At some point during Sunday’s Spirited Brunch, there were more mini fruit pies than visitors at First Church of Christ, Scientist. One member of the congregation, which was sharing its Thanksgiving traditions with participants in the annual self-guided snack tour of downtown Charleston’s prayerful spaces, used the lull to stroll over to nearby Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church.
Holy Trinity was serving an array of homemade Greek pastries, including cheese-filled tiropitakia, and walnut-studded karidopita. But like other houses of worship along the route, the church also had clergy and laypeople available to answer tourgoers’ questions about its faith’s tenets. At Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, for instance, teen volunteers wore handwritten stickers prompting fans of noodle kugel and rugelach to “Ask me about the Torah” or “Ask me about Shabbat.”
When the First Church of Christ, Scientist congregant returned to man the pie station, she reported back on what she’d learned during her excursion. “We all worship the same God,” she concluded.
Right: Greek pastry/ Photo by Hanna Raskin
Okra soup at Mother Emanuel; black-and-white cookies at KKBE; cupcakes at The Food Section‘s reception/ Photos by Ruta Smith
Diversity is central to Spirited Brunch, as evidenced by the condiment table at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church: Tourgoers had their pick of various hot sauces and vinegars for dressing slow-cooked collards, since no single combination is likely to please everyone. This year, though, the hundreds of map-clasping tourgoers who bustled along Charleston’s streets seemed to be in search of commonalities.
Among those attendees were fourth graders who belong to Cub Scout Pack 50. Typically, scouts can earn their Emblem of Faith—a badge which indicates the holder is “faithful in religious duties”—by getting acquainted with just one denomination. But pack leader Sarah Young brought the kids to Spirited Brunch so they could see how people with different beliefs share the same reverence for something bigger than themselves.
“We wanted to include three different faiths instead of just one,” Young explained. “We have one scout who is Jewish, and we couldn’t leave her out.”
Pies at First Church of Christ, Scientist; Spirited Brunch hand fans; gingerbread at St. Matthew’s Lutheran/ Photos by Hanna Raskin
So, the young Cubs on Sunday went to a church, a synagogue, and a mosque, sampling koulourakia, chocolate-covered macaroons, and tabbouli. Then, they went home, having had a memorable taste of what Scouting America terms “respect [for] the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion.”
Or, as a Spirited Brunch tourgoer might put it, there’s hope for unity yet.
If you couldn’t join us for Spirited Brunch this year, we hope to see you in 2026! We’ll announce the date shortly; watch our event calendar for updates.
And if you did participate in Spirited Brunch, we’d love to hear more about your experience. Please consider completing our two-minute feedback form:
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