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CBI'S LONG RANGE PLAN AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE FOR RABBINIC TRANSITION
SEPTEMBER 1, 2006
By Barbara Haworth, President, 2005-07
By the time this issue of Tidings is delivered to you, the work of our Long Range Plan initiative ("LRP"), which has been underway for just under a year, will be wrapping up and recommendations should be nearing completion. This has been a process of introspection during which we learned so much about our congregation, our members and our needs, all of which will be used to shape our future.
I want to take this opportunity to first thank all of our members who have participated in this enormous undertaking and especially those who served in leadership roles. At the peak of this activity, more than 70 congregational members were involved in the work and even more were engaged in the important task of providing input.
We began this initiative to learn whether our offerings are aligned with the needs of our members. Recognizing that vibrant organizations are continuously adapting, we wanted this planning process to guide us to build on our strengths. Our study focused on five areas: membership; worship; education; programs and services; and financial stability. We took a look at our internal workings as well as an external view of other organizations and best practices.
We were well along in the work of the Long Range Plan when we learned that we will be facing a rabbinic transition next year. The need to find a new senior rabbi comes at a time when we can use the tremendous amount we learned from our long range planning work to better frame our search. We will use the strategies employed in the LRP to assess our structure, our needs and our hopes for the future.
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Transition Plan
I have appointed Dr. Sandy Feldman to serve as my co-chair in the transition and I am grateful that he has agreed to serve in this capacity. The Transition Committee will work in the model of the LRP, with various issue-specific task forces studying a range of topics from board governance to considering alternate models of clergy organization that are in place at other reform synagogues.
We are also committed to communicating fully and openly with our members to ensure a transparent process. When appropriate, we will form the Search Committee, as stipulated by our by-laws, and our work will be informed by the task forces, by our Long Range Plan, and by congregants' input. You should know that CBI's professional staff is heavily involved in all of this work and we are grateful for their guidance and input.
We want to hear your thoughts and welcome your input into the transition process. You may contact your Board by phone at 858-535-1111, ext. 3139, or by e-mail at board@cbisd.org. We hope you will volunteer to play a role in this important work in the life of our synagogue.
Shalom,
Barbara Haworth, President, 2005-07
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