Expanding Our Volunteer Base with Action Teams
Shalom Chevrei:
I hope you are all well and enjoyed a meaningful holiday season. It was a blessing to see so many of you over the last month. It is always inspiring to pray with you and find meaning with you, as well.
I am proud of all our volunteers who made the chagim work so well, and, in general, I want you all to know how much I appreciate any gift of time and effort given so freely on behalf of our congregation.
As I think about how better to advance our mission, I can’t help but wonder how much an expanded volunteer base would help the cause. To that end, we are initiating a number action teams that need your presence and thoughtful engagement. These action teams will imagine new ideas and innovate inspiring programs and practices, build community, and so on.
Early Childhood Engagement Team—to organize early childhood activities and strengthen community;
Youth Engagement Team (YET): to organize youth activities & strengthen community;
Adult Learning, Engagement & Retention Team (ALERT): to integrate all adult learning into an inspiring and inclusive approach that will engage and retain more congregants;
Israel Action Team (IAT): to organize Israel learning and advocacy;
Shabbat Engagement Action Team (SEAT): to unpack the SERT Spirituality Survey and make recommendations on enhancing Shabbat engagement;
Sacred Space Team (SST): to ensure that Emanuel and its policies lend to a spiritually, physically & emotionally safe environment;
Caring Community--to provide visits to those hospitalized or homebound, bring meals, and engage in whatever caring acts needed by our community;
The Artists Action Team--to determine ways in which we can create alternative revenue streams through the arts;
Audacious Hospitality/Radical Inclusion Action Team; to help Emanuel ensure its commitments to audacious hospitality and radical inclusion of any who feel marginalized in our community.
There is something for everybody. The more that participate the merrier. Call me or email me (rabbimarantz@emanuelcong.org) and we’ll talk more about these inspiring opportunities to serve our community.
For 140 years, we have been at our best as congregation when more people than less have a volunteer job they love to do for Emanuel, and they do it. In so doing they make an incredible difference pushing our mission of sacred service along. Kol ha-kavod!
Make it a day of blessing and be a force for good!
Rabbi Craig Marantz
