High Holy Days Event Summary
Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah
– Service & Celebration Dinner: Wed, Oct 2, 6:30 – 9:30 pm @ Lake Houston Wilderness Park
– Tashlich on your own: Thu, Oct 3
Yom Kippur Services
– Kol Nidre Service: Fri, Oct 11, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm @ Calvary
– Shacharit Shabbat Service: Sat, Oct 12, 10 am-12 pm @ Calvary
– Neilah & Break-the-Fast Dinner: Sat, Oct 12, 6:30 pm @ Calvary
(RSVP – Purchase Tickets)
Sukkot
– Campout at Lake Houston Wilderness Park: Wed, Oct 16-Sun, Oct 20
(RSVP – Reserve Campsite)
– 1st Day Service: Thurs, Oct 17, 4:00PM @ Oakwood Loop
– Shabbat Service: Sat, Oct 19, 10:00 am @ Oakwood Loop
– Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah: Thurs, Oct 24, 6:30 pm @ Calvary
Yom Teruah / Rosh Hashanah
Wednesday, October 2, 6:30 – 9:30 pm @ Lake Houston Wilderness Park
Regular Attenders RSVP through Realm. Visitors Welcome!
Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) is one of the High Holy Days and Appointed Times of the LORD. This same day is also known as Rosh Hashanah, which is the first day of the civil calendar.
- Attire – Festive / Dressy Casual
- Childcare will not be available.
- What to Bring – A Shofar if you have one; Food item to share (Please NO nuts, peanuts, pork products or shellfish)
- Order of Events – We will begin the evening with a liturgical prayer service, concluding with 100 blasts of the shofar. Following the service, there will be an opportunity to recite traditional blessings as we enjoy apple slices dipped in honey. The remainder of the evening will be food, fellowship, music and fun! We must be out of the park no later than 10pm.
- It is customary to perform a Tashlich service on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, or the second day if the first day falls on Shabbat. We will not be coordinating a group service, but we do encourage you to go to a body of water on Thursday and perform this simple but very powerful service yourself. More on the significance of this service can be found from FFOZ here and from Chabad here. You may download and print the Tashlich prayers here.
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year. Yom Kippur begins before sunset Friday, October 11, and ends after nightfall on Saturday, October 12. Traditionally, the day is spent in prayer and fasting, beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. There are three services/gatherings associated with Yom Kippur:
Yom Kippur: Kol Nidre (All Vows) Service
Friday, October 11, 7:30 pm @ Calvary Christian Fellowship
No RSVP needed. Visitors Welcome!
The Kol Nidre service is a solemn prayer service that begins the 25 hour Yom Kippur fast.
- Attire – It is customary to wear white (find out why here)
- Childcare TBD for children 5 and under.
- Order of Events – Doors open at 7:10 pm, prayer service begins in the Sanctuary at 7:30 pm. Event concludes at end of prayer service.
- Note – Enjoy your Shabbat dinner and drink lots of water before you arrive, because this service initiates the 25 hour complete food and water fast traditional for Yom Kippur. The prayer service is solemn and fairly lengthy – take this into consideration when considering child participation.
Yom Kippur: Shacharit (Morning Prayer) Service
Saturday, October 12, 10 am – 12 pm @ Calvary Christian Fellowship
No RSVP needed. Visitors Welcome!
The morning prayer service will include a discussion of the Temple service on the Day of Atonement.
- Attire – It is customary to wear white (find out why here)
- Childcare provided
- Order of Events – The regular Shabbat Service will be replaced by a Yom Kippur Prayer Service. Prayer service will be followed by discussion of the Temple Service on the Day of Atonement, aided by resources from the Temple Institute website.
- There will be no livestream of this service
Yom Kippur: Neilah (Closing the Gates) & Break-the-Fast
Saturday, October 12, 6:30 – 9:30 pm @ Calvary Christian Fellowship
- Attire – Keep wearing your white if it’s still clean! Otherwise, dress business casual
- NO Childcare provided
- Order of Events – Brief prayer service followed by catered buffet-style meal
Sukkot
Sukkot begins the evening of Wednesday, October 16th and ends with Shemini Atzeret on Thursday, October 24, followed immediately by Simchat Torah on Thursday evening.
Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths, is a time of rejoicing and celebration! In this time we remember HaShem’s faithfulness to the children of Israel as they dwelled in tabernacles in the wilderness, His faithfulness to mankind when He sent His son Yeshua to tabernacle with us, and His faithfulness to dwell again with us in the Age to Come!
- Camp out @ Lake Houston Wilderness Park – Wed, Oct 16 – Sun, Oct 20
Emmaus Road has reserved the tent sites in the Oakwood and Magnolia loops.
Screened shelter or cabin reservations can be made through the LHWP Reservation system. Even if you are not staying overnight, you are welcome to visit for the day and attend any of the Services and/or community events! - 1st Day of Sukkot Service – Thurs, October 17, 4:00PM @ Oakwood Loop
- Shabbat Service – Sat, October 19, 10 am @ Oakwood Loop
Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah – Thurs, October 24, 6:30 pm @ Calvary