January 29, 2016
Shabbat
Shalom!
Rabbi
invited me to say a few words about Temple Leadership tonight – a fitting topic
at this service where we install our Board.
Temple
Sinai is not unlike many other not-for-profit organizations in that we have a
paid staff and volunteer governance. And, like many other organizations, we
started as a community of people with a shared passion and commitment who
carved out time from their lives to create, nurture, and support that
community. As the community grew, it became necessary to add paid staff to be
able to support the activities and environment that attracted people to be a
part of that community. In a faith-based community, such as Temple Sinai, first
we hired a Rabbi to serve as our spiritual leader. And, as we continued to grow,
and as the community’s expectations grew, we began adding to our paid staff
(often recognizing some core volunteer commitments as meriting financial
compensation).
As a
result, we have an amazing staff – and, for what we as a congregation expect,
are able to meet those expectations with a very lean operation. However,
sometimes having such an accomplished and passionate paid support staff can
create the illusion that we are not in need of lay leadership. After all, we
are busy – we have “day jobs” with responsibilities that often extend into the
evenings and weekends and holidays – and it is easy to think of OUR role as one
that supports what our staff does . . . to begin thinking of Temple Sinai as a
pay-for-service organization, rather than as a spiritual community.
This is a
slippery slope. If all we are is an organization providing services to its
members for an annual fee, then we are no longer a spiritual community
dedicated to serving, embracing and engaging our Jewishness . . . supporting
the three pillars of Judaism: prayer, study, and good deeds.
I think of the
four children in the Passover story and one child serves as a cautionary
example, when they ask: “What does this mean to YOU?” If we become a service
organization rather than a community, we begin to think of Temple Sinai as
“YOU” rather than as “US”. If we expect
to be served, then we isolate ourselves from the congregation and don’t accept
the responsibilities that come with being part of a community.
This is why
it is so important that we have a strong and committed and active lay
leadership in Temple Sinai. So that we are able to shape and direct, build and
develop our community. This takes commitment and this takes time – but not so
much time as commitment, as we can contribute in ways that fit for us. Serve on
a committee (where the real detail work is done) and you can see the immediate
impact of your efforts. Chair a committee and oversee and lead the discussion
and implementation of the group’s ideas. Serve on the Board and see how it all
fits together.
But this is
not like volunteering just anywhere – committing your time to Temple governance
reinforces your community, your faith and provides opportunities for learning
and personal growth. Our Board members all participate in governance at levels
that feed into the Board. They represent the Temple in the broader community as
well as represent to the Board constituencies within the congregation. Each Board
member sits on the Bimah a couple of times each year as a representative of the
Board. They host onegs and help make our community more welcoming for visitors
and new members. In short: they act as role models for an engaged congregation.
Let me
close by acknowledging and thanking our wonderful staff for providing the
support that enables each of us to contribute to the Temple Sinai community.
And let me thank the members of the Board (please stand!) for taking on a
leadership role, by giving of their time and wisdom, and leading by example so
that we all have a more meaningful, deeper, more connected Jewish community at
Temple Sinai.
Shabbat
Shalom!
