After Harvey, two faiths under one roof
In the past, Emmanuel Episcopal Church marked Holy Saturday with a Great Easter Vigil, a deeply spiritual ritual that concludes with the lighting of the paschal candle — a symbol of rebirth and renewal.
But this year, a time when so much has changed for so many, members of the Christian church in west Houston instead observed Easter eve with a Passover seder, sharing a meal of gefilte fish and matzah ball soup with Jewish worshipers from Temple Sinai.
It is a fitting metaphor.
Two communities ravaged by the force of nature. Two faiths with common roots. Two religious traditions.
Under one roof, at the same table.
It’s been that way since Temple Sinai opened its doors to Emmanuel Episcopal, which was left without a place of worship after Hurricane Harvey’s floodwaters swallowed up the dove gray church at Eldridge Parkway and Memorial, rendering the building unusable.
Their story — of how a church and synagogue came together through crisis and upheaval, how they formed one family in the midst of fear and uncertainty, how faith was shaken and restored — is the story of this season.
It recalls the message of Passover, when Jews commemorate God’s liberation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt, and the traditional seder welcome that, according to Temple Sinai Rabbi Annie Belford, invites “all who are hungry to come and eat.”
It embodies the hope of Easter, when Christians celebrate the day Jesus rose from the dead, and the promise of redemption for those pushing through despair.
It is the story of “huge loss coupled with with incredible generosity and love. Darkness and light together. Death and resurrection together,” said the Rev. Andrew Parker of Emmanuel. “That’s what the paschal mystery is all about. We are living it in a bigger, more tangible way.”
Parker paused and blinked back tears. His expression was an amalgam of pain and gratitude, a glimpse of how far they have all come.