by George Gazarek
Besides being a wonderful song from The King and I, “getting to know you” is the secret sauce for strengthening our congregation. While our religious services, events and activities are all important, in the end, it’s our relationships that will keep us together. We tend to stay in organizations where we have developed relationships with others. We like to be known and understood by others as we seek to know and understand them.
So, if relationships are so important, how do we go about developing them? In large congregations, where a hundred or more people may show up for a program, it’s difficult to get to know anyone. Those congregations must make special efforts to foster relationship building. Many times, members will leave these large congregations because they didn’t get to know anyone there.
Sha’are Shalom has been blessed with being a small congregation. You cannot walk into one of our Shabbat services without being warmly greeted by a half-dozen members. Most of our programs and activities draw from a few to ten or twenty. These intimate gatherings provide the opportunity for one-on-one conversations. The Men of CSS and now the Women of CSS both have monthly dinners where we all have the chance to get to know each other on a more personal level.
The more relationships you develop at Sha’are Shalom, the more you will feel at home here. I challenge each of you, in the coming month, to get to know someone in our congregation whom you don’t currently know. Sit with them at the oneg and ask a million questions. Open up, and share some insights about who you really are. We are a family and you ought to know who is in your family.
Have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll be getting to know you.