The annual Thanksgiving prayer service, which highlighted different faiths, ways to connect with God and aspects of life to be thankful for was held Nov. 17 by students in Interfaith Club.

Each speaker told a personal story, gave a reflection about her individual experience with life and expressed appreciation for what she is grateful for. In previous years, the service focused more on the scripture of different faiths; the new emphasis on individual stories instead of doctrine helped students relate and engage more, according to Campus Minister Stephanie Pino-Dressman.

“The theme we decided was ‘Stories of Gratitude’ because we wanted to stress that people have different stories,” Interfaith Club co-president sophomore Elizabeth Puthumana said. “Even here in the Sion community we are all different and are grateful for different things.”

The ceremony was planned almost entirely by students. Pino-Dressman offered help and guidance, but 95 percent of the planning was done by students in Interfaith Club, according to Pino-Dressman. Interfaith Club’s meetings consist of Puthumana and co-president M.K. Shevlin researching and presenting a different faith to members. The diversity of religion was emphasized at the prayer service.

“Even though all of [my family] is Christian, my parents are Baptist and my sister and I are United Methodist but we still all go to a United Methodist church because the teachings are very similar,” freshman Kamryn Rogers said. “I am most thankful for my family for all of their love and support.”

Rogers spoke with her older sister sophomore Kendall Rogers at the service about their gratitude for their mom, who is constantly encouraging them to remain strong in their faith. They are thankful for their family always helping during hard times, according to Kendall Rogers. Sophomore Hana Awad also relies on her family to help her persevere, in her case through prejudice against Muslims.

“I talked about my gratitude for my family in Iran that I visit every two years,” Awad said. “My appreciation for them helps me get through unjust ‘random’ security checks at the airport.”

Similarly, sophomore Inaya Khan spoke about how she personally felt after the election, but how she is grateful for everyone that has supported her. She wanted students to realize that not everyone goes through the same things and wanted to make them more aware of what life is like for others, according to Khan.

“I know it’s cliche but it’s really true: Sion’s like a second home for me,” Khan said. “I feel like I can be myself without worrying about what other people will think about me.”

Some of the speakers reflected on their unique way to express their faith through dance. Dance Teacher Kathleen Schuler and her friend Mary Marshall performed and reflected on a dance that they choreographed to inspire hope. Shevlin also performed an Irish dance to show her gratitude for the art.

“I’m grateful for dance because my coach has given me lots of wonderful opportunities and its brought me closer to God,” Shevlin said.

Other reflections and personal stories about faith and gratitude were given by sophomore Katie Krause and sophomore Interfaith Club officer Safa Khan.

“The overall goal was for people to be grateful for the little things in life,” Awad said. “And focus on how we are similar instead of how we are different.”