 Building Community  |
Building Community
SS Viriam Singh Khalsa
Eugene, Oregon, USA
Dear Sadh Sangat...Sat Nam
Overall, I am pleased with the development of the Eugene Community. We have an active community council, a flourishing, large business, an active yoga center with an increasing number of classes, and a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training program. In the past year, we have moved to having Gurdwaras every week. We are also going up to Portland every month to bolster their events as a community.
In the past year, we have started a small children's program, as well as a Gurdwara speaking program. We have also defined (but not acted yet) targeted community outreach, specifically along ecumenical lines and human rights groups.
Our main objective for the coming 5-10 years is going to be growth. I feel we need as many Sikhs as possible to really be able to have a good foundation of culture and tradition. With only 40 members or so, some of whom are not active, we continue to be assimilated into the larger culture. This is particularly evident in the areas of children's schooling and programs.
So, we are gaining, but have a long way to go. This year we were blessed to have a flourishing group sadhana (after a very weak sadhana for years) with live music for several months. This has fallen back somewhat, but we proved we could do it. It now needs to be nourished and maintained.
Keep up the good work on your end. I feel the Sikh Dharma Development Office is really the backbone of our expansion and coordination of efforts. Perhaps you can keep us from having to reinvent the wheel(s). God Bless.
SS Viriam Singh Khalsa MS, Sikh Minister - Eugene, Oregon