President’s Message (April 2014)

Dear Temple Sinai Members,

I hope by the time you read this, we will be enjoying warmer days. The calendar says it is spring, so I am going with that. And spring brings many important events to Temple Sinai. I know a large crowd enjoyed the fun and creative Purim Spiel that Rabbi Bennett and Cantor Gordon gave us. And of course, thanks go to the supporting actors and actresses — Ethan Nash, Aurel Mucka, Joyce Sturm, Nina Miller, and Rena Citron. We are fortunate to have such wonderful professional and supporting staff for our congregation.

Many thanks also go to Ken Lesser, the Strategic Planning Committee, and the many members who came to our flrst focus group on March 9. In addition to the valuable suggestions and input that everyone provided, the sense of community that morning was truly inspiring. The committee will be meeting again soon to determine future dates for focus groups which will take place in a variety of places and at different times. We hope that everyone will join one of these groups, as the future of Temple Sinai is important to all of us.

The Strategic Planning Committee has identified three major areas for us to focus on for the next several years. These areas are

  • Member Engagement
  • Financial Stability and Growth
  • The future of Reform Judaism and how it will impact Temple Sinai.

I hope that you will all provide some input into one or more of these areas as well as provide ideas in terms of how we can accomplish the goals that are identified as priorities for our congregations. As an example, many people have suggested that we need to improve the parking lot. I am sure you know that this is a costly project, so your help is needed if this is selected as one of our future objectives; help not only in the form of contributions, but also as a volunteer if a Capital Campaign is conducted.

Another example is the offering of new and different programs to involve more members. Again, we will need your energy and creativity to make a wish list a reality.

I am certain that we can count on many of you to come forward to help all of us so that Temple Sinai will continue to be the best it can be for generations to come.

The next few months are busy with a variety of activities, so please review the bulletin and/or our website for more details.

Carol Benjamin, President new-message24