By Adam Miller

Mankato Free Press via AP

The First Congregational United Church of Christ of Mankato hosted an interfaith gathering with several local churches worshiping alongside Islamic, Jewish and Native American community leaders on Sunday.

The “Hope in a Time of Disruption” gathering came about following a series of meals shared with local faith leaders about finding common ground amidst the national backdrop of cultural tension.

Over 200 people spilled out of the church’s sanctuary with overflow parking and extra seating to accommodate visitors for the special late afternoon service. Rev. Dana Mann, pastor for the First Congregational United Church of Christ, explained how she and other faith communities expressed outrage and grief over the Trump Administration’s short lived policy of separating parents from their children as they attempted to cross into the United States from Mexico.

“Most of us felt the need to do something, to say something,” Mann said. “In the days that followed, for most of us, there was a painful awareness that this was not the first time we’ve seen images like this. That awareness was the springboard for this gathering today.”