Congregation Or Atid’s Annual Meeting took place on Sunday, May 21, and was followed by a delicious cookout lunch.
The annual meeting included recognizing some of our lay leaders who completed their leadership responsibilities, welcoming nominated congregants to leadership/board positions, hearing about a new and exciting governing structure, and recognizing three (3) very deserving congregants with special awards.
In the meeting, we paid tribute to and extended best wishes to Leslie Archer as outgoing President and to her husband, Kevin, who also completed his service on the Board. Their contributions to the congregation were outstanding and significant. They have recently relocated to Charleston, S.C., and will truly be missed.
We also recognized outgoing Executive Committee members, Rick Wiener, Michael Marcus, Jeremy Schlussel and Lynn Landesman. Outgoing Board members included Marilyn Wiener and Amanda Harris.
Additionally, Bryan Kornblau completed his term on the Board of Trustees. Incoming members of the Board included Bob Shayne as a Vice President and Ann Kaplan, David Disler and Chelsey Kornblau Tinsley are new additions to the Board.
In addressing Or Atid’s future lay governance, Jeff Samuels, President of the Board of Trustees, presented an exciting new alternative to the synagogue’s leadership structure called the” Leadership Council.” (See photo at top)
This new structure is in the process of development but will most likely consist of the Board of Trustees, Committee Chairs, the Board of Governors, and the Vice Chairs of Operations.
While final details are being worked out, the goal is to employ a governing structure that meets the needs of our congregation but that is also in compliance with the congregation’s legal obligations as a 501c organization in Virginia.
The concept of the Leadership Council resonates with a Zulu word that Jeff learned during a recent trip to Africa with his brother Greg: Ubuntu, which means “I am. because you are.”
Ubuntu is a philosophy where the self is defined by one’s relationship with other people. The common bonds uniting the group are more important than any individual group member.
This is fundamental to building a community and elevating that community to best serve everyone. Jeff said that “we need to grow from being experts to being students, and to participate in a model of sharing that leans on task-based programming.”
With Rabbi Sherry Grinsteiner’s dedicated spiritual leadership, we have an opportunity to develop a culture of trust, fairness, and transparency. Stay tuned for more information as additional details will be forthcoming.
The meeting included a presentation of the budget by Fran Todras, Treasurer, for the following fiscal year, which was then approved by the congregants.
As the final agenda item, three very deserving congregants (noted below) received awards for their outstanding contribution to Or Atid during the past year:
- Frankie Snyder – Strength of Torah
- Alex Mendez-Zfass – Love of Torah
- Alistair Bentley – Deeds of Loving Kindness
Upon conclusion of the meeting, congregants were welcomed outside to a cookout in the beautiful Gan Chesed Kindness Garden.
A huge thank you goes out to the parents of the Sam and Helen Kornblau Religious School who prepared this delicious meal.
See photos from the cookout.
