MACON, Ga. — When you speak about faith, folks have strong emotions about their beliefs.
Last Friday, an anti-Jewish hate group stood outside the Temple Beth Israel synagogue and spouted hateful words and messages.
Related: Anti-Semitic protesters demonstrate at Macon synagogue, fliers appear in Warner Robins neighborhoods
13WMAZ talked with people of different religions who say that's not okay and share why they are all working together this weekend to send their own message out into the world:
"Hope can spring from hate."
In the wake of the demonstrations, Reverend Ted Goshorn has felt a lot of emotions.
“It's hard not to get through without tearing up just the power of this moment,” he said.
Reverend Goshorn offered up Mulberry Street United Methodist church for a healing and unity service this Sunday to support Temple Beth Israel.
Temple Beth Israel Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar says her congregation is thankful.
“We as a Jewish congregation we don't have the ability to do this without help,” she said.
Help came in droves when Bahar put out plans for a unity service. Their building can hold about 300 people but that wasn't going to be enough.
“We can seat about 600 in our sanctuary another 400 watching a live stream in our fellowship hall,” Goshorn calculated.
Vineville United Methodist pitched in with chairs.
High Street Unitarian said they would bring crucially needed water for folks waiting outside.
Centenary United Methodist church is pitching in on logistics.
“We are doing the parking,” said Pastor Sara Pugh Montgomery.
It's not just churches coming together, this is the entire community. Many businesses are opening up their parking lots and Hart's Mortuary they're donating fans so people can try and stay cool.
“To embrace love is to embrace the radical notion that we are all children of God regardless of differences that we all carry the image of God and that's what I've seen lived out this week,” Goshorn explained.
“They are coming together to surround one another in the midst of a hate crime to be able to say love is what wins and that's a beautiful image of what we are called to do together,” Pugh Montgomery said.
Fostering healing, through faith.
Bahar says it will take time to process the abhorrent scene that played out last weekend, but hundreds stomping out the sound of a few is a bigger memory to hold on to.
“I've heard from so many people across the city letting us know they disagree with everything that happened, and this is who we are, we are a United community, we are a family," Bahar said confidently.