Money, Values and Congregational Life, PT 2 (Follow-up from Tues, April 5th session): In these challenging economic times, how do we make good financial decisions? We will talk about budgets as key documents that should reflect the congregation’s mission, and about how to create budgeting processes that effectively utilize the congregation’s mission, objectives and values. We will focus his session on values-based budgeting and how congregations can make good financial decisions even when choices are challenging. Many JRF congregations currently face painful challenges about where and how to allocate limited funds. How does a board go through decision-making processes to make necessary budget adjustments or cuts during tough times? How can congregations be successful in creating a dues structure that is in line with the best of its Reconstructionist values. How do we link budget processes with a congregation’s mission, objectives and values. Rabbis Shawn Zevit and Mordechai Liebling discuss the uses and variety of Jewish values-based approaches to money and other resources in congregational life.

Listen to the audio and view power point below:
http://jrf.org/money-values-and-congregational-life-part-II

As our communities grow and explore a variety of approaches to compliment tradition-based egalitarian Jewish practice, many Reconstructionist communities have begun integrating a variety of Jewish religious practices, continued to reconstruct Shabbat practice, traditonal rituals and liturgy, meditation, mussar study, "Torah" yoga, healing services, chant and other forms of spiritual experience into core offerings. In these sessions, we explore some of these forms, how we make communal decisions around them and see the connection to and inspiration from Reconstructionism and Jewish spiritual life .

This year we ask participants to deepen their learning by signing up for both sessions on a given topic. The follow-up to this session is Wed. May 4th,  8pm EST. Please register separately at www.jrf.org/pearl

Listen to the audio as you view the power point below.

The Dynamics of Growth: Outreach/Inreach, Marketing, Branding and the Covenant of Membership: Growth isn’t only about numbers; if your congregation is to grow, it must focus also on dynamic changes. Members of congregations of various sizes will share their stories of successful growth and will provide workshop participants with opportunities for practical application to their home communities. Creative “branding” and marketing of Reconstructionist Judaism is crucial to the growth of individual Reconstructionist congregations and havurot and to the movement-as-a-whole.  These sessions will share some of the wealth that is being developed in these areas.

Listen to audio while viewing the power point below:

http://jrf.org/pearl/dynamics-growth-marketing-2011-session1-part1

http://jrf.org/pearl/dynamics-growth-marketing-2011-session1-part2

As our communities grow and explore a variety of approaches to compliment tradition-based egalitarian Jewish practice, many Reconstructionist communities have begun integrating a variety of Jewish religious practices, continued to reconstruct Shabbat practice, traditonal rituals and liturgy, meditation, mussar study, "Torah" yoga, healing services, chant and other forms of spiritual experience into core offerings. In these sessions, we explore some of these forms, how we make communal decisions around them and see the connection to and inspiration from Reconstructionism and Jewish spiritual life .

Listen to the audio as you view the power point below.

Celebrating Israel- Reconstructing  Zionism : Mordecai Kaplan believed that nowhere else could Jews live so completely a Jewish life as in Israel. However, because not all Jews intend or even desire to emigrate to Israel - nor did Kaplan believe that there is an imperative to do so - he envisioned that Jewish communities around the world ought to be interdependent. Such a relationship to Israel and to Jewish communities around the world, maintains Israel as central to our historical self definition and affirms our identity as a nation within the global family.

One of the core principles as a Reconstructionist community is the support of Israel's right to exist as an independent nation, which includes both advocating on behalf of policies and needs in Israel, as well as challenging policies if they contradict other sacred values.  Because of the emotional complexity of dealing with Israel, opportunities for real dialogue and discussion of the critical issues facing the Jewish homeland have suffered. Such discussion will also, we hope, help promote our movement's active support of a Jewish state that is secure and living at peace with its neighbors, a place where democracy and pluralism can flourish. This goal comes directly out of our movement's support and love of Israel, as well as out of our commitment to Jewish values of peace and justice.

Download the audio while you view the power point below.

The Dynamics of Growth: Outreach/Inreach, Marketing, Branding and the Covenant of Membership: Growth isn’t only about numbers; if your congregation is to grow, it must focus also on dynamic changes. Members of congregations of various sizes will share their stories of successful growth and will provide workshop participants with opportunities for practical application to their home communities. Creative “branding” and marketing of Reconstructionist Judaism is crucial to the growth of individual Reconstructionist congregations and havurot and to the movement-as-a-whole.  These sessions will share some of the wealth that is being developed in these areas.

Click Here to listen to the audio while viewing the power point below.

For access to Michael Clancy's complete "branding" presentation, go to: http://jrf.org/keruv-library. You will find the link on the page in the fourth paragraph beginning with "Michael Clancy."

“Where there is no vision, the people lapse into chaos” Proverbs. 29:18

It’s hard to know where you are going if you don’t first know where you are. Strategic planning cannot take place without first undertaking strategic thinking: what are the mission, vision, and values of our community? Explore ways to think about these key issues, models for creating cohesive statements that respond to them, and challenges and opportunities of doing this work in a spiritual community.
Where we are now: Assessing environment, organizational lifecycle, strengths, etc. (data collection: SWOT and SOAR models); Where are we going: Developing mission-vision-values-goals-strategies; Specific actions; Communication and alignment side ; Managing the execution- how will you know you are doing a good job? Examples of JRF community plans and/or working with presented examples.

Part I: Download the audio
Part II: Download the audio

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” Proverbs.
It’s hard to know where you are going if you don’t first know where you are. Strategic planning cannot take place without first undertaking strategic thinking: what are the mission, vision, and values of our community? Explore ways to think about these key issues, models for creating cohesive statements that respond to them, and challenges and opportunities of doing this work in a spiritual community.
Where we are now: Assessing environment, organizational lifecycle, strengths, etc. (data collection: SWOT and SOAR models); Where are we going: Developing mission-vision-values-goals-strategies; Specific actions; Communication and alignment side ; Managing the execution- how will you know you are doing a good job? Examples of JRF community plans and/or working with presented examples.

Part I: Download the audio
Part II: Download the audio

As part of JRF's ongoing Sustainable Synagogue Initiative, these sessions will focus on Jewish values and successful greening of synagogue life. Special focus on texts and traditions on religious and ecological consciousness and sustainable practices in ritual, programming and policy aspects of Jewish communal life, using alternative energies, and emerging best practices.

Below you will find a packet of texts to be used in the call in addition to the PowerPoint presentation that will be used and uploaded later, and a copy of the packet from the 2009 PEARL call on Sustainability.

To listen to a version of this presentation go to http://greenfaith.org/programs/denominational-partnerships/the-reconstructionist-jewish-movement

As part of JRF's ongoing Sustainable Synagogue Initiative, these sessions will focus on Jewish values and successful greening of synagogue life. Special focus on texts and traditions on religious and ecological consciousness and sustainable practices in ritual, programming and policy aspects of Jewish communal life, using alternative energies, and emerging best practices.