When the Memphis Islamic Center secured a parcel of land next door to Heartsong Church in Cordova, Tennessee in 2010, Heartsong’s then-pastor Steve Stone said his “stomach kind of tightened up.”
“I felt that ignorance and that fear,” Stone said in a video produced by Starbucks about eight years ago. “So I prayed.”
On the other hand, Dr. Bashar A. Shala of the Memphis Islamic Center, wanted to build a place for Muslims in America to find community and safety in their faith. He assumed building that space in what is colloquially known as “The Bible Belt” would be a challenge.
“We did not expect to be welcomed,” Shala said in the same video. “We thought we’d have to work hard.”
But Stone’s prayers turned into action, and the church displayed a large banner that read: “Heartsong Church Welcomes Memphis Islamic Center to the neighborhood.”
From there, an interfaith friendship was built.
Over the years, the two faith centers have worked together on countless endeavors, the church even opening its worship spaces to Muslims for prayer when their building was under construction.
“I would have never thought that I would be friends with Muslims, and I love it,” Mark Sharpe, a Heartsong congregation member said in the 2016 video. “It’s kind of like my world got bigger.”
Together, they’ve also co-sponsored coat drives, food drives, and more. And every year, close to the anniversary of September 11, the two houses of worship hold a blood drive, with each alternating as hosts.
For 2025, Heartsong hosted the blood drive on Sunday, September 7.
“As we reflect on September 11th, we pause to remember those we have lost and the countless lives forever changed by acts of tragedy and adversity,” Heartsong’s current pastor Lindsey Byard told Good Good Good.
Instead of “merely dwelling” in sorrow, she added, it is essential for people to “seek comfort and inspiration in our faith.”
Since the first blood drive in 2011, that faith has spurred action in the Heartsong and MIC communities.
Over the past 14 years, more than 600 pints of blood have been donated.
“Our faith teaches us that even in the darkest of times, there is light to be found in unity, compassion, and collective action,” Byard said.
“In this spirit, the wonderful communities of Heartsong and the Memphis Islamic Center came together in a remarkable demonstration of solidarity and love. On Sunday, these two communities joined forces to donate 24 pints of blood — a selfless and life-giving act that transcends religious and cultural boundaries.”
“Because of you, life doesn’t stop,” a social media post marketing the event from MIC added.
Anyone who donated was also given a snow cone to celebrate and replenish after the fact.
“Good things come to good people,” Sno Me Something, the group distributing treats, shared on Facebook.
More than a cheeky sentiment from the dessert vendor, the message of unity and offering echoes for the leaders of the two faith communities.
“Meeting a new neighbor, embracing a stranger, exploring the beauty of cultural diversity, and helping one another,” Shala of MIC told Memphis news outlet Commercial Appeal a few years back. “Isn’t that what being American is all about?”
“This act of giving stands as a powerful testament to our resilience. It proclaims that we will not allow the actions of a few to define our day or our destiny. Instead, we choose life over death, unity over division, and hope over despair,” Byard told Good Good Good after Sunday’s most recent blood drive.
“The joining of hands and hearts by Heartsong and the Memphis Islamic Center is more than a charitable act; it is a living symbol of love, resilience, and the belief that we are always stronger together.”
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Header images courtesy of Logan Clark/Unsplash and Don Sniegowski (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
