A day to remember.

Byline: Jeff Wright The Register-Guard

Several hundred Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, agnostics and spiritual independents crammed into a downtown church Thursday night, raised their hands toward the heavens at the prescribed 60-degree angle, and sang a Sikh chant as one:

"Ra, ma, da, sa, sa, say, sohung."

A few minutes later they all stood up, held hands and sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," a Rodgers and Hammerstein standard.

If the juxtapositions at First Christian Church in Eugene seemed jarringly unfamiliar, they also were cause for hope and celebration for organizers of the 24th consecutive interfaith service - always held on the 11th day of the month - since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Coordinators expected the services to run their course after two or three months, only to see community interest continue to grow. More than 400 filled the church's pews Thursday, including such first-timers as Lynda Duffy.

"It does the spirit good to be in a room full of different people," said Duffy, a Eugene real estate agent and singer. "We're all different individuals who want the freedom and peace to be who we are ... safely."

The services have proven so popular that they've spawned similar events in Salem and Corvallis, with Roseburg and Ashland the next to jump on board, said Siri Kaur Khalsa-Harris, a Sikh who first proposed the idea two years ago.

"This is not just us anymore," she said prior to the service. "We're trying to build a monument on the basis of respect, trust and good will, and maybe impress upon the world that it can be done."

As in previous months, Thursday's gathering offered an eclectic blend of different faith traditions' words, music and prayer. The tenor was mostly apolitical, though the Rev. Dan Bryant of First Christian, in his welcoming comments, reminded that Sept. 11 also marked the 30th anniversary of a U.S.-backed coup "against a democratically elected government in Chile."

"The evil we struggle with is not just the evil `out there' but often the evil within," he said.

Greg Rikhoff, the city's human rights program manager, said the evening's first sacred act was everyone "walking through the doors together."

"In the indisputable presence of our differences, we have undeniable proof that we are all children of God," he said. "We all matter, and we can all make a difference."

The crowd listened intently when Vida Ellins, a local Baha'i, sang an invocation in a haunting, lilting voice, and when Helen Jackson, a local Catholic, recited the 88th Psalm. They clapped in time when Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, backed by nine members of Temple Beth Israel, sang an ancient Jewish melody in Hebrew.

As 15 members of Sikh Dharma took the stage, Guru Hari Singh explained the meanings behind "ra, ma, da, sa, sa, say, sohung" - syllables signifying the sun, the moon, the earth and the heavens - and invited everyone to raise their hands upward and outward.

"Can you feel the stars?" he asked.

As the program closed, Sandra Hunter of Wesley United Methodist Church walked to the lectern, with seven women behind her - all active participants in the Two Rivers Interfaith Ministries group that sponsors the monthly services. The women included a dark-skinned Hindu, a scarf-wearing Muslim and a Sikh in her turban.

"As you can see, we're quite diverse," Hunter said. "We are a microcosm of what the world could be."

The interfaith service was one of several observances in the Eugene-Springfield area. Others included:

American Legion

In Santa Clara, 50 or so veterans of Post No. 83, along with wives and family, held a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

As buglers played a sobering rendition of "Taps," an evening sky of clouds and golden sunlight released scattered drops of rain. One woman turned her palms up and said, "God is crying."

Bud Burgess kept a stiff upper lip, though. The 79-year-old Coast Guard veteran stood at salute, his body slightly bent and swaying, but resolute.

Burgess, who fought the Japanese five times in the South Pacific during World War II, said the country "fell asleep" at Pearl Harbor, and again two years ago.

"We couldn't stand by and let them keep doin' it," he said. America needed to "show a little guts and fire. We're not going to let anybody run over us."

Afterward, post members Mona Leppanen and Jan Blackburn led others in an impromptu version of "God Bless America."

Leppanen was shocked Thursday to hear a co-worker ask, of the Sept. 11 coverage on TV, who passed away? At the vigil, Leppanen's shirt depicted the burning World Trade Center and read, "Have You Forgotten? Support Our Troops!"

"It's really important to understand why we're fighting out there and supporting our troops," Leppanen said.

- Matt Cooper

"Day of Remembrance"

Charlie and Pam Hoffmeister took a few minutes Thursday to visit the St. Thomas More Newman Center chapel - and New York City, Washington, D.C., and a lonely field in Pennsylvania.

From morning to evening, the chapel near the University of Oregon campus was home to a "Day of Remembrance" slide show with images of Sept. 11, 2001, projected onto a screen. Four white candles burned on and around the adjacent altar and soft music played over speakers.

Some images were familiar, some not; all were wrenching.

Planes flying into skyscrapers. Bewildered rescuers. Impromptu shrines. Blaring headlines.

A button showed a smiling young woman in a bridal dress and the words, "In memory of Kristy, Sept. 11, 2001." A child's drawing of a mother included bumpy lettering that said, "I miss you very much."

A photo of two flight attendants, standing in the Pennsylvania field where Flight 93 went down, grabbed Pam Hoffmeister, a Eugene painter. "You realize how many people from different walks of life were affected," she said.

Her husband, a doctor, is reminded "of something we say at Mass on Sunday - about `the souls known to God alone.' '

A song's lyrics played over the chapel speakers: "Everybody hurts, but sometimes everybody cries."

- Jeff Wright

Federal Building

Denise Satterfield flashed the peace sign at a passing motorist.

She is 54 years old, and she's worried about the economy. She's a hairdresser who has seen her hours cut in half. She has a 17-year-old daughter, and she's got to put food on the table for both of them.

She said President Bush's priorities do not match her own.

"Normal people are getting laid off work, and there are budget cuts in this state," Satterfield said. "But the money is going to the war - plain and simple."

Satterfield was among 100 or so people at the "Justice Not War Coalition" gathering, a mix of music and anti-war messages for those who wanted to mourn or express frustration with the government.

Across Seventh Avenue, though, 24-year-old Evan Kruse suggested that some people have forgotten why America is in this position in the first place.

Kruse held a sign - "OSAMA - We have not forgotten!" - and stood his ground with three others in support of the U.S. anti-terrorism effort.

"We were forced to take care of the problems of terrorism," Kruse said. "Peace would be nice, but I don't think you can have peaceful solutions to everything."

- Matt Cooper

CAPTION(S):

Bagpiper Wylie McKinnon marches behind the colors to begin a candlelight commemorative Thursday evening at American Legion Post 83 in Eugene. The colors were paraded by Bob Sloan, a member of the Sons of the American Legion. Later, McKinnon talked about the emotions he feels when he plays. "I put myself into this pipe when I play it." Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard The Native American drum group Gasa Seh Deneh plays during the prelude to the 24th monthly Interfaith Prayer and Reflection at the First Christian Church on Thursday evening. About 400 people attended. Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard Dharmika Henshel writes a quote from Ghandi on cardboard twin towers at the Federal Building on Thursday evening. Paul Carter / The Register-Guard Emily Sears, 4, watches a candle in the hands of Thelma Gonzalez on Thursday evening at American Legion Post 83. Thomas Boyd / The Register-Guard Leroy Williams, and this is light text and this is more light text