The South Valley Interfaith Council held a pre-Easter event on April 14 at The Ballpark at America First Square. Several thousand people attended the gathering, which included musical performances, an art show, a wall of testimonies from residents about their feelings on Jesus Christ and booths/exhibits from several religious congregations in the Salt Lake Valley.

Headlining the performances was musical group J209, who took the stage set up in the infield of the ballpark, home of the Salt Lake Bees. Lead signer Abi Urton said her group’s mission, like those of all the performers, was one of unity.

“We realized that there’s been a lot of tension between different religions for decades and centuries, but what we ultimately all try to do is grow closer to Jesus Christ, even from different paths, so we’re better prepared for His coming,” she said. “There’s been a decline in church attendance, especially in groups of those 20 to 30 years old, so our whole mission is to create an environment where people can find a community that supports their faith.”

A committee made up of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Neighborhood Church, Sego Church of South Jordan, the “Hello Saints” YouTube channel and Multiply Goodness worked together to host the event. 

“We knew about the concept for the program in January,” Urton said. “Several different pastors knew about us, which surprised us since we had just started performing then. We all began working together to put on the event.”

Bethany Zeyer, a member of the Interfaith Council, said it was a great opportunity for different denominations to share traditions and their messages. There were 14 stations set up in and around the stadium where groups could share their thoughts as the Easter season approached. Several of the food vendors at the stadium were also open for business to feed families who attended.

The story of J209 is one of combined spiritual commitment, with members coming from different backgrounds to form a vocal band that has performed at many events the past few months, and will be touring into southern states later this year.

“Our name came from my own spiritual journey of sorts,” Urton said. “I came across Jeremiah 20:09 in the Bible that talks of an internal struggle.” She said her journey to strengthen her beliefs was heightened by the verse that speaks of an inner fire of the need to share God’s word, despite struggles and challenges. That sharing “is what our message is all about.”

She also loved the efforts of these different denominations coming together to “find God and trying to be closer to Jesus Christ. It felt amazing.” λ