An interfaith celebration: The Church assists in opening Ethiopian Orthodox meetinghouse in Utah

In an act of interfaith love and collaboration, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other donors contributed to the opening of a new worship space for St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Utah, an event celebrated with song and dance Saturday, June 28.

For Elder R. Pepper Murray, an Area Seventy with the Church of Jesus Christ, the completion of this new meetinghouse is a symbol of bridge-building.

“And in this world where religious freedom is threatened more and more, it’s important for us to strengthen those friendships and bonds and build those bridges,” said Elder Murray. “Strengthening a congregation like this strengthens us all.”

For the past nine years, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church met in a one-room building in Layton, Utah, that was too small for their needs. In 2021, Kesis Tagay — head of the Inter-Religious Council of Ethiopia — asked Elder Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to help the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian community find a permanent meeting place, reported the Deseret News.

“Without hesitation or delay, Elder Rasband agreed,” said Mike Mamo, vice chairman and public relations, St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. “This magnificent house of worship that you see today is a legacy of Elder Rasband’s promise to all of you here in the congregation.”

Two storage warehouses in North Salt Lake belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have now been transformed into a worship space, kitchen, restrooms and priest’s apartment, thanks to efforts from the Church and other donors, according to ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Latter-day Saints in Ethiopia and their friends also celebrated the occasion around the globe by watching a livestream of the event, reported the Church’s Africa Newsroom.

Ethiopia Addis Ababa Mission President Oliva Cowley hosted nearly 40 guests of various faiths in a hotel ballroom in the country’s capital city to witness the ceremony via broadcast.

“Helping each other regardless of one’s religion, race or beliefs is what these events promote,” President Cowley said.

Prior to the celebration of the new worship space, members from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church gathered to further landscape the property, planting flowers and adding fence slats.

“I love that we get to help people worship God in the way that they want to, in the way that feels right for them,” said Rebecca Dall, a Latter-day Saint from Woods Cross, Utah, who helped with the planting. “There’s nothing that we can do to honor God more than love His children and help them.”

Friendship between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the St. Mary’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church first blossomed in 2019, when members of the Church’s Weber Area communication council visited a Sunday service of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

Since then, the two churches have teamed up on a variety of service projects, and Father Fisehatision, an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church priest, has attended general conference twice, enjoyed the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square live and met with Latter-day Saint missionaries, according to the Deseret News.