Steve Sprinkle

DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com

Congregation Beth El Binah is having a banner summer for new membership. The week before the start of the High Holidays, Dallas’ predominantly LGBTQ synagogue had a record number of new members sign up.

At the start of the pandemic, the congregation pivoted quickly to online services following the science and the recommendations of doctors who serve on its board. For Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, services will be shorter this year than when the synagogue meets in person and will be streamed live on Zoom.

Congregation President Josh Manes said synagogues usually see their biggest number of new members before the holidays, and this year is no different. But distance is no longer a factor. Some former members who’ve moved to Florida or the West Coast have been participating in Friday night services and have rejoined. Other new members are friends or relatives of members.

Manes said some people don’t have time to get home from work, make dinner and get to temple. But they do have time to make something to eat and curl up in front of their computer. That’s contributed to an uptick in attendance since services went virtual in February.

He believes the congregation is thriving because religion gives us a sense of community.

“During these times, religious ritual can give us a sense of order in uncertainty,” he said. “It can help us stay connected with people we love, but it also challenges us to work toward a more just and equitable society. The pandemic may have changed how we meet, but it has not changed our purpose: to build a better world for others by everyday deeds and kindness and recognizing that we are stronger together.”

The Rev. Steve Sprinkle, who is professor of practical theology at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, agrees: “We’re hungry for community,” he said. “And religion has demonstrated for thousands of years that we know how to do community.”

Sprinkle said the pandemic has shown that religion is more than a church building. Liberal congregations, in particular, are thriving because they understand the science and embrace new technology. He said he’s spoken to some local congregations whose contributions have even increased.

Still, everyone is suffering from Zoom fatigue. Because of that, Sprinkle recommends shorter and more positive services no matter what denomination.

What is suffering is communal singing. “Different congregations are taking different approaches,” Sprinkle said. “But that doesn’t take the place of choirs, quartets and congregational singing.” he said.
“Some rituals we’re only experiencing in 2D,” he said, describing one congregation that has even resumed baptisms with a drive-through format and a squirt gun.

Others are taking worship to new heights. Sprinkle has begun doing services for a church in Great Britain that has an outreach to people in Zambia and South Korea. The church is taking the worship experience to a level that wouldn’t have been possible before the pandemic.

He said there’s only one drawback to preaching at Sunday morning Sabbath in Great Britain from his home in Dallas: “I have to get up very early to do it.”