Flower Mound Baptists and Jews
share space for peace & prosperity
___By Marv Knox
___Editor
___FLOWER MOUND--Did you hear about the Baptist pastor and the Jewish rabbi who ... ?
___No, it's not a joke. David Williams of First Baptist Church and Geoff Dennis of Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound are good friends and next-door neighbors, of sorts.
___The Baptist and Jewish congregations share more than a property line; they also share building space and ideas about faith.
___Their buildings are almost too small for the congregations in booming Denton County, just north of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
___"When I first became pastor here six years ago, a Lutheran church owned the buildings next door to our church," Williams recalled. "We talked about buying each other's property, just so we would have enough buildings and land for one church."
___Then the Lutherans sold out to the Jewish congregation.
___"That's great," Williams thought, figuring his church could loan its facilities to Congregation Kol Ami on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, and First Baptist could borrow the Jewish buildings on Sunday.
___Then he learned Congregation Kol Ami held its Hebrew School, a training program for children, on Sunday mornings.
___But when Congregation Kol Ami flourished in its new location, members sought a solution to their own space problems.
___"We approached David," Dennis said. "If we moved our religious school to Sunday afternoons, perhaps we could use their education and youth buildings. And they could use our education space on Sunday mornings."
___"I was excited about sharing space," Williams said. "It's always been my philosophy to let people use this building." First Baptist already provided its facilities to a Girl Scout troop, the Mothers of Preschoolers ministry and the North Texas Chinese Church.
___The building arrangement became the first step in relationship-building between the two congregations.
___"More important than space sharing is idea sharing," Williams said.
___First Baptist proposed joint Bible-study classes, apart from each group's own programs. "I felt we could learn from them," the pastor said, noting a new perspective could enrich and deepen the Baptists' faith.
___That idea had to grow on the members of Kol Ami, Dennis reported.
___"Jews probably have as many stereotypes of Christians as Christians have of Jews," Dennis said. "But we wanted to get together. We wanted to see their perspective on the Bible."
___The church and synagogue agreed to study the Ten Commandments, a passage of Scripture that is foundational to both groups.
___"We felt we could see the commonality, but also the way we view (the Commandments) differently," Dennis said.
___The 13-week class attracted almost 30 people, with an even split between Jews and Baptists.
___"It was enlightening for everybody," Dennis noted. "There were moments when we would be in a phase of mutual admiration, then shock as we discovered how far apart we are, and then by the end of the evening we would be back to some understanding."
___The class followed some basic ground rules, Williams said.
___"This was not a debate," he said. "We were not to be antagonistic, but to freely speak out, express opinions and ask questions."
___While both groups were cordial and open, they remained true to their own understandings and commitments, he said.
___"From my perspective as a Christian minister, this was an opportunity to present the gospel without being overly offensive," he said. "Geoff knows this is my goal."
___The discussions ranged beyond the Ten Commandments and allowed both groups to explain the central tenets of their faith and to explore the key elements of the others' beliefs.
___"We cannot understand why they would not accept Jesus as the Messiah, and they cannot understand why we would believe he is the Messiah," Williams said.
___"This was strong discussion," Dennis added. "It enabled our people to better understand and appreciate the Baptist community."
___The study's impact ranged beyond the classroom, Williams said. "I see these people every day--in the grocery store, at ballgames--but I never saw them as Jews. We learned to talk to each other in a new way."
___This fall, the Baptists and Jews will participate in a joint study of David, the greatest king in Jewish history and the most notable ancestor to Jesus.
___"It could be tremendous fun," Williams said. "We can look at different Christian and Jewish perspectives on messianism. It's central to Christian self-understanding and important to the Jewish perspective."
___The congregations have discontinued their space-sharing arrangement, at least for the school year, since Kol Ami has decided to return its Hebrew School to a Sunday morning schedule.
___"We stand ready to renew the relationship whenever they want," Williams said, "and we are glad to continue to make our space available to them for special events."
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