This Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, more than 800 Jewish congregants have the McLean Lutherans to thank during their prayers. It’s because of the Lutheran’s generosity and the relationship forged between the two that the Jewish congregants have a place to pray on their holiest days this year.
The conversation was started at a Fairfax County Preparedness meeting by a greeting that happened by coincidence, even though the two congregations are less than two miles from each other. In conversation, Beth Silver, Executive Director of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church mentioned to Bill Parks, Director of Church Operations at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in McLean that she was on the hunt for overflow space for her congregation to celebrate their High Holy Days. They had outgrown the offsite space they were in and had been searching for an alternative space for years with no luck. Their main building already served more than 1,000 people per service time – it wasn’t an option anymore. Without hesitation, Parks offered Redeemer as an option. Days later, after touring the space, the deal was done.
The morning of Rosh Hashanah, Pastor Sandy Kessinger and Deacon Erin Swenson-Reinhold were alongside Bill Parks to assist the TRS team with their 7:30 a.m. setup. A Redeemer group of around 20 congregants arrived shortly thereafter. Their sole purpose, as the Temple Rodef Shalom (TRS) congregants who arrived for their New Year service soon learned, was to offer the biggest, warmest smiles, a Happy New Year greeting and to help them find their way in the unknown building. Beth Silver commented, “their entire staff and congregation were truly lovely. They went above and beyond to make us feel at home in their space. We are so grateful.” As the service ended and more than 400 congregants left the building, whispers were heard among TRS members that they were going to tell their friends about this service space as an option for the next holiday. The teams chatted about the upcoming Yom Kippur service – when they’d do it all over again the next week – and about how good they all felt about this new partnership and friendship.