By CHARLES MELTON

Editor

Instead of using the phrase “melting pot” to describe the coming together of the various different ethnicities and cultures in Kitsap County, Rev. Bishop Larry Robertson prefers the term “salad bowl.”

That description highlights the ninth annual Salad Bowl Sunday “ethnic celebration” event, sponsored by the Kitsap Pastors Network, which will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday at Crossroads Neighborhood Church, 7555 Old Military Road, in East Bremerton.

“There’s going to be a lot of good food, fellowship and a a lot of fun,” Robertson said.

Choirs from different churches will perform as will other performance groups displaying the cultural diversity that exists in the county, he said.

Robertson, who is senior pastor at Emmanuel Apostolic Church in Bremerton along with Ray Jennings from the Christian Life Center in Port Orchard will speak at the event, but the event’s main focus is on sharing some of the things that make each church and culture unique.

“I’m a firm believer that when people come together a lot of the walls that kept them apart come down,” Robertson said.

Different groups have far more in common than they might think, so any event that brings them together is an important part of increasing the understanding and appreciation of each other, he said.

Throughout the past nine years, the event has been held at different locations scattered across the county including President’s Hall at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, and it has continued to grow each and every year, he said.

“We do our best to share it with everyone,” he said.

Churches across the entire from Kingston to Port Orchard are expected to participate in the event, which is free to everyone.