Nikolaüs Legendre attended as a Lakota. Lance Brunner showed off his Shambhala tradition. Kathy Ranta came as a Methodist.

Each participated last night in the "The Many Faces of the Spirit" conference kick-off ceremony at the Newman Center so they might understand one another better.

At least 400 people filled the sanctuary to overflowing in a celebration of music, literature and dance.

Outside in the lobby, participants could browse through Shambhala meditation pamphlets and Christian prayer journals.

Inside the sanctuary, Mayor Pam Miller described the atmosphere in her welcoming remarks:

"The light is so wonderful," she said, motioning at the stage lamps. "The scene is so wonderful. The smell in the room is very wonderful. I wish all of Lexington could be here. Lexington really needs this."

Dozens of people signed up for a series of workshops scheduled for today. Topics covered Islam, Buddhism, Zen, the spirituality of Appalachian scholars and other subjects.

Ranta, a member of Lexington's First United Methodist Church, will attend seminars on the method and experience of centering prayer, and the arts and culture of Islam.

"It's something I know nothing about," she said, referring to Islam.

Brunner, who is moderating the conference, said the idea is for participants to get "a deeper understanding of themselves and others."

That aim was welcomed by Legendre, a Native American spiritualist. The many Christian congregations in Lexington lend stability, he said, but also can exclude groups with different beliefs.

"America's not based on that," Legendre said. "America's based on liberty and equality for everybody. Everybody has some kind of belief."