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In Cedar Park, two religious communities share building, Hannukah
The Rev. Linda Bunyard serves Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church in Cedar Park.
Rabbi Marie Betcher serves Congregation Shir Ami in Cedar Park.
Posted: 12:00 a.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2012
By Marie Betcher,Linda Bunyard
A religious center in Cedar Park is home to two unique but compatible congregations. The signs outside says “Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church” and “Congregation Shir Ami.” A banner on the the side of the building proclaims “Standing on the Side of Love.”
Congregation Shir Ami, a Union of Reform Judaism congregation, began sharing space with Live Oak Unitarian Universalist in 2003.
Rabbi Marie Betcher enjoys passing the Rev. Linda Bunyard in the halls during the week and says, “Because of their dynamic new spiritual leader, the Unitarian Universalists are coming to a newfound awareness of their Jewish neighbors.”
Both congregations can trace their openness and tolerance to the Enlightenment Era. “At every service Rabbi Betcher and I lift up our respective religious heritage to our congregations, but each individual in the pew is free to run that heritage through his or her own reason,” Bunyard says.
http://www.statesman.com/news/lifestyles/in-cedar-park-two-religious-communities-share-buil/nTGzr/
