Interfaith breakfast moves to new location
MALTA — Since 2009, Longfellows Restaurant had been hosting a monthly interfaith breakfast, a meeting that convenes people from all different faiths to discuss important topics affecting the Saratoga community.
Now, Wellspring on Route 9 will begin hosting the interfaith breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. starting Thursday. Each month will feature a leader from different faith or human services organizations who will speak about a topic designed to encourage inner peace and outward service to others.
The meeting was originally started by Stephen Sullivan, owner of Longfellows Restaurant, Dr. Joseph Mckay, Celtic Counseling Services, and the late AJ Sarno. The breakfast was hosted at Longfellows on Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs until its closing in January.
“We meet to receive messages of encouragement and understand the needs of our community on a deeper level, recognize the struggles people face, and strategize ways that we can meet those needs with an open heart,” First Baptist Church of Saratoga Springs Pastor George Stefani said. “Ideally, we try to find actions that create possibilities for everyone.”
Taking on the issues
The group’s discussion topics change in response to what is happening. Past topics included Christian, Jewish and Buddhist teachings on spiritual life development and how the pandemic impacted the mental health of the community’s youth, how the lack of affordable housing contributes to concerns about unhoused people, and how the opioid crisis hurts everyone and what resources are available.
“Wellspring is glad to open our space for this community initiative,” Wellspring CEO Maggie Fronk said in a statement. “Especially since there are so many parallels between what this group supports and what Wellspring focuses on every day.”
The interfaith breakfast meetings are scheduled for the second Thursday of every month and are open to the public.
Reservations are not required to attend.