BANNERS OF BLESSINGS
Organizations encourage Houstonians to share messages of healing for shooting victims
Santa Fe High School students head off for the summer break, with memories of the May 18 mass shooting still fresh in their minds and a hole in their hearts left by the 10 students and teachers who died in the tragedy.
The shooting sent waves of grief throughout the region and nation, said Masrur Javed “M. J.” Khan, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston.
“Even one incident like this is one too many,” Khan said. “But when you have them so frequently and so close to home, people become numb. They’re totally lost. They don’t know what to do.”
That’s why he was intrigued to learn about the “Banners for Santa Fe” project created by Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and Gallery Furniture.
“Interfaith contacted us,” Khan said. “Of course, we definitely wanted to be involved. We have over 100 mosques in Houston, and they’ll all want to be a part of it.”
Interfaith distributed 50 vinyl banners, each measuring 10 feet by 10 feet, to faith communities around the city. At each location, members of the congregations are encouraged to write messages of support.
The banners, which read “God Bless Santa Fe,” will stay at the congregations for two weeks before they are collected.
Interfaith president and CEO Martin B. Cominsky said the inspiration for the banners came from Orlando and the Pulse Nightclub. After the shooting there, individuals wrote messages on a scroll of brown craft paper.
“People really want to do something to help,” Cominsky said. “This is just an outpouring of their expression of love.”
He approached Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale and his son James, who joined the family business, about the project.
James said his father had just returned from the candlelight vigil held for the Santa Fe students.
“Mack felt like he needed to do something,” he said. “This would create an opportunity for all of us to do something proactive for the Santa Fe community. It’s something that would build unity.”
Mattress Mack jumped on board, and Cominsky took on the task of reaching out to faith communities in Houston to get them involved. On May 25, he drove for four hours, helping to distribute the banners.
“We delivered to a synagogue, then a Buddhist shrine, then two mosques and then went to United Methodist,” Cominsky said. “It was fascinating to see how diverse our city is and how people welcomed the chance to do this.”
Rev. John Wurster at St. Philip Presbyterian Church said the banners allowed his congregation to connect. He said even a couple of his youngest members, who were only now learning to write, participated.
“They decided the word they wanted to share was ‘love,’ ” Wurster said. “It’s really touching.”
Some members of the church wrote a prayer, others a sentence or two of condolence.
“This community of support is also a community of grief, a community of sorrow,” he said. “We’re all in this together. We’re all affected by this. We’re responsible for one
another.”
Tom Pace, senior pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, echoed the sentiment. “The scriptures tell us that when one suffers, we all suffer together,” he said. “Everybody has wanted to reach out in some way and somehow express empathy.”
Pace said the banners show how religions can unite for a positive message. “Compassion is one of the universal messages that tie us together,” he said. “It crosses every faith tradition. We’re lifting up that virtue in the face of tragedy.”
Rabbi Steven Gross at Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism is partnering with Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church to prepare a banner.
“It’s a beautiful attempt to send something from our hearts across faiths,” he said.
The rabbi said that prayer is a way to raise awareness during a crisis. “When we’re more aware, we’re more ready to act,” he said.
Prayers also are signs of empathy, Gross added. “It expresses our compassion, which means to suffer with one another,” he said. “When we receive sympathy, we’re lifted a little from despair by connecting with others who care about us.”
Khan said the project arrived right in time. “In a time of tragedy, we need to do whatever we can to show proper respect for the deceased and their families,” he said. “Prayers are important, but having a display like this will be meaningful.”
Especially high on Gross’ mind is Sabika Sheikh, the 17-year-old exchange student from Pakistan who died in the shooting. “Efforts like this will keep her legacy alive,” he said. “We have to remember these innocent lives.”
Khan also hopes Houston and the region will find comfort in the words written on the banners.
“This effort will bring people together, giving them the opportunity to read what others say,” he said. “Maybe they feel the same sentiment. There are all these feelings inside of us, the frustration and sadness, sorrow and anger, that need of relief.”
James McIngvale said connecting the community is his hope as well.
“It’s really twofold,” he said. “It’s to provide comfort and provide hope to the citizens of Santa Fe and to allow citizens of the greater Houston area to be involved and do something. We’re a community that believes in being unified and standing up for each other.”
Gallery Furniture also is teaming with Interfaith Ministries’ Volunteer Houston for a similar effort. The Stars of Santa Fe allows anyone who wants to share a personal message of hope to participate.
Stars may be printed from a template available online at — volunteerhouston.org/stars-ofsanta-fe or www.galleryfurniture.com/santa-fe-hs.
“Then people personalize them and send them to Gallery Furniture,” McIngvale said. “We’re collecting them. We’ve already received a lot.”
The mailing address for the stars is Gallery Furniture, Attn: God Bless Santa Fe, 6006 North Freeway, Houston, TX 77076.
He plans to eventually deliver the banners and the stars to Santa Fe High School, which has established a committee to determine how to distribute items given to the campus. The group will decide on the next steps — whether the gift will be given to families or displayed for the community.
“We hope that by personalizing your star or writing on the banner, in our own way, we’re encouraging people to make better decisions and reverse the trends,” McIngvale said. “It’s an opportunity to be proactive and do something positive.”
St. Philip’s Wurster encourages all area residents to get involved.
“We wonder what we can do,” he said. “Take a pen, and share our hearts.”