The House of the Lord Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., commemorated its first interfaith service last Wednesday to end women’s cancer.
Globeathon is a worldwide initiative to stamp out gynecologic cancers. Volunteers and health advocates have stepped up to promote the prevention and early detection of “below the belt” cancers, including uterine, vulvar and cervical.
Approximately 100 religious leaders, politicians, performers and church members congregated at 415 Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn for the evening service. Pastor Dr. Karen S. Daughtry of the House of Lord Church felt “encouraged” and “inspired” by the positive turnout of the ceremony.
“It is inspirational … the coming together of various faith traditions around a common cause,” Daughtry said. “The things that divide us are minimal.”
The performances were led by Bishop Nathaniel Townsley and the Gospel Jubilee, as well as the rock band of six gynecologic surgeons, No Evidence of Disease, and the Balance Dance Theater, based in Brooklyn.
Christianity was not the only faith represented at the night service. Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders also introduced a prayer to the service.
“It was important for us to make the connections across continents and cities,” Daughtry said. “It was great to see our congregants’ eyes light up when we started talking about a program that was different than the traditional [service].”
According to a report cited by Daughtry, individuals who abide by a faith tradition live 14 years longer than their nonreligious counterparts.
Survivors of gynecologic cancers wore yellow sashes to resemble their relentless fight for health and social advocacy. As a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Rachel Masch, an obstetrician-gynecologist with the Beth Israel Medical Center, can now empathize with her patients.
“The hardest part is the realization that you’re not invincible … it always seems like it happens to other people.” Masch said. “People ask, ‘Why me?’ The real question is, ‘Why not me?’”
Founder of the African Center of Excellence for Women’s Cancer Control in Zambia, Africa, Dr. Groesbeck Parham explained how gynecologic cancers plague communities of color across the globe.
“There are 500,000 new cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in the world every year and 266,000 deaths,” Parham said. “Eighty-five percent of the deaths occur in low-income countries that are located in places like Africa, Asia and Latin America.”
For his younger patients, Parham utilizes photographs to depict the severity of the disease.
“It’s tough … I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years,” Parham said. “You sort of get use to it but never get use to breaking bad news to women or to parents.”
Pastor Adriel Chaney of the House of the Lord Church in Philadelphia provides bedside support and counseling services for congregants during times of illness.
“We pray first,” Chaney said. “It’s our job to promote life. When we see our people’s quality of life decline as leaders, we take it to heart. It’s a failure for us.”
Since 2013, Globeathon has pledged more than 100 million steps toward cancer prevention and awareness.