Published Friday, March 12, 1999 The two men have been charged by the Mercer County Bicentennial Commission to head up creating an interfaith celebration. The official bicentennial birthday of the county is one year from today.
With help from local clergy and lay people -- and a touch of divine guidance -- the event is intended to draw members of all religious denominations in the county. With more than 200 churches in Mercer County, creating an interfaith event required a bit of diplomacy.
But they found everyone agreed on the goal of the event.
"Our main objective is to have God's blessing on Mercer County,'' said Fr. Firko, pastor of St. Michael's Byzantine Church in Hermitage.
"This isn't a pure religious service based on one denomination,'' said Ristvey, a member of St. John's Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in Sharon. "The idea is to have a performance directed to God.''
Both men stressed they want to reach out to everyone and make this a county event.
"We opened our door to all faiths in Mercer County,'' Fr. Firko said. "Everything we're doing is Mercer County-based, so this is truly a Mercer County celebration.''
An all-county choir will perform at the service, with each church in the county being asked to supply up to four singers. The Mercer County Honors Choir, composed of high school students, also will sing.
The service will have parts of various faiths, such as the blowing of the Shofar, which is a ram horn used in Jewish services on high holidays.
Another objective of the event was to find a location that could handle the anticipated huge crowd. No single church or hall in the county can seat much more than 1,000, so an outdoor location was sought.
After searching various locations, Sharon High School Stadium was chosen for the site. Capable of handling crowds of 5,000 and up was the stadium's key attraction; plus it is handicap accessible.
Expected to last no longer than 90 minutes, the event is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, 2000. In case of rain, the event will be held at the Sharon High School auditorium.
One topic still being discussed is whether to issue tickets for the service. The idea of having tickets isn't to limit participation but to gauge how many people will be attending.
Another major issue addressed was who to invite as the main speaker. The subcommittee chaired by Ristvey and Fr. Firko wanted the speaker to meet four criteria: a recognizable name, appeal to all ages, a crowd-pleaser and someone who is non-political.
That turned out to be the Rev. Peter Marshall, a renowned Presbyterian minister from Cape Cod, Mass.
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Mr. Marshall is the son of the late Rev. Dr. Peter Marshall, the chaplain of the U.S. Senate from 1947 to 1949, and Catherine Marshall LeSourd, author of many best-selling books.
A graduate of Yale University and Princeton Theological Seminary, he was ordained in 1965 and served in the pastoral ministry for 12 years prior to devoting himself to national ministry and writing in 1977.
He has authored two books, "The Light and the Glory'' and "From Sea to Shining Sea.'' He received the Religious Heritage of America's 1986 Faith and Freedom Award.
A collection will be taken during the service to help defray costs of inviting Mr. Marshall. Any leftover proceeds will be given to the Community Food Warehouse.
Also, a special reception after the service is planned for Mr. Marshall. Local dignitaries and religious leaders will be invited.
