At our Annual Meeting in May, we celebrated the remarkable achievements that have taken place in our congregation over the course of the past year. Looking back, it is truly amazing how many programs we implemented; how many projects we completed; how many goals we have reached, and how many individuals we engaged.
Our Got Shabbat services exponentially increased attendance for Sabbath worship; our congregational volunteer days repeatedly filled the synagogue with helping hands and generous hearts; our walls have been adorned with fabulous art; and our ever-expanding programming continues to provide us with opportunities for learning and fellowship.
Among the most dynamic new additions to our congregation is the Torah Tots Program, which will be continuing throughout the summer, and our dynamic new youth group. We also have a new website.
On our website, www.hcrj.org, stream worship services any Friday night that you are unable to attend, or share an archived sermon with someone who may find interest in the topic. We will soon have a complete payment system up and running so you will be able to register for religious school, pay your pledges and make donations at the click of a button.
With this radical expansion of programming comes an increased demand on staffing, and this is where you come in. We need the help of our membership in three specific ways.
First, we can always use the help of skilled volunteers. Help in the office enables us to focus our attention on more complex tasks. Help in our religious school enables us to better prepare for our students. Help in the kitchen enables us to bake more goodies and support more holiday celebrations and social events. Your help is vital to the ongoing mission of our community, and if you have the time and the interest, we are ready to enlist you as a volunteer.
Second, since our day to day operations are supported by membership dues, it is through the generosity of your annual pledges that life pulses through our congregation. It is also true that as our membership increases, so too does our revenue base. Share the joy of HCRJ with a friend. Bring a family to a service. Introduce someone who may be searching for a spiritual home to our wonderful programs and our dynamic religious school. Each of us is an ambassador of our congregation. By helping us expand our membership base, you ultimately strengthen the foundation of our sacred community.
Finally, many of our new programs represent wonderful opportunities to help shape the future. If you have the capacity to be an underwriter for a program or an event, please do so. In the coming year, underwriters for specific programs will be instrumental in helping us fund all that we hope to do. On page 4, you will find a list of programs we wish to fund. All gifts will be recognized and are greatly appreciated. Please contact Rabbi Gross for more information.
As we look ahead to the coming fiscal year, we promise a year filled with opportunities for personal engagement, spiritual exploration, Jewish learning, congregational sharing and joyous celebration. May we all continue to go from strength to strength.
– Rabbi Gross