Interfaith prayer vigil, food fair to help Turkey-Syria earthquake survivors

A prayer service and food fair fundraiser will focus on survivors of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

An Interfaith Prayer Vigil will be from 7 to 8 p.m. Feb. 21 at St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, 127 NW 7. A Turkish Food Fair fundraiser for ongoing Turkey earthquake relief efforts is set for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Turkish Raindrop House, 4444 Classen Blvd.

The number of people killed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that devastated parts of southern Turkey and northern Syria on Feb. 6 continues to rise, according to the Associated Press. The news outlet reported that Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, recently revised the country’s death toll to 36,187. That pushed the combined reported death toll for Turkey and Syria to 39,875.

Muhammad Sezer, executive director of the Dialogue Institute Oklahoma and the Turkish Raindrop House, said the coming events in Oklahoma City will give Oklahomans two opportunities to offer their prayers and donations for earthquake survivors.

Sezer, a Turkey native, said he's grateful Oklahoma City metro area religious leaders have agreed to come together to lead prayers for his family and friends in Turkey and Syria, as well as the many other survivors of the devastating earthquakes.

The prayer vigil will include, among others, the Rev. Katie Churchwell, dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral; Imad Enchassi, senior imam of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City; Tom Gray with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; the Rev. Shannon Fleck, executive director of the Oklahoma Faith Network; Saurab Singh, a member of the Sikh faith community; and Lisa Billy, speaker of the Chickasaw Tribal Legislature.

Sezer said his hometown of Kayseri, Turkey, was not an epicenter, but his family members still felt the Feb. 6 earthquake. He said the earthquake woke his brother, who then woke his parents. The family members were able to escape their 10-story apartment building and sought temporary refuge in a local mosque for a while. Sezer said his family members have returned to their apartment.

"The hard part is that you cannot be there physically," he said. "During crises like this — such a tragedy ― you want to be there to help your family go through these difficult times."

For more information, go to https://www.dialogueoklahoma.org/.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahomans can give prayers, donations to Turkish earthquake survivors