Since I’ve been President, I often hear Board Members, and especially past-Board Members complain that they never found their “voice” while they were on the Board. This also holds for congregants who are looking to find community here at Temple. Well… after almost 20 years as a member, 6 years on the Board and 2 ½ years as President, I have the answer. VOLUNTEER. JOIN. BE HERE.
I too spent some time as a “drop-off” parent. You know who you are. You drive by, open the door, let your child into the building and then drive off. You can’t get involved that way, and you can’t complain about not getting connected if you never enter the building. Each week we send out an email that lists activities in the building. It also has information about committee meetings and events that need workers. If you want to get something out of your membership, you have to put something in. In you want to find a support system within the congregation, you have to be where others are. If you work on a committee you meet the other members, same thing with helping out cooking a dinner or organizing an event. We currently need committee chairs and volunteers to organize events for Tu B’shvat, Purim, Pesach, and the up-coming 150th Anniversary of our congregation. There’s a Used Book Sale in January that needs lots of help, too. The more you do, the more you get. Yes, you can just drop off your kid, but there is so much more we have to offer. We can’t go to your house and drag you in. And once you are in the building, we need to know who you are. Are you a great organizer, a great cook, can you decorate like Martha Stewart, or do you just take directions well. We need to know what you can do and what you want to do before we can get you to the right place. And sometimes things don’t work out exactly as you thought they would but so what, you tried. Try again with another group if you don’t like the first one, or even the second or third.
So when you get that email that says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
When someone calls you and says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
When someone comes to you and says “WE NEED HELP”, help!
Or stop kvetching that you can’t find your place… We really are talking to YOU!
Written with hope,
Lauren Levrant
President
