http://lansingtermple.org

February 21, 2003

Dear Friends:

As 2003 gathers momentum, our temple and its community move forward. We would like to share with all of you our vision for the temple, those principles that will guide temple operations, and the action plan that, in accordance with those principles, will help us make our vision real.

Vision

• To serve our community and address religious, spiritual, cultural, social, and service needs with an expanding catalog of temple activities.
• To accommodate those activities through the founding and maintenance of ample physical facilities and resources.
• To increase the Greater Lansing public’s knowledge and understanding of the Hindu and Jain faithful among them, and to make our voice heard in discussions of issues.
• To be ever increasing the temple as a beneficial presence in our lives and our community.

• Transparency: we will give regular updates to the temple community, and give adequate notice of approaching major decisions.
• Efficiency: we will periodically reexamine and modify our operations and procedures to reduce the time and efforts spent.
• Prudence: we will be cost-conscious in using your donations and contributions.
• Coordination: we will communicate and cooperate with other Indian organizations in order to achieve harmony in scheduling activities.
• Feedback: we will encourage and solicit opinions from members of the community so that any concerns or issues are discussed openly and directly.

Action Plan

• Monthly pujas, seminars, discussions and religious ceremonies, the backbone of the temple, will continue.
• We will seek moral and financial support for foundation and improvement of Yagyashala, Navagrahas, a kitchen and accommodations for a resident priest. We will, of course, describe in detail the need for such projects and we will begin work with your support.
• Services for the good of the community at large, such as the Food Bank and the Soup Kitchen, will continue to be supported. We will also continue to receive any ideas or suggestions for other ways to serve, and other causes to which our organizational support may be given.
• In order to deepen our financial resources, the Finance Committee will create plans to increase temple membership as well as explore other streams of revenue.
• Peace and Interfaith Prayers will continue and the visibility of our temple and our faith in the Greater Lansing area will be augmented through forums such as Unity in Community and in visits to schools, colleges, churches and other venues.
• We will pursue grants and aid under faith-based initiative of the President Bush.
• We will form a Communications Committee to provide the temple with a consistent voice within its community as well as in the public arena. Responsibilities of this committee will include a newsletter, supervision of website, media relations, appeal for new members and volunteers, and the welcoming of new families to the area.
• The Youth and Education Committee will continue to organize and promote activities for children and young families. The committee will implement ways to increase participation in these vital programs.
• We will improve the content of our website through the enhancement of interactive components; we hope to include the ability to offer puja and other service reservations through the Internet.

It is with these goals, policies and activities in mind, and determination in our heart, that we intend on conducting temple affairs in the year to come. We are convinced that, with your commitment, participation, and support, the temple will become the vital center of our community, and that it will continue to meet our increasing needs by itself expanding in scope and services. Together we can assure the presence, importance and success of the temple and its members in the years to come.

God bless our temple and all of its families.

Sincerely,

Your Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees meeting: 1st Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM. (Mostly! Please contact us for changes.)

Sunday Puja at 11:30 AM: March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, and September 7, 2003

Soup Kitchen from 2:30 — 5:30 PM: Please contact Minesh Mody or Sundari Rajan for dates.

Havan at 11:00 AM: March 16, April 20, May 18, June 15, July 20, August 17, and September 21, 2003

Jain Puja at 11:00 AM: March 23, April 27, May 25, June 22, July 27, August 24, and September 28, 2003

Satyanarayan Puja: Please contact Shashikant Joshi

Shivaratri, besides its great religious importance has also a special significance for our community because it is anniversary day for the Temple. The Board of Trustees extends a warm welcome to all of you and looks forward to your participation enthusiastically in sponsoring puja, chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" japa, singing bhajans, and various other activities. May Lord Shiva’s blessings be with you, your family and friends.

6:00 AM Shri Ganesh Puja/ KalashSthapana, Shri Shiv Puja, Abhishekam

and Aarti

8:00 to 11:30 AM Abhishekam open to Shiva Devotees*

NOON Shri Shiv Puja, Abhshekam and Aarti

1:00 to 4:00 PM Abhishekam open to Shiva Devotees*

4:00 PM Rudra Havan

6:00 PM Shri Shiv Puja, Abhshekam and Aarti

7:00 to 11:30 PM Abhishekam open to Shiva Devotees*

7:00 to 8:30 PM Bhajan, Kirtan, Aarti, and Prasad

MIDNIGHT Shri Shiv Puja, Abhshekam and Aarti

1:30 to 5:30 AM Abhishekam open to Shiva Devotees*

6:00 AM Japa, Aarti, Prasad (ending of fast)

Please call Sharmaji or Shastriji at the Temple to sign up for your time slot.

• Special Request to Shiva Devotees: Before you come to the Temple please shower, wear clean clothes (no work clothes, please). At the Temple please contact Sharmaji or Shastriji to do 108 times "Om Namah Shivaya" japa for cleansing the body and spirit and do the abhishekam so that the sanctity of the Temple is preserved. Your cooperation in this matter is extremely appreciated.

The Temple is organizing a fund-raising concert by Veena Sahasrabuddhe, renowned vocalist of Hindustani classical music, on Saturday June 7, 2003. The concert will be at the Kellogg Center Auditorium, East Lansing, from 2 PM to about 6 PM. Tickets are $100, $50, and $25; and, for full-time students, $15. As this will be one of the rare appearances of Smt. Sahasrabuddhe in the Midwest, we expect a sell-out event. Please purchase your tickets early by contacting one of the following:

Shanta Anantaraman at 517-349-5947, e-mail: anantaraman@nscl.msu.edu; Shashikant Joshi at 517-349-6225, e-mail: shashikjoshi@yahoo.com; Veena Mandrekar at 517-332-3784, e-mail: veenamandrekar@hotmail.com. If you would like to sponsor this fund-raising program or place an ad in the souvenir brochure that will be brought out on this occasion, please contact Shanta Anantaraman.

WEBSITE: Please visit the site at http://lansingtemple.org and send your comments and suggestions for improvement to our webmaster, Raman Anantaraman at anantaraman@nscl.msu.edu.

Now you can read the most recent minutes of the board meeting on your website.

DVD SETS OF MAHABHARAT AND CHANAKYA: Are available for rent at $5/dvd. Additional donation to the temple to offset the cost of purchase of the DVDs will be most welcome. DVDs can be kept for a maximum of 14 days.

Balvihar Classes for kids under 12 years of age are conducted at the Temple every Sunday from 11 am to noon. Parents of kids under 5 are required to stay at the Temple. All kids must be picked up at noon sharp. Amrita Karve conducts classes, under the guidance of Dr. Raju, Mrs. Shashi Karve and a few other parents. Currently 20 kids attend these classes on a regular basis.

We are accepting Advertisement for Temple newsletter to defray the cost. If you wish to advertise your business, please send your Ad (camera ready) to Smruti Shah with check payable to Bharatiya Temple Of Lansing. Rates: Full Page $200, Half Page $100 and quarter page $50.

Wanted

Nominations for Unsung hero (Contact Dhiraj Shah) 332-0327

Car donation for our new priest (Contact Sudhakar Kulkarni) 485-1060

Computer professional to volunteer time to develop Temple Data base (Contact Smruti Shah) 347-1209

Articles for future newsletters (Contact CC Khiroya) 332-7275

Temple mailing helpers (Contact Prakash Kapoor) 349-5958

Parents to help with Sunday school (Contact Kumar Arun or Amrita Karve) 349-0668 or 347-1892

According to the temple constitution, anyone wishing to become a member must pay $250.00 donation, and $150.00 membership for the first year (January 1^st to December 31^st). In the following years, annual membership is only $150.00/year, (second year donations are voluntary) until your total donations and/or membership fees add up to $10,000.00. At that point you and your family become life members.

The concept of building the temple came about in early eighties. The temple was built in middle nineties — 15 ± year period. Many people donated monies (and time and efforts) to establish the temple. Constitution drafters felt that to put new members and the founding members on the same footing, a minimal donation of $250.00 from new members is appropriate.

We recommend everyone to become members, to take interest in temple’s affairs, and to also take leadership role(s) to steer the temple in the right direction in the future. Many of you, perhaps come to temple to do puja, enjoy prasad, meet and/or make friends, etc. and experience spiritual and social uplift. But behind the scene, there are many issues (priests’ benefits, salary, housing, cleaning the temple, maintenance, improvements, addition, planning functions, pujas, etc.), which require decisions and efforts.

We encourage all of you to become members, (and please do so before June 30^th so that you can be a voting member of the Temple) familiarize with the issues, contribute innovative ideas and serve as a trustee for a bright future of the temple.

Our temple and our community received accolades for donations to the Lansing Food Bank. We are grateful to Mr. Jai Jaglan for his leadership and initiative for this and past several years’ collections of funds, presentation and several positive media coverage. We thank those of you who contributed and we encourage everyone to donate in future to this worthy cause.

We apologize for failing to mention this activity in earlier newsletters.

Minesh Mody and Dr. Sundri Rajan are coordinators for once a month "Soup Kitchen" assignments. To sponsor, please contact them. A sponsor prepares a vegetarian meal (or buys pizza) for approximately 50 people, and serves them on a Saturday at a church in downtown Lansing.

If you wish to become a volunteer to deliver prepared and pre-packaged meals to senior and/or handicapped citizens, please contact CC Khiroya. It takes approximately 1 hour per month between 11:30 PM and 1:00 PM. A volunteer picks up meals at a central kitchen and delivers them to given addresses.

All of us are blessed with good fortunes, and we encourage all to share a small portion through donations and volunteerism. We encourage all charity work to be done under the auspices of the temple, because the temple may qualify for grants under "Faith Based Initiatives."

1. Empty all water jugs and put them upside down on the shelf.
2. Empty all drinking water containers and place them upside down.
3. Take all excess (leftover) food home (or distribute to others to take home.) Do not leave food in the refrigerator hoping someone can use it in future.
4. Clean all pots, pans, dishes, etc. and dry them upside down. Do not leave behind to soak. All cleaning supplies are usually available.
5. Wash the sink with Ajax. Wipe counters and tables. If required, clean the fridge.
6. Empty trash. (Take it to the dumpster outside.)

Temple has been performing the Satyanarayana Puja every month for almost a year. We are planning to have a community sponsored, a Group (Samudaik), Satyanarayana Puja in our temple on Sunday, April 13^th 2003 at 11:00 AM.

Temple will provide everything necessary for Puja including a colored photograph of Shri Satyanarayan, Kalasha, Cocoanut, Flowers, Aasana, Prasad, and Lunch. Devotees will take shower at home and wear appropriate cloths for Puja. Devotees may fast in the morning if they wish. The Dakshina for this Puja will be $111.00 per family. Devotees will be given the worshiped Satyanarayana photo, cocoanut, and Aasana as prasad to keep.

We would like to have 101 families attending this Puja. Please call Temple @ 339-6337 or Shashikant Joshi @ 349-6225 as soon as possible to participate in this simple but rewarding Vryata of Shri Satyanarayana.

To sponsor Sunday Puja (first Sunday): Ramma Gossain 349-2886

To sponsor Havan (third Sunday): Jai & Raj Jaglan 337-8085

Youth Class (second and fourth Sunday): Kumar Arun 349-0668

Jain Puja (fourth Sunday) Minaxi Shah 332-5621

Bal Vihar Classes Amrita Karve 347-1892

Priest Services booking Sudhakar Kulkarni 485-1060

Temple Rental Sudhakar Kulkarni 485-1060

To sponsor Soup Kitchen (second Saturday) Minesh Mody 347-4244

To sponsor Satyanarayan Puja Shashi K. Joshi 349-6225

Your Address update: This newsletter is periodically sent out to over 700 families in mid Michigan. Please help us keep our mailing list updated with your address changes. If you know families who are new to this area, share this newsletter with them and they can also request to have their name added to our mailing list. Also, in between the newsletters, many program announcements are made through e-mail. If you are not on the current e-mail list and wish to be on distribution list, please send us your e-mail address at Karve@msu.edu

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Address:__________________________ State:___________Zip________

Dues: Circle one Family $150 Individual $75

Phone: Home__________________ E-Mail________________________

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