Joining a Committee

Ended the fast a little thirsty, not at all hungry, I thought.  On exiting, the congregation provided a two pack of Oreos and a water bottle.  I went for the cookies first, finished about half the water on the ride home, and helped myself to more food than I thought I needed once the

Did I get from the experience what the sages thought I should get?  I left less resentful than when I arrived.  The Appeal card still goes in the shredder.  Our Presidential message invited participation by volunteering for committees, along with a mechanism for doing this.  While I fundamentally disagree with sign-up sheets, preferring chairmen to think about what their committees do and seeking the talent to do it, that's apparently not our congregational way.  They have less than they could have had because of it.

Good chance to do some science.  My first inclination was to take the committee list, have my wife pick two for me based on what she thinks I would contribute to more than my own interests, and submit it without telling me what she chose.  Big downside to that.  I really don't want to be on a Cemetery Committee that has really been as defunct as the corpses its mission serves.  Instead, I will choose two, based on my interests:  Israel Affairs and Community Interface.  I know both chairmen.  Neither really want committees other than themselves nor do they seem to have purpose.  Will submit my requests as the President outlined in his message.  When no response from chairmen in a month, I will politely bring that to the attention of the President, who really manages what he inherited with little vision of what might be possible.  Or maybe they will respond.  Good experiment to conduct, just the same.