February 2022   Keeping Connected

Hi Friends,

We are through January, and COVID numbers are dropping. I’m looking forward to possibly resuming some sort of normalcy. This month I want to talk about security.

Although we have invested quite a bit in security over the last two years, recent events in Colleyville, Texas made us once again re-think about our security system and processes we have in place.

In the week following the event, many of us on the security committee attended various webinars offered by URJ, ADL, SCN, and other organizations, pretty much summarizing what happened, who was involved, and who assisted, and providing some basics that we need to have in place. Our security committee also held a meeting two days following the event. Although we have done quite a bit in upgrading our security system over the past year or so, there is more that we need to do.

One of the biggest lessons learned we heard about from the Texas event was that the rabbi and some of the congregants had hands-on, in-person practice in these types of scenarios, role-playing, and they practiced different types of drills. My impression is that Rabbi Charlie believes this really and truly helped and was one of the #1 reasons they survived. He knew to immediately try and distract and talk to this person, to subtly move toward the exit, he knew to move chairs in front of them, and many other tactics.

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December 2021   Keeping Conneected

Dear Friends,

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was so great to be with the larger family again, like the before times. And now we are already celebrating Hanukkah!! So with that, I thought I would tell you what I would like for each night of Hanukkah and maybe you can help fulfill my wishes.

	2 Volunteers to be on the Membership Committee
	3 Volunteers to be on a Capital Campaign Committee (more information coming soon)
	1 Volunteer to Manage our Plots at Temple Beth El Cemetery
	1 Volunteer to Assist with Applying for a Security Grant
	2 Volunteers to be on the Fun Committee (planning some social events)
	3 Volunteers to Help with a Spring Outdoor Yard Sale Fundraiser
	2 Volunteers to Plan our Second Annual Parking Lot Party in June
	Health and Happiness for my extended family at Congregation Shalom.  Happy Hanukkah!!

We are a healthy, thriving organization but we are constantly in need of volunteers and we need our members to step up and help! Being part of these committees is a fun way to meet people, establish new friendships, and give back to our community. I hope you will consider helping out!!

Have a great month!!

November 2021   Keeping Connected

Hi friends,  At this time of year, I like to provide our members with an update on how our pledge system is working and where we are relative to our budget.  We are doing great this year and are on track to meet or exceed our budgeted expectations.

Here are the statistics:

	2021-2022 (as of 10/23/21)	2020-2021
# Pledge Commitments Received	192	202
# Pledge Commitments Not Received (but not resigned)	11	5
Total $$ Committed Pledges	$336,590	$326,024
Total $$ Budgeted Pledges	$333,000	$323,000
# Pledges Equal to Sustaining #	50	51
# Pledges Over Sustaining #	29	32
% of Pledges Equal to or Over Sustaining #	41.1%	41.1%
# Pledges Below Sustaining #	113	119
# Pledges Up from Last Year	116 (62%)	41 (20%)
# Pledges Down from Last Year	21 (11%)	50 (25%)
# Pledges Same as Last Year	49 (26%)	111 (54%)
# New Member Families	7	7
# Resignations	9	8
Sustaining #	$2,450	$2,375

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October 2021   Keeping Connected

L’Shana Tovah,

Hi friends. It is nice to be back in the sanctuary this morning. And I do understand not everybody is ready to be back here but at least this year, we are able to meet everyone’s individual needs and that is really what is important, that each of you are able to be here today spiritually in a way that is comfortable for you. I’m still hopeful next year, we will all be back in the sanctuary together.

So, I wanted to focus my speech this morning on a few different words. The first word I want to discuss is community. I looked up the definition of community on-line, not that I didn’t know what it meant, but I wanted to see the official definition. Community is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.  Now, we may not all share the same attitudes and interests, and that’s okay because we can have communities within communities for that. But one thing for sure is we share the same goal, and that is our love for Congregation Shalom and our commitment to making sure this is the best place possible for the Jewish community in our area, for the congregation, and for each other.

So, what are some examples of how we have been a community this past year? More

September 2021   Keeping Connected

Hello friends,

This is one of my favorite times of the year when it comes to life at the temple. It truly amazes me how our community comes together to make sure our high holidays will go off without a hitch. And if you are not aware, there is a LOT going on in the background leading up to these days. So, thank you all for making the time.

As summer is sadly coming to an end, we are getting ready for life to resume at the temple. School will be starting soon, we will be together for the high holidays, and Friday night Shabbat services will be occurring on a more consistent basis at the temple. There will be virtual options for almost all of our happenings.More

August 2021   Keeping Connected

I hope you are all enjoying your summer and able to find some time for relaxing. As you know, we are preparing for the high holidays, which are “early” this year. It always amazes me how many committees and volunteers need to come together to make the high holidays happen and all of these committees are currently working hard, including the Phased Reopening Committee, the Security Committee, a special high holidays technology committee, and of course, Rabbi Perry. I know this year will look different from last year and different from the “before times”. We are hearing varying degrees of comfort level from our members and we are taking it all into account as we plan. We know that we will not be able to meet everyone’s needs or wants but I can guarantee you we will do the best we can while keeping the safety of our community as the #1 priority, from both a health and security perspective.

If you have not already, please do not forget to send in your pledge form. It is really important that we have an understanding in August of who is retaining their membership in the congregation and what the pledge amount is so we can make sure we are on track for the year. It only takes a minute to complete the form so please make sure to complete it and return it to Bonnie by August 4.

Please continue to enjoy your summer. Let’s hope for less rain in August, and I hope to see you soon.  Please reach out at any time if you have any concerns.