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Home » Marin Sangha
Overview | Location/Dir. | Protocol | Newcomer Info | Subs. | Teachings | Summary
We had recently polled the sangha to find out what people wanted from sangha, what was working, what people wanted to be different, in what areas might they want to participate more. Bill Coffin gave a summary of this survey. The survey summary can be found in the document entitled: Survey Results
We then went through an explanation of all the different categories that are part of the Sangha. A different member of the community stood up and spoke about each one. The intention being that someone would sign up to be a "leader" of each committee and that others would sign up to be participants of that committee. The leadership role would be for 6 months.
If there is nothing specific, but you'd be willing to help out, every once in a while with random requests or tasks, please e-mail wendi@lifebalance.org with the subject header: Volunteer, and we'll add you to the volunteers list.
Here are the topics:
Veta Jacqulin spoke about Service Projects: vetaja@att.net
Denise Labuda spoke about Social Activities: dmlabuda@hotmail.com
Mary Paige spoke about Dharma Buddies: drpaige@pacbell.net
Lucia Chaudron spoke about The Book Group: Contact Sara: saraca@earthlink.net
Bonnie Medea spoke about Circle Of Caring: bbmaedarn@yahoo.com
Deborah Temple spoke about Tea & Snacks (no formal committee needed, just bring snacks every once in while to share)
Linda Howerton-Pritchard spoke about Sangha Set up and Clean up: l.howerton@sbcglobal.net
Art Jolly spoke about" Groups & Classes" and specifically the "Preparation for your First Retreat" class that he teaches: If you're interested in the preparation class, have ideas about other classes you might want or would like to teach a class: artjolly@yahoo.com
Barbara McHugh spoke about the "Back to Basics Course" that she teaches with her husband, Bill Coffin: The next class series will be starting in January: If interested barbara@eclipsoid.com
Mary Paige spoke about a Dancing With Life Study group she is starting in Marin: drpaige@pacbell.net
Anne Fitzmaurice and Veta Jacqulin spoke about a Dancing With Life Study group they are starting in the East Bay: annefitzmaurice@lmi.net
Art Jolly spoke about the need for a General Volunteer committee, people willing to be called to volunteer for random tasks, as opposed to signing up for a specific committee. We also need a coordinator to contact volunteers, when the need arises.
We'd also like a list of people who would like to be a "greeter": wendi@lifebalance.org
Phillip spoke about the desire to create a new committee: and looking for someone to be the "Young Adult and Diversity" Coordinator. No one has signed up for this yet. We do have a name of someone from another sangha who started one, so you won't be starting from scratch. wendi@lifebalance.org
And then I spoke about the Need for a Communications Leader or volunteers and then a Board Monitor for the new websites that will launch next year. wendi@lifebalance.org (I will outline what these jobs entail at the end of this summary)
After the explanations, there was an opportunity for people to sign up for the committees that they were interested in. There was a lot of activity.
For all of you that were at the meeting and signed up to assist the sangha: Thank you. For those who step up and help out, in small and random ways. Thank you. And, for those who come to sangha, but weren't at the meeting, we ask that you help out in some way. Here's how: If you see a committee that you'd be willing to help out, or a committee that you would like to lead or co-lead, e-mail the contact person above and let them know.
Again, if there is nothing specific, but you'd be willing to help out, every once in a while with random requests or tasks, please e-mail me with the subject header: Volunteer, and we'll add you to the volunteers list.
After sign ups, Phillip mentioned a few more items:
Does the time 6:00-8:00 work, or would people prefer 5:30-7:30. There was a show of hands, showing that some people prefer it to stay the way it is, and others would prefer a different time. At this point, we will stay with current start time.
Is the Dana System working, or perhaps there should just be a "suggested" charge of $10 for the evening and do away with the dana baskets. Eugene Cash has been doing this at his sangha and it has been working well. We may try this system towards the end of the year. And, in the Buddhist tradition, no one will be turned away at the door.
Philip also spoke about the sangha presently not supporting itself. Rent of the space is $500 a month. Currently we receive about $400 or so. It would be good to have a sangha fund-raiser to have money to photocopy flyers, buy flowers for a sangha member in the hospital, purchase cups/plates/napkins for "tea & snacks" etc.
There was a show of hands regarding wearing nametags while at sangha. It was agreed that it's a nice thing to do. Rather than do a new one every week, if people could make one and leave it in your car (some plastic event one you can hang around your neck) or one that you make. If you'd like to wear one, please do.
Acknowledgements
I then took a moment to acknowledge the sangha committee that has been "holding the sangha" for the past few years (or longer): Brooke Brown has been in charge of setting up and breaking down sangha and recording all of Phillip's talks for YEARS. She has been so solid in her commitment to the sangha. A big thank you to Brooke. And acknowledging those that have been holding the sangha in various ways: Doug Licht (who was the greeter for Sangha for YEARS, but has moved) Bill Coffin, Barbara McHugh, Art Jolly, Arlette Cohen, Veta Jacqulin, Linda Howerton-Pritchard, Mary Kelly, Cory Byoft, Sara Sacksteder, Brenda Walsh. A very big thank you for all you do.
Wendi's New Position
Lastly, Phillip announced I will be taking on a new role and will only be in the office 3 days a week. (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) I will be working off-site on Tuesdays and Fridays, taking on the job that I've been eagerly campaigning for entitled "Bringing Phillip's teachings to the world". He would prefer that I say "Head of Marketing, PR, Communications", but it's much more honest for me to say the former. Given that during the 3 days I am in the office I will be doing what I used to do in 5 days, (hmmmm) there are sangha jobs that I currently do, that I need to pass on. They are:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brief analysis of our Sangha survey, results compiled on Aug. 30, 2009.
We have around 400 people on the email list, and 74 completed the survey. That is an excellent response rate!
67% of respondents describe themselves as having come to Sangha for at least a few years, and 67% say that they come to Sangha at least twice a month.
81% like the guided movement.
Participation in Setup/Breakdown is 59% (or, 37 people). We doubted this number, although it’s likely that people might mark this even if they’d only carried a chair at breakdown.
When asked what activities people would like to engage in, the three most popular were Social Events and Study Groups (49% for both) and Service Projects (46%).
When asked their favorite part of Sundays, 40 people seemed to choose the Dharma talks primarily (or exclusively). Only ten people emphasized Sangha, and only five chose the sitting. (This is based on my informal parsing of the results, which are in the form of comments.) Note that many people said things like “I love it all, but maybe especially the talks”. When I say that 40 people chose the talks primarily, I’m including this kind of response.
In reporting what they would change about the Sangha, responses fell into several categories. Again, this is my interpretation:
Overview | Location/Dir. | Protocol | Newcomer Info | Subs. | Teachings | Summary
Summary of All Sangha Meeting: 9/20/09
This is a long document but we ask you to please read the entire thing.
There were 65 or so people in attendance
We started the evening with a short sit and then Phillip did a dharma talk about the 3rd jewel which is "sangha": Which means community. We can take refuge in the 3 jewels: The Buddha, The Dharma (truth of the way things are) and the Sangha: And to know the value of all 3 of these things. And to explore tonight, the value of our Sangha.
A summary of his talk can be found in the document entitled: The Meaning of Sangha.
This, however is one of the key points that Phillip stressed:
In order for the sangha to work best, it takes the individual members of the sangha to do their share. Up until now, there has been a small group of individuals who step up to do the majority of the work- and that it is time for that to shift.
Our sangha has reached a new level of maturity. He spoke about an invitation to go the next level and deepen your relationship to sangha: Delve deeper in your interactions with others, participate in more programs, volunteer more, take a leadership role, develop programs that interest you.
The question is: "How will you utilize Sangha as part of your spiritual growth?"
As you step into this question and take action, you are opening yourself up to a wider and deeper opportunity to develop.
We had recently polled the sangha to find out what people wanted from sangha, what was working, what people wanted to be different, in what areas might they want to participate more. Bill Coffin gave a summary of this survey. The survey summary can be found in the document entitled: Survey Results
We then went through an explanation of all the different categories that are part of the Sangha. A different member of the community stood up and spoke about each one. The intention being that someone would sign up to be a "leader" of each committee and that others would sign up to be participants of that committee. The leadership role would be for 6 months.
If there is nothing specific, but you'd be willing to help out, every once in a while with random requests or tasks, please e-mail wendi@lifebalance.org with the subject header: Volunteer, and we'll add you to the volunteers list.
Here are the topics:
Veta Jacqulin spoke about Service Projects: vetaja@att.net
Denise Labuda spoke about Social Activities: dmlabuda@hotmail.com
Mary Paige spoke about Dharma Buddies: drpaige@pacbell.net
Lucia Chaudron spoke about The Book Group: Contact Sara: saraca@earthlink.net
Bonnie Medea spoke about Circle Of Caring: bbmaedarn@yahoo.com
Deborah Temple spoke about Tea & Snacks (no formal committee needed, just bring snacks every once in while to share)
Linda Howerton-Pritchard spoke about Sangha Set up and Clean up: l.howerton@sbcglobal.net
Art Jolly spoke about" Groups & Classes" and specifically the "Preparation for your First Retreat" class that he teaches: If you're interested in the preparation class, have ideas about other classes you might want or would like to teach a class: artjolly@yahoo.com
Barbara McHugh spoke about the "Back to Basics Course" that she teaches with her husband, Bill Coffin: The next class series will be starting in January: If interested barbara@eclipsoid.com
Mary Paige spoke about a Dancing With Life Study group she is starting in Marin: drpaige@pacbell.net
Anne Fitzmaurice and Veta Jacqulin spoke about a Dancing With Life Study group they are starting in the East Bay: annefitzmaurice@lmi.net
Art Jolly spoke about the need for a General Volunteer committee, people willing to be called to volunteer for random tasks, as opposed to signing up for a specific committee. We also need a coordinator to contact volunteers, when the need arises.
We'd also like a list of people who would like to be a "greeter": wendi@lifebalance.org
Phillip spoke about the desire to create a new committee: and looking for someone to be the "Young Adult and Diversity" Coordinator. No one has signed up for this yet. We do have a name of someone from another sangha who started one, so you won't be starting from scratch. wendi@lifebalance.org
And then I spoke about the Need for a Communications Leader or volunteers and then a Board Monitor for the new websites that will launch next year. wendi@lifebalance.org (I will outline what these jobs entail at the end of this summary)
After the explanations, there was an opportunity for people to sign up for the committees that they were interested in. There was a lot of activity.
For all of you that were at the meeting and signed up to assist the sangha: Thank you. For those who step up and help out, in small and random ways. Thank you. And, for those who come to sangha, but weren't at the meeting, we ask that you help out in some way. Here's how: If you see a committee that you'd be willing to help out, or a committee that you would like to lead or co-lead, e-mail the contact person above and let them know.
Again, if there is nothing specific, but you'd be willing to help out, every once in a while with random requests or tasks, please e-mail me with the subject header: Volunteer, and we'll add you to the volunteers list.
After sign ups, Phillip mentioned a few more items:
Does the time 6:00-8:00 work, or would people prefer 5:30-7:30. There was a show of hands, showing that some people prefer it to stay the way it is, and others would prefer a different time. At this point, we will stay with current start time.
Is the Dana System working, or perhaps there should just be a "suggested" charge of $10 for the evening and do away with the dana baskets. Eugene Cash has been doing this at his sangha and it has been working well. We may try this system towards the end of the year. And, in the Buddhist tradition, no one will be turned away at the door.
Philip also spoke about the sangha presently not supporting itself. Rent of the space is $500 a month. Currently we receive about $400 or so. It would be good to have a sangha fund-raiser to have money to photocopy flyers, buy flowers for a sangha member in the hospital, purchase cups/plates/napkins for "tea & snacks" etc.
There was a show of hands regarding wearing nametags while at sangha. It was agreed that it's a nice thing to do. Rather than do a new one every week, if people could make one and leave it in your car (some plastic event one you can hang around your neck) or one that you make. If you'd like to wear one, please do.
Acknowledgements
I then took a moment to acknowledge the sangha committee that has been "holding the sangha" for the past few years (or longer): Brooke Brown has been in charge of setting up and breaking down sangha and recording all of Phillip's talks for YEARS. She has been so solid in her commitment to the sangha. A big thank you to Brooke. And acknowledging those that have been holding the sangha in various ways: Doug Licht (who was the greeter for Sangha for YEARS, but has moved) Bill Coffin, Barbara McHugh, Art Jolly, Arlette Cohen, Veta Jacqulin, Linda Howerton-Pritchard, Mary Kelly, Cory Byoft, Sara Sacksteder, Brenda Walsh. A very big thank you for all you do.
Wendi's New Position
Lastly, Phillip announced I will be taking on a new role and will only be in the office 3 days a week. (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday) I will be working off-site on Tuesdays and Fridays, taking on the job that I've been eagerly campaigning for entitled "Bringing Phillip's teachings to the world". He would prefer that I say "Head of Marketing, PR, Communications", but it's much more honest for me to say the former. Given that during the 3 days I am in the office I will be doing what I used to do in 5 days, (hmmmm) there are sangha jobs that I currently do, that I need to pass on. They are:
-
Substitute Liaison: Confirming, and following up with Substitute teachers.
- Point Person and Office Liaison: The person that answers people's questions about sangha and brings sangha issues to the office's attention
- PR for events: Creating flyers Sangha Support: Making signs, labels, copying flyers, putting packets together
- Website Monitor: Monitoring the Community boards (next year), Randomly doing quality control on website to make sure links are working, typos, etc.
If you are interested in any of these, e-mail: wendi@lifebalance.org
Outreach
I will be making a formal request at the end of the year, asking for your help to assist me in getting the word out about the new websites and the new programs that Phillip will be launching, but, more on that later.
Thank You
Thank you for coming to Sangha. Thank you for participating, in whatever way you do.
And thank you for reading this very long document.
With mucho metta.
-Wendi
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brief analysis of our Sangha survey, results compiled on Aug. 30, 2009.
We have around 400 people on the email list, and 74 completed the survey. That is an excellent response rate!
67% of respondents describe themselves as having come to Sangha for at least a few years, and 67% say that they come to Sangha at least twice a month.
81% like the guided movement.
Participation in Setup/Breakdown is 59% (or, 37 people). We doubted this number, although it’s likely that people might mark this even if they’d only carried a chair at breakdown.
When asked what activities people would like to engage in, the three most popular were Social Events and Study Groups (49% for both) and Service Projects (46%).
When asked their favorite part of Sundays, 40 people seemed to choose the Dharma talks primarily (or exclusively). Only ten people emphasized Sangha, and only five chose the sitting. (This is based on my informal parsing of the results, which are in the form of comments.) Note that many people said things like “I love it all, but maybe especially the talks”. When I say that 40 people chose the talks primarily, I’m including this kind of response.
In reporting what they would change about the Sangha, responses fell into several categories. Again, this is my interpretation:
- 1. Guided Meditation. Seven people wanted less (or no) movement. One wanted more variety and one wanted just more movement.
- 2. Time and Place. 16 people would prefer a place closer to their home or a different time. Of course, everyone would like Sangha to be closer to their home, and every time we move someone is sad and, of course, someone is happy.
- 3. Sound. Six people complained about the road noise or about the lack of a PA system.
- 4. Diversity. Two people wanted more.
- 5. Sangha. Three people felt that we were “aloof” or that there were “guardians of the gate” preventing access to small-group interviews. Six people wanted more opportunities to socialize, with some unsurprising suggestions. (Time after Sangha, potlucks, etc.) Two people wanted more formalization of Setup/Breakdown – one person doesn’t like to be “guilt-tripped” about it.
- 6. Change. 2 or 3 people would like to go back to our old format with a second sit. (In retrospect, we should have had a question specifically about this topic in the survey.)
- 7. Miscellany. Two people want less guidance in the sit. Two people complain about Sangha running late. One person feels that we should only serve vegan food at Sangha events. Another person wants music added to Sunday nights.
The next question was about ritual. The respondents overwhelmingly did not want more ritual; many seem to be church-burned. (One person wrote “No, this is what prevents me from taking buddhism [sic] more seriously. As Mao pointed out, religion is poison.”)
