Keeping Connected  December 2022

Hi friends,

Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving and some quality family time. So, what are some new things going on at the temple? Well, 2 days ago, we received our signed contract back from the state for our security grant which will go toward the hardening of the exterior of our building. We have a few more steps to get through before we can officially start the project, including a Special Congregational Meeting, which will be required since this is a reimbursable grant, meaning we need approval from the congregation to first spend the money from the Building Fund with the knowledge that we will be reimbursed from this grant. We are still a couple of steps away from this meeting, but you will likely hear about it in the next 1-2 months. The Security, House, and Beautification committees are meeting now to agree on the final items we will be installing on our grounds as part of this grant.

We are also looking into rearranging some of our space within the building to make room for some more storage and better functionality. We have a committee working on this now. As part of this, we are also looking into purchasing a nice storage shed for outside. We will begin a fundraiser campaign for this shed in the very near future and I hope you will consider contributing to this much needed item. More to come very soon…

I hope you saw that we are offering FREE First Aid Training on December 11 from 1:30-4:30 PM at the temple. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn some first aid basics and how to use our AED equipment. Please sign up soon if you have not already, as we have limited attendance capacity.  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054CA4AC2BA20-first

That’s it for now…  Hope you all have a nice month, stay warm, and stay safe.

L’Shalom,

November 2022   Keeping Connected

Hi Friends,

Hope you are enjoying the fall season.  This month, I want to bring to your attention two important items.

First, we are continuing to highlight security training.  We are very lucky to have a member certified as an ALICE trainer and willing to devote the time to train our members (Thanks Tim!).  If you have not taken the 2-hour ALICE training, I highly recommend you sign up for the training on November 6.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/508054ca4ac2ba20-alice3More

October 2022   Keeping Connected

Happy New Year friends!

It’s hard for me to believe that is my 4^th time standing in front of you on Rosh Hashanah as President of Congregation Shalom, and for the record, my last time.  Every year, I struggle with what my message to the congregation should be.  This may sound crazy but I do think this is one of the hardest jobs of being President.  And with every year, it gets much harder for me to decide what I am going to say.  But, then, all of a sudden, you get an idea and it starts to come together.  So, this year, I want to talk about two things, community and gratitude.More

September 2022   Keeping Connecte

Hi friends,

It’s hard to believe it’s September already, although I think we say this every year…  The summer just goes by way too fast.  I hope you all had a chance to enjoy some vacation time this summer with your families and are feeling energized to begin the new year.

September at Congregation Shalom is a very busy time and if you just look at the on-line calendar on our web site, you will see the amazing amount of activity.  School is beginning, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs are happening, Sisterhood & Brotherhood events are scheduled, and of course, high holiday season begins.  I have been amazed each year that I have been President on how high holidays come together, the amount of planning needed, and the generous number of volunteers we have to make it happen behind the scenes.More

June 2022   Keeping Connected

Hi friends,

It’s the last month of our fiscal year and we are busy getting ready for Annual Meeting. I do hope you will attend and help us get through some important business. But it’s also time to start providing more opportunities for FUN in our community. We are always working hard to keep our temple running, develop creative programming, attend school, teach our students, and much more. How about some pure fun?

June 18, 2022, Our 2^nd Annual Parking Lot Party  This will be a fun gathering of our community with food, music, activities for the kids, an ice cream truck, and a celebration of our Congregants of the Year, Tim Miranda and Noah Ablove. We will end the evening with a Havdalah service. If you have not RSVP’d, please consider doing so. Click here for the evite!

July 3 and 4, 2022, Chelmsford July 4^th Fair  Congregation Shalom will have a booth in the town center. We will be selling popcorn, giving out dreidels, and just having a bigger presence in our community. There will be a sign-up genius coming out soon as we will want volunteers to work the booth. Please consider hanging out with us on July 3 and 4. It will be fun…

We have a FUN COMMITTEE!!  This is a committee devoted to just fun. They will be planning fun activities throughout the year and will strive for at least one a month. There was a night out at Kimball Farm on May 25, and they have planned an upcoming outing for a Woo Sox baseball game in Worcester in July. Stay tuned for more announcements in our weekly update. If you have some ideas or want to be part of this committee, e-mail fun@congregationshalom.org.

I hope to see you at Annual Meeting on June 7 at 6:30 PM.  The meeting will be held at the temple with a Zoom option (details coming out prior to the meeting).  If I do not see you, please have a restful, safe, and FUN summer!!

L’Shalom,

April 2022  Keeping Connected

Hi friends,

I will get right to it. We need volunteers… I know you probably hear this a lot but for us to be a successful organization, we rely on our members to step up and help. We have limited staff and volunteers are needed so we can maintain our programming, our building, and our connectivity; we all need to participate and help out. My article this month will focus on some of our current needs for volunteers, with most of them being short-term commitments. If you see something that resonates with you, PLEASE let me know.

• Capital Projects Committees: We are in the process of establishing two separate committees for two very specific and very important capital projects. Each of these committees will have a few meetings to discuss and research the needs, develop a Request for Proposal (RFP), possibly meet with contractors (although the entire committee would not have to be part of this), evaluate bids, and bring a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. If you are interested in assisting with either or both of the following short-term committees, please let me know.
  -Exterior Siding
  -Painting & CarpetingMore