Congregational Meeting Invite

The annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled to take place Sunday, June 7, from 1 to 3 pm, in Zoom Room Aleph, at which time we will present the budget and other topics of importance to the congregation. While we will be meeting virtually, we are working to plan a meeting that includes a way for us to connect with each other through music, brief study as well as updates and opportunities for discussion with each other.

Our bylaws state that "participation in congregational meetings shall be limited to members in good standing,” meaning those who are current with their dues commitment, or have made other arrangements for payment. It is important to us that all members are able attend. If you have any questions regarding your dues or other financial commitments, please contact Karen Westerman.

As mentioned in prior notices, we will have to hold this year’s meeting electronically via Zoom. This Zoom meeting will be different from other Zoom events you have become used to and will require your understanding of and adherence to some specific instructions being provided. We ask for your patience as we work through the many details to make this first virtual Congregational Meeting one that allows us to be together, share important information, ask questions and have them answered. Click here for more information on attending the meeting via Zoom.

Join info for Room Aleph is at the end of this email. The meeting agenda can be found at this link.

Due to the virtual platform, we ask that questions be written in the chat box. Someone will be monitoring the chat and they will provide the facilitators with the questions.

The budget will be presented for the 2020-21 Fiscal Year. Members may email info@havurahshalom.org for a copy of the draft budget.

As you may recall, last year the budget was reformatted by cluster. We have continued this organization this year. As a reminder, the following image depicts our different clusters and committees that occur with them.

For ease of reading, the circles are separated to show the committees within each cluster, but the reality is that all clusters are connected, as almost every committee activity impacts, strengthens, and informs the others. This is the continued goal of Gesher, that all of the parts of Havurah connect, support and engage with the others. This only makes us a stronger and more vibrant community.

While there are many unknowns about the impact of COVID-19 on our fiscal health, we have prepared a budget that takes into account a conservative growth of our membership as well as the reality that more members may need to temporarily pay less towards dues. Steering also made the decision to not increase dues this year. Even with those unknowns, we are presenting a budget that supports our core programming and acknowledges the incredible work of our hardworking and talented staff.

Our goal is to make the information shared meaningful. With that in mind, please let us know what questions you have about Havurah’s operations, programming, membership, etc. It will be our goal to address your questions during the meeting and if time does not allow, we will answer your questions through email or Hakol. If you have questions prior to the meeting you can send them to Julia at lagermes@gmail.com or Miriam at miriamreshotko@comcast.net.

We look forward to spending this time with you, hearing your questions and thoughts about what our future will look like.

B’shalom,

Julia Lager-Mesulam and Miriam Reshotko
Havurah Shalom Co-Presidents


 

Join Info for the Meeting

Room Aleph
Members may email info@havurahshalom.org for meeting join info, or find it in Hineinu.

Remember to read the special pre-meeting Zoom instructions here!