Managing Council Meeting Notes-6/13/17

[Sacramento Center of SRF]

MANAGING COUNCIL MEETING-6/13/17

Members present: Gary Wright, Patricia Gayman, Gale Boldt, Dave Williams, Ingrid Appelhagen, and Jim Brunsman

  The first item of business was an update on the pew reupholstery project. Gale reported that the fabric for the pews has been back ordered and will be arriving soon. The tentative schedule for installation is some time in the first two weeks of July. Donations from the congregation have covered much of the costs for this project.

  Patricia suggested that our 20th anniversary celebration at this Center be combined with India Night in October of 2018. We are hoping a monastic will visit for this weekend and we are considering options to make this a special celebration and potential “reach out” event. We will solicit opinions and vote on this issue at our next General Membership Meeting.

  We are planning to begin an SRF Lessons Study Group in September. This will be a weekly event held on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 6:50 p.m. prior to the Wednesday evening meditation service. We will announce more about this as the date approaches.

  There was a brief discussion on whether to add audio speakers so that devotees in the Social Hall can hear the services better. We will consult with our audio and maintenance departments to ascertain the best course of action. Plans for the acoustic treatments for the south wall of the social wall are ongoing, and in the interim, we will ask for opinions on what kind of speakers would be best for the social hall.

  Ingrid spoke about her efforts to consolidate Center materials kept in a storage cabinet at the Center. The council discussed what materials should be archived at the Center. Some devotees believe we should have instructions for volunteers for each committee that are available easily in this cabinet so that training future volunteers is streamlined. We will discuss this at the next General Membership meeting.

  The council is continuing to address security concerns at the Center. We are pleased with the security service we have employed, but installing our own cameras connected to wi-fi service is the preferred option. Gary is investigating the possibilities and reported that there are some reasonably priced options that could provide the security we require.

  Our recent spring retreat in Applegate was another rousing success. We are seeking volunteers to help organize the retreat for next year. If interested, please see a Managing Council member.

  Following the meeting, we called Brother Devananda to give him an update on Center activities. Brother then led us in a closing prayer. The next Managing Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 18.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Brunsman