Tuesday, August 10, 2004
Settling In
Well, I made it here! All my household goods, and the cases of books are piled up. All I have to do is find room to put all of these books! Now we get to work. You may note that I said “we” and not “I”. Beth Shalom is on the road to new heights of success. With all of our efforts, working together, we will increase our membership, our programming and our knowledge of Judaism.
For the few of you that missed Friday Night services on July 16th, I will repeat some of my remarks from my first official sermon here at Beth Shalom Congregation. I see my role, in the next several months, as a three-stage process.
1) Investigate: The first thing that I must do is to learn all about the congregation, its members, its traditions and its approach to Jewish life. There are many areas of congregational activity that are doing very well. Some areas may need a bit of enhancement. Before I offer any major suggestions, I must be careful to not disrupt that which is good. As in the physician’s credo – First, do no harm!
2) Innovate: Once I have determined what needs to be done, I – together with the appropriate committees – will offer new ideas, suggestions, goals, programs, standards, and directions. I will work, with you, to find those areas of activity that will enhance congregational life. We will experiment with creative ideas that will be the product of our careful considerations.
3) Evaluate: Not everything will go as well as we may hope. Some ideas will “fly” while others may be less enthusiastically received. A constant flow of feedback will be needed to see which new programs meet the needs of the congregants and which need to be rethought. This partnership of progress will lead to a bright future for our congregation.
We will soon be approaching the High Holy Days. In mid-August, we will begin the month of Elul. This Hebrew month has often been seen as a prelude to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is a time of spiritual self-evaluation, and personal stocktaking. Let us use these weeks ahead of us also as a time of community introspection. Together we can chart a bright course into the future of Beth Shalom Congregation.
One more important thought: How can we get new members? The best way to get people interested in our congregation is by word-of-mouth. A satisfied (and enthusiastic) consumer is the best form of advertising. Beth Shalom has much to offer. Tell friends and neighbors about it! Better yet, bring them with you to services and programs. Show them that Beth Shalom offers them a congregation that will care about individual members and offer them, and their families, a place to grow spiritually. This is your job! Let’s do it!
Rabbi Martin I. Sandberg
