Economy, Gulf Tension Dampen Holiday Cheer : Thanksgiving: ‘People are worried,’ a Crystal Cathedral official says. Charities report more poor and homeless in Orange County over last year.

Worrisome events--notably a worsening economy and the possibility of war in the Mideast--are casting somber shadows on holiday spirits as Orange County today celebrates Thanksgiving.

The eroding economy is causing an increase in the number of poor and homeless, church and charity officials said Wednesday.

“The situation with the economy is making an impact,” said Msgr. Lawrence Baird, director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. “All of the parishes are reporting a greater number of people needing help. I live in Orange, in a relatively wealthy area, and I see the number of poor increasing here every week.”

Baird said all Catholic churches in the diocese have food drives this week, attempting to get canned goods and money to help the county’s poor.

The tension in the Persian Gulf is being felt as families gather to pray for world peace, many church officials said.

At the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, a special ecumenical service is being held at 10 a.m. today that focuses on world concern about the Mideast.

“People are worried,” said Beth Owen, associate programming director at the cathedral. “We’re not taking a political position. We’re just gathering for prayer. All religions have prayer in common. We’re gathering to pray for a positive outcome.”

The Crystal Cathedral service today will include a Catholic priest, a Jewish rabbi, a Protestant minister and representatives of the armed forces. David Jacobsen, a former hostage in Lebanon and one-time resident of Huntington Beach, will also take part.

Many other churches and synagogues are having prayers for peace at their Thanksgiving services. Some have other special programs keyed to the Mideast crisis.

Temple Eilat in Mission Viejo has a program to link temple members with U.S. troops in the gulf.

“It’s through our (religious education) school program, and it’s called Operation Brave Heart,” said Fay Zeramby, administrative secretary at the temple. “We send letters to people over there. We’ve also adopted a young woman Marine who was stationed at El Toro and who’s now over there. We send her gifts and packages.”

Zeramby said Temple Eilat members have been praying for a peaceful resolution of the gulf crisis. Prayer services included an ecumenical gathering Wednesday night with Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Mission Viejo.

The worsening economy is also on people’s minds, Zeramby said: “We see more people losing jobs. It’s being felt here. This temple is helping with the Orange County Interfaith Shelter.”

John Lands, executive director of the Orange County Rescue Mission in Santa Ana, said the faltering economy is producing more poor needing aid.

“Last Thanksgiving we served dinners here to 1,500, and it may be 3,000 this year,” he said. “Most of the poor we see here are families, and the father is working, but he’s making minimum wage, and it’s not enough for the family to live on.”

Lands said there are also more families with no one able to get a job, reflecting the downturn.