As Chanukah ended, our journey began with our eleven member Beth El delegation to our Reform Movement’s National Convention in San Diego. While the temperature was not that much higher than Charlotte, all of us who went will agree that our hearts were warmed, our minds were enlightened and our souls were inspired. Together with more than 5,000 Reform Jews we prayed, we sang, we studied, we debated important resolutions on behalf of our movement, and we were moved by the stories and success of national figures such as Michael J. Fox, who received the Maurice N. Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award for his recent work to develop a cure for Parkinson’s disease.

In San Diego, our Beth El delegation found ourselves in many roles. We were students, dividing and conquering the workshops so that we could bring ideas for what is working best in our movement back to Charlotte. We were teachers. Stephanie DiPaolo, our dynamic Interfaith and Outreach Director, led a workshop on conversion. I served on a panel for two sessions: one sharing our Outreach successes and another reflecting on the strengths of our Congregational Shabbat. And Cantor Bernard shared his talent and wisdom at a session surrounding the music of Mishkan Tefillah – our movement’s new prayer book.

We were recipients of accolades and given many reasons to rejoice in all that we have accomplished as a congregation. We received an honorable mention by the movement’s Adult Education department for our Ladders of Learning Program, and our Sisterhood received an award for its marked increase in membership. Our Congregational Shabbat program is highlighted on our movement’s website as an example of creative congregational approaches to renewing Shabbat morning worship. We all should be proud of what we have created.

I urge you to take fifteen minutes to read Rabbi Eric Yoffie’s Presidential Address articulating the directions in which our movement needs to go - reviving Shabbbat morning worship, expanding interfaith dialogue (especially with our Mulsim brothers and sisters), working to become a just congregation that advocates for essential issues such as health insurance for all, and being a congregation that embraces our homeland of Israel. Rabbi Yoffie’s talk can be found on our Reform Movement’s website at urjorg.

At Beth El, we are constantly growing – striving to do our best, be our best, and provide the best educational, spiritual, and community building programs for our congregants of every age and stage. That is what took so many of us as lay and professional leaders across the country.

May all of us be partners in continuing that journey, always reflecting, evaluating, and creatively responding to the needs of our community. May we continue to create vibrant programs that will inspire others to follow our lead and will inspire our kids to follow the path of Judaism and embrace the legacy that the prior generations bequeathed to us.