people in need will have cause to repent, he read.

The Rev. Silvia Behrend, First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, spoke of the essential factor of faith in religious callings, citing many religions.

A moment of levity was provided by Charu Das, vice president of the Krishna Temple of Spanish Fork. "As a vegetarian, I always approach this time of year with a little hitch of apprehension," he said.

He read prayers, including one enjoying people to not only give thanks, "but thank God by giving."

"The divine in me honors the divine in you," said Pat Gamble-Hovey, minister for the Holladay United Church of Christ.

The Rev. Cheryl Moore of the Episcopal Diocese read from the Book of Mark.

Shahab Saeed of the Baha'i faith, said religious and racial barriers are coming down. He criticized so-called street preachers "who showed disrespect to our LDS friends."

The benediction was by Rabbi Tracee Rosen of the Congregation Kol Ami.

At the Holladay celebration, Tonja Meadows, a member of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, noted the harsh winter that killed many of the Pilgrims in the 1600s. But they established Thanksgiving because "they saw God's hand and guidance" in their lives, she said.

The Rev. Erin B. Gilmore of the Holladay United Church of Christ said at this year's interfaith Thanksgiving service — the city's fourth — people of different faiths seemed even more interested in being together for the holiday. "After Sept. 11, it became important to celebrate differences and be one human family," she said. "There's so much confusion about what's going on in the world, it's a chance to get together."

In the closing prayer, the Rev. Arthur P. Ritter of the First Congregational Church lead the congregation in asking God to "inspire us so this community and, indeed, all the human community, be a place that reflects your will."

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