Those of you who attended the Debbie Friedman concert in late March experienced a real treat. Our sanctuary rocked with familiar tunes, brought up-tempo by Debbie's back-up band and enriched by the voices of a full house. The ultimate compliment from Debbie--that Temple Micah hit the right notes in her setting of Oseh Shalom--brought music director Teddy Klaus to his feet. And now we should all give a similar ovation to the organizers of the event, Wendy Jennis and Doug Mishkin. To have attracted that caliber of talent to our small venue is nothing short of miraculous, and reflects Doug's standing in the Jewish music community. And Wendy, with her minions of helpers, carried this elaborate event off without a hitch. They deserve the thanks of our members who were able to enjoy the fabulous evening, as well as our students who benefit from this fundraising effort through scholarships to Reform movement summer camp and trips to Israel.

The concert followed on the heels of our annual Spring Auction, chaired once again by the tireless Carolyn Margolis. Active bidding, socializing and conviviality, and revenues edging toward $50,000, made this major fund raiser a ringing success. And this is an event that keeps on giving, as folks gather for the auction dinners, brunches, cocktail parties and outings. Carolyn's efforts were supported by a committee of many, and by the work of staff members Leonard Tow, Mariana Balgurevich and Susie Blumenthal. They all deserve our gratitude and thanks.

A third recent social event also deserves recognition. MiTY, our temple youth group, organized a fund-raising dinner at the B.J.'s Mongolian Barbecue in Bethesda. Many of us turned out to explore the creative, before-your-eyes cooking and to help support this active group of our high schoolers. They raised several hundred dollars that will be used to support their programs and social action activities.

Although these events are critical fund-raising activities, perhaps their more significant role is in strengthening our community and providing opportunities for all of us to experience Temple Micah in a variety of ways. The members who commit their time to organizing concerts, auctions, bowling events, dinners, community Seders, reading and poetry groups, and caregiver gatherings enrich us all. Volunteers support our vibrant life. I am forever amazed by the creativity and sense of giving in this community.

Looking forward, we are approaching the annual Temple Micah membership meeting. On June 3, the congregation will meet to vote for new members of the Board of Directors, and hear about the current status of our expansion plans. Lynn Bonde has agreed to chair the nominating committee this year, and you will be hearing from her directly on the process and protocol for nominating candidates to the board.

We also will have a presentation on our expansion plans. Although we all hoped to be much further along with the building plans, as the Vine reported in April and I wrote in my letter to the congregation, spiraling costs require us to raise more funds before we move forward. I am always available to answer questions regarding the building project, but the annual meeting will give everyone an opportunity to learn more about the process, why we now find ourselves where we are and how we intend to proceed. In short, we cannot commit ourselves to a contract until we are confident that we have the finances to cover the costs. The board decided at the onset that we would not undertake any long-term borrowing to finance our expansion, so we are dependent on pledges from the congregation to carry us through. The annual meeting will provide an opportunity to answer questions regarding this important effort.

Finally, as Rabbi Zemel completes his sabbatical, I want once again to thank our extraordinary staff for the care and attention they have brought to Temple Micah over the last six months. Each of our devoted staff members stepped up their efforts to ensure that our congregational lives were well tended. My heartfelt thanks go to Rabbi Manewith, Meryl Weiner, Debra Beland, Klaus, Blumenthal, Tow and Balgurevich for always putting Temple Micah first. And as a refreshed Rabbi Zemel rejoins us in May, I want to thank him, too, for all those times I disrupted his sabbatical when the board needed his guidance.