Agudas+Achim+(Attleboro,+MA)

901 N. Main Street Attleboro, MA 02703
 * Agudas Achim, Attleboro, MA (**Reconstructionist**,** 120 household units)

Rabbi Elyse Wechterman: Rabbi@AgudasMA.org Deborah Stoloff Cohen, school secretary, school@AgudasMA.org

[|Website]

Building on three successful years of Shabbat B'Yachad, Congregation Agudas Achim will use this fourth program year to look inward, evaluate our progress and engage in strategic planning for the synagogue as a whole. We will be celebrating our 100th anniversary in 2011 and expect to present a strategic plan for the "Next Century of Jewish Life in the Attleboros" as part of that celebration. Our goals this year inlcude: Continuing existing SBY programs; Gather information and study the external community to understand barriers to membership, specifically at Agudas Achim; Create manuals and training materials detailing the “how to” of continuing these and other existing programs; Investigate the use of technology to manage day-to-day communications, tracking, and management of programs; Engage in a strategic planning process with outside consultants; and create a 3-year thematic plan for programming that lays the groundwork for the celebration of our 100-year anniversary (2011). Our programmatic theme for the coming year is, “The Evolving Mosaic of the Jewish People.” As Agudas Achim prepares to celebrate its centennial in 2011, we would like to give our congregants a context for the Jewish community’s establishment in Attleboro in the early 1900’s. With this in mind, we plan to take this coming year to look at Jewish communities around the world, As part of this, we wil l delve into their histories, practices, customs, and traditions. We will explore ways that these communities have sustained themselves and the lessons we can learn from them. We plan on utilizing a variety of texts and looking at interpretation of text as a means to inform practice. We will point out our commonalities and the thing that draws us together as a people, “Torah.”

__ Ongoing Programming: __ Shabbat B’Yachad (SBY) is the trade name for the programs at Agudas Achim that are funded by our Legacy Heritage grant. Programming components include: Shabbat B’Yachad Saturday Edition; SBY Friday @ Synagogue; SBY Fridays @ Home; and SBY Holiday Edition. In our third year of funding, participation and enthusiasm in all these experience remains high. Plans are underway for our second Shabbat Family Retreat – Shabbatpalooza – that will be held in late May at a local camp. Participants on the planning committee encompass all sectors of the community and many others, not on the committee, have stepped forward to volunteer for discreet tasks. Goals: Next year’s goals are focused on sustainability and growth. We have successfully leveraged previous years’ funding to develop and implement transformative programming for our congregation. Both formal and anecdotal evidence support the fact that our congregants (and thus our congregation) have experienced a fundamental change in the last few years. Many of our members, both adults and children, have deepened and intensified their engagement in Judaism in both belief and practice. There are still member families, who choose not to engage “spiritually” and participate in activities supported by the Legacy Heritage grant as part of a “requirement”, but the number has decreased, and these families appear to be conscious of a change in the culture at Agudas Achim, even as they choose not to participate fully. There is an open acknowledgment that we have created a very special place, a spiritual home for many of our member families. However, we have not experienced any significant increase in membership related to the implementation of the programs supported by the grant. While the internal knowledge of the “specialness” of the community is well understood and acknowledged; we have not successfully shared this information outside of our community. Our membership growth over the past 3 years has been similar to the growth experienced in previous years. Coupled with natural attrition (relocation, death, family circumstances), our net growth over the past 4 years has been 9 families. This lack of membership growth is puzzling, to us, and to Rabbi Erin Hirsch who completed a thorough assessment of our programming (under the auspices of this grant) in December 2008. She observed, “It is unusual to create a substantial increase in quality programming and also substantially increase the energy among the congregants and not see a rise in membership.” She suggested that our lack of growth, understood in the context of the success of the Shabbat B’yachad programming, merits specific study and evaluation. Both the Executive Committee and the Board of Trustees agree that growth is one of our most important goals. It is through growth that we can spread both dollar and energy costs that will be required to sustain the change in the congregation that we have seen. With this in mind, our initiative for the next year includes the following: Create a 3-year thematic plan for programming that lays the groundwork for the celebration of our 100-year anniversary (2011).
 * Continue existing SBY programs.
 * Gather information and study the external community to understand barriers to membership, specifically at Agudas Achim.
 * Create manuals and training materials detailing the “how to” of continuing these and other existing programs.
 * Investigate the use of technology to manage day-to-day communications, tracking, and management of programs.
 * Re-organize the board of trustees (and the bylaws) to create a board that can focus solely on governance issues.


 * Conference call presentation** **to LHIP 10/31/07: [[file:agudas achim conf call presentation.doc]]**

__**INFORMATIONAL AND MARKETING MATERIALS:**__ Thematic flier for all SBY program (template):

Newsletter articles from the President of the congregation: Congregational preview of fall events 2008 Brochure for Synagogue Shabbat Retreat - "SHABBATPALOOZA**"** newsletter article January 09 reviewing "Mosaic of the Jewish People" theme __//**HOLIDAY FESTIVALS

Giving is a Gift 2009 - Explanation of program Giving as a gift Tzedekah options Other giving ideas for Giving as a Gift 2009 **// A__ program designed to educate the children of the community on the 4 mitzvot associated with the holiday of Purim. Students and families were given the opportunity to fulfill these mitzvot and receive a stamp. Once the card was filled, the students could trade them in for a small prize.

A document explaining the Giving as a Gift project //A template for a Tzedekah box distributed to each family. // This is a collaborative endeavor from our social action committee and our adult education committee Copy of the ladder of Tzedakah used in conjunction with the Giving is a gift - A copy of the press release sent to area newspapers describing the festival - A copy of the postcard sent to not only our members but a larger mailing list - part of the packet given out to families participating in the brigade (5769) - publicity flyer distributed at religious school and at the high holidays (5769)
 * [[file:HELPFUL HINTS for your SUKKAH.doc]] -** part of the packet given out to families participating in the building brigade (5769)

- A copy of the press release for our Chanukah Festival - A copy of the postcard sent not only to our members but to a community mailing list.

- information that went home to our congregants by way of out newsletter outlining Purim activities.

- a copy of the flyer used for our end of the year celebration.

June 2010 Additions:
 * //__SHABBAT B'YACHAD SATURDAYS:__//**

Thematic overview: Monthly program grids:

Monthly thematic resources:

Description of theme for 2009: The Evolving Mosaic of the Jewish People Planning schedule for 2009 Oct 2009 SBY flier Oct 2009 SBY program grid Hamsa info for art elective Oct 2009

November 2009 SBY program grid Sheild of SOlomon directions for art elective Nove 2009 SBY Book of macabees for Adult study December 09 SBY Dec 09 SBY Background for committee and teachers to SBY Dece 09 program Intergenerational learning lessong plan for Dec 09 SBY Jan 10 SBY Background on Mishneh and Tzippori Midrashim on Roman Matrona and Rabbis Outline for Adult Elective Jan 10 SBY (Jews in Rome) Program grid Jan 10 SBY

Intergenerational learning plan for final Shabbat B'Yachad of the year organizing tool for May 09 intergenerational learning plan Freening the captives organizing tool for March 09 adult info for Feb 09 adult info for Feb 09 adult info for Feb 09 organizing tool for Feb. 09 programming Intergenerational Lesson plan for mitzvah of "Lifting the Fallen" scenarios for intergenerational learning for "Lifting the Fallen" organizing tool for Jan. 09 programming - A listing of electives offered by volunteers for Dec. 08 - organizing tool for Dec. 08 programming - This flyer outlines the elective choices for Sept. 2008 - Intergenerational learning lesson - Theme Hesed - Group questions (IGL- Hesed) - This magnet was included in our school packets as well as mailed home to our members so they could keep track of the Shabbat B'Yachad dates. This is the flyer that went into our newsletter outlining the elective hour chooices for October's Shabbat B'Yachad. In PDF form A list of November's elective offerings. In PDF form A list of December's elective offerings. In PDF form - a listing of February's elective offerings - a listing of March's elective offerings - a listing of April's elective offerings
 * [[file:Visiting the Sick IGL Dec08.doc]] -** A series of 4 skits bringing congregants through the steps to Bikkur Holim
 * [[file:Shabbat B'Yachad magnets 5769.pub]] -** This magnet was included at high holidays for al lthe members and guests
 * [[file:September 08 program grid.doc]] -** programmatic overview Sept. 08
 * [[file:Shabbat B'yachad overview 5768.doc]] -** This article was in our synagogue newsletter in July as an introduction to our expanded programming.
 * [[file:Shabbat B'Yachad magnets 5768.pdf]] -** In PDF form
 * [[file:January 08.pdf]] -** a listing of January's elective offerings


 * //__SHABBAT B'YACHAD AT HOME:__//

2010 Shabbat Box addition:

** - In PDF form
 * [[file:Shabbat Byachad at Home Oct 08.pdf]] -** publicity flyer distributed to membership during high holiday services
 * [[file:Shabbat Byachad at Home signup.pub]] -** This is an overview of our programs and a place to sign up to either be a guest or a host for a Shabbat meal.

//__**SHABBAT B'YACHAD at the SYNAGOGUE - FRIDAY EDITION:**__//

- Flier for early service/catered dinner/late service and guest speaker. In PDF form

__//**SHABBAT PRACTICE WORKSHOPS**//__

__** An interactive walking service geared to children using nature as a theme schedule of events for the weekend getting to know you activity behavior document for teens and tweens code of conduct for younger children intergeneration learning during Torah service (Shavuot-children at guarantors of Torah-magnetic poetry) text and questions for the IGL during Shabbatpalooza
 * __SYNAGOGE RETREAT MAY 2009

__**EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS:**__

Sukkot:** - This program ran as stations. Listed here are the stations that we had. For further informtion on any station or how we handled logistics, please don't hesitate to call. -
 * //__HOLIDAY FESTIVALS:__//

- Chanukah song sheet featuring English, Hebrew, Yiddush and Ladino favorites for a congregational sing along. - This program ran as stations for the first hour and the second hour was a presentation on how olive oil was made at the time of the Maccabees. Adult education choices:
 * Chanukah:**

** - these ideas were generated by the social action committee. As a result of hearing the story of our Madricha, three of our classes decided to donate their tzedakah money to the Jimmy Fund in her honor.
 * Purim:
 * [[file:PurimFestGrid.doc]] -** the goal of this program was to reintroduce the Mitzvot of Purim and give each eongrgant the opportunity to fufill each one. Every member of the congregation received a Mishloach Manot Bag with a homemade card . This program also let people know who lived in a close geographic location.




 * Shavuot:

__SHABBAT B'YACHAD SATURDAYS:__**
 * [[file:Storahtelling Abraham welcoming guests.doc]] -** Our focus of welcoming guest was dramatized in this original retelling of Abraham's story. Welcoming is a synagogue focus for the year and we have made it a theme of Shabbat B'Yachad programming.

- This grid outlines our program components for our Nov. SBY program - This was an intergenerational text study focussing on preconceived notions. This was used with grades 4 through adults. The younger children read the story __Mrs. Katz and Tush__ with the Rabbi and discussed having friends who were different (by age or ability) than themselves

program components for Dec. SBY - This intergenerational program focused on making ourselves living sanctuaries. There was a piece where movements were made up for prayers and a meditation that was done for both adults and childrenn.
 * [[file:Making Connections game Dec 2007.doc]] -** The intergeneration component is helping people to make connections with one another. This is a game we came up with. We used colored dots and name tags to denote choices. Participants were challenged to sit at lunch with someone who had made similar choices to them. For more information or logistics, contact us.

- Using the Haggadah as a guide we explored the idea of Hachnasat Orchim.

Shabbat Guide Training materials:
 * //__SHABBAT B"YACHAD AT HOME - FRIDAYS:__//**

The leadership of the congregation is reading Dr. Ron Wolfson's book: //The Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community// and taking time during each meeting to discuss different parts. As part of an Shabbat B'Yachad program, we will also look at a various aspects of the book. There is an action guide in the back of the book that has been really helpful too. Publishing Information: //Spirituality of Welcoming: How to Transform Your Congregation into a Sacred Community//, Dr. Ron Wolfson Jewish Lights Publishing Woodstock, VT ISBN-13: 978-1-58023-244-9
 * __MATERIALS RELATING TO SYSTEMIC CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE__**

__Governance materials new board structure development 2010__ [[file:CAA proposed Org Chart horizontal.doc]]

__Materials related to Centennial Celebration at Congregation Agudas Achim__

MATERIALS PROGRAM MANUAL (How to's for congregational programming) Planning guide for Shabbat B'Yachad Saturday