'Neighbor Is Not A Religious Term:' JCC Center For Loving Kindness Hosting Celebration At Legacy International Worship Center
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- All eyes in the city are on the congregation at Legacy International Worship Center in Perry South.
Members have plenty of reason to be thankful after a planned attack was thwarted by the FBI, but that gratitude goes much further than inside the church walls.
"We were first of all, so incredibly thankful," said Rabbi Ron Symons of the Jewish Community Center for Loving Kindness. "Once we realized that everyone was safe, physically safe, we know from our experiences that there's an emotional toll."
Rabbi Symons with the JCC plans to reach out to the pastor and members to tell them that they are not alone.
"This is about neighbors saying we care about each other, you went through something that yes, could have been much worse, but still takes its toll and we want to be there for you," he said.
They may live in different neighborhoods and of a different race and religion, but Rabbi Symons says it's the human thing to do after witnessing attacks on churches and synagogues around the country.
"Neighbor is not a geographic term, it is a moral concept," he said. "I can actually extend that; neighbor is not a racial term, neighbor is not a religious term."
On Sunday, members of the JCC Center for Loving Kindness will join the congregation at Legacy International Worship Center for a day of friendship, praise and celebration.
Pastor Michael Day welcomes all visitors with open arms.
"It is the region, it did not just happen to the North Side, it did not just happen to the city, but it happened to the region," he said. "So it is my endeavor to make sure that we are unified as a region, we are unified as a culture, we are unified as a race of mankind."