A Covenant of Caring
Greet the Stranger * Comfort the Bereaved * Visit the Sick * Feed the Hungry * Honor Mother & Father * Act with Loving Kindness

A Covenant of Caring is the promise we make when we join the Temple Beth El Community. We promise to care for each other as best as we can and, in return, accept warmth and caring from our fellow congregants.

Building a Caring Community or 
"What can I do?"

• Attend Shabbat services -- increase connections and build community
  
  
• "Greet the Stranger" -- introduce yourself to someone at our Oneg
  
  
• Tell a member of the clergy about someone who is hospitalized, sick, or in need of extra companionship
  
  
• Honor your father and mother. If living, talk to them; if passed on, remember something special about them to a child or a friend.
  
  
• Contact Caring Committee to discover more ways to care for our congregational family

What Else Can We do?

New in the Neighborhood
If you are willing to contact a new congregant who lives in your neighborhood, let us know. We are connecting Temple members who live near one another. We'll be glad to send you a letter with contact information and suggestions on ways to connect with this new family.

Companion Visiting
The elderly are often alone and isolated from the larger community. We want to match those with care to spare to those in need.

Contact your new friend -- perhaps once a month. Whether it's a telephone call, a visit or a card, there are simple ways to add light to another's day. And in lighting the day for another, we find ourselves in the same circle of light.

Second Family Grow...
Six years ago, a team of chaplains from Carolinas
Medical Center approached Temple Beth El to participate in a new program called Interfaith Carelinks.

The program was designed to help congregations identify and care for individual members who needed support to complement what their families could provide. At Temple Beth El, we called this program Second Family.

Under the leadership of Ellen Muhlfelder, we developed a vibrant Second Family team that had remarkable success in giving new life to a largely home-bound member. The team truly became a family and has cared for the same individual since the inception of the program. The team was widely recognized as one of the most successful in Mecklenburg County. Recently, we identified new needs within our congregation. Under the new leadership of Louise Frumkin, Second Family now cares for four of our Temple members. Four separate teams consisting of a total of 30 people make regular visits, reaching out to those in need of some extra care and support.

It is remarkable what difference a couple of hours of volunteer time each month can make in the life of a person with chronic illness. If you are interested
in learning more about the program, contact Louise Frumkin at frumcake@carolina.rr.com or Cantor Bernard at CantorB@carolina.rr.com

A Deeper Commitment

Every Step toward a life of mitzvot, no matter how larger or small, is a good one. 
If you want to deepen your commitment to this covenant, please fill out this form.