Bimah Volunteers

Our Gabbai invited me to lead shacharit on shabbos.  I accepted without hesitation even though it means being in shul a little longer than I might have preferred.  Being there is often not purposeful.  Having something to do usually is, particularly when others in attendance benefit in some way.  I've done this enough times now that little preparation is needed.  Usually I try to vary one or two of the tunes but for the most part it repeats the last few times I did it.  My Hebrew is fluent and accurate, voice passable most of the time.

AKSE has a small group of people who make the formalities of worship happen.  Many worship groups have started giving up their clergy, forming transdenominational minyanim.  It certainly saves money and keeps the dues from getting exorbitant, but it also gives the participants something of a stockholders form of ownership.  If the stakeholders don't come through, worship does not happen that day.  Hillel Foundations to which I have belonged always came through.  At AKSE we really only need the Torah read accurately but lack the pool of talent to do it.  We would need about ten people to give half a dozen divrei Torah each and probably could assemble that.  Unfortunately, what assembles relatively easily for shabbos struggles for Yom Tovim so having people aboard who have a contractual obligation to participate still seems necessary.  It would be nice, though, if the Hillel experience of people who gather on a Shabbos morning or Friday night out of desire more than obligation with grass roots participation could be recreated in a secure way.