2020 Annual Meeting Summary
February 1, 2020, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Little Hall, Shao Shan Temple
On February
1 members of the Shao Shan Temple sangha
gathered in the Little Hall to attend the 2020 Annual Meeting. Present were
Development Committee members Taihaku, Kenzan, Noah, Judy, and Max (Stella was
ill). Fourteen other members of the
sangha were also present.
TEMPLE
REPORTS
The 2019 Temple Reports were distributed by email prior to the meeting and were also available at the meeting. The Development Committee took questions on the Sangha Report, Program Report, Buildings & Grounds Report, Cemetery Report, and Financial Report. There were approximately 103 first-time visitors to the temple in 2019. Approximately 55 people consider Shao Shan their spiritual home. Participation at temple programs remains steady and has even increased at the Tuesday and Friday evening programs. Participation at Saturday Work Practice has also increased since the last Annual Meeting. Sangha members were invited to let the priests know if they would like to volunteer at times other than scheduled work practice times. Sangha members suggested ways to expand publicity regarding the Introduction to Shao Shan and Open House programs.
The 2019 Temple Reports were distributed by email prior to the meeting and were also available at the meeting. The Development Committee took questions on the Sangha Report, Program Report, Buildings & Grounds Report, Cemetery Report, and Financial Report. There were approximately 103 first-time visitors to the temple in 2019. Approximately 55 people consider Shao Shan their spiritual home. Participation at temple programs remains steady and has even increased at the Tuesday and Friday evening programs. Participation at Saturday Work Practice has also increased since the last Annual Meeting. Sangha members were invited to let the priests know if they would like to volunteer at times other than scheduled work practice times. Sangha members suggested ways to expand publicity regarding the Introduction to Shao Shan and Open House programs.
2019
FINANCIAL & FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES
It
was reported that income from donations in 2019 more than exceeded the total
budget for the year. People were especially
generous in this year’s Alms Round. There were slightly more donors this year
and several donors gave larger donations. About 43% of donations from the
Alms Round came from people who do not regularly attend the temple. There was a
very good response to the Holiday Fair at the temple and at the Maple Corner
Community Center. Bequests and Charitable Gift Annuities were also presented as
additional ways to contribute to the temple endowment. A number of
strategies were discussed to increase the number of members making monthly pledges
which now account for 18% of donations and expand the Annual Alms Round.
SHAO
SHAN TEMPLE MASTER PLAN
It was reported that the
Development Committee was actively involved in reviewing the bylaws and other
temple policies. Now that the organization is more developed there is a need to
expand the original bylaws. A subcommittee has been created for this purpose.
Part of the bylaws review includes exploring a new organizational structure for
the temple which involves a shared management model among the Abbot, Board, and
in certain circumstances, a proposed “Council” of Abbots from other small Zen
temples in the United States. The Council would help provide support and advice
for the temple should the need arise.
The
Development Committee is also working on a plan to transfer the land that the
temple, buildings, and cemetery currently rest on from Taihaku to the Shao Shan
Temple nonprofit organization. The temple and cemetery property will be
conveyed to the Shao Shan Temple nonprofit organization in the near future. The
land where Connie’s house and the White Jewel Mountain are situated will be
transferred to the Shao Shan Temple nonprofit organization upon Taihaku’s
death. The land where the rental properties and the garden are located will be
conveyed to Taihaku’s children upon her death. The survey of the land has been
completed and the necessary wastewater/water permits have been filed with the
state and the town to meet regulations for subdividing the land.
2020 IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
A
number of planned improvement projects were discussed including:
·
Red pine
stump removal & landscaping,
·
Temple
interior/exterior maintenance,
·
Driveway
maintenance.
Sangha
members were also interested in the possibility of the temple converting to
solar energy sometime in the future.
FEEDBACK
AND EVALUATION
Sangha
members were very pleased with the programming that the temple is
offering. The new “Formal Student Gathering” program that was introduced
this past year was enthusiastically welcomed.
It
was the consensus of the group that the Annual Meetings were very helpful and
the sangha appreciated the efforts of the Development Committee to organize and
present the agenda. The meeting was a good balance between a formal agenda and
an organic discussion which grew out of the agenda items.
The
meeting adjourned at 12:05 PM.
