AGM proposal

Here is a proposal (originally presented at the 2005 AGM) about a way our Math could be organised much better.

It's in point form for easy understanding and feedback.
Please have a good look and let me know your thoughts on it.

Currently, there's a bit of chaos in the way we manage our sanga here in Murwillumbah. We pretty much all know what Srila Gurudeva has told us he wants. But due to different reasons we are subject to confusion, and not much is being achieved on the external front at least.....

PREFACE:
1. Srila Gurudeva, as representative of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha
Krishna, is the one supreme spiritual authority for all members and
projects of this sanga. His pleasure is the objective of our endeavours.

2. We, his disciples and followers are coming from all different backgrounds:
young, old;
conservatives, alternatives;
family, singles;
professionals, unemployed;
etc., etc.

3. But none of us, his disciples and followers, can know his mind or the import of his instructions & desires fully.

PROPOSAL:

4. I propose that we make a list of Srila Gurudeva's desires for Murwillumbah and this sanga.

5. We each attach ourselves (either by Srila Gurudeva's direct instruction or by our own inclination) to the *planning & execution* of one or more of his stated desires for: temple, school, clinic, outside preaching development, book distribution, personal spiritual development, etc, etc. and form natural 'seva-teams'. Using our abilities in a team effort, we can all help to progress towards the practical execution of each those desires.

6. The GGGM committee would serve the groups in its official capacity as required for legal, public relations and other matters, as well as upholding all legal requirements of the Society, but would have little or no over-arching authority over the groups' projects. It would be another seva-team.

In other words each seva-team is semi-autonomous and responsible for achieving its own focus goal, and the committee simply serves all the seva-teams in terms of things like official correspondence, legal dealings, and of course calling the required meetings from time to time. etc. Each group can focus on its specific aim and use the committee to help them for official business. Here is a diagram of the proposal

Our regular spiritual lives & association would go on as normal...or better :)

7. With this system we could all just "get on with it" and mind our own business in the literal sense, because as far as our tasks go,
a) there is no over-riding authority to answer to but our own team members, learned and experienced persons that we approach for advice, and of course ultimately Srila Gurudeva,
b) we can put our clear focus on our own chosen seva-task(s), and
c) we have a lot of work to do to achieve Srila Gurudeva's goals.

8. Seva-teams can meet regularly...

9. We will also *all* meet together regularly to report challenges and accomplishments in our respective services.

10. And of course we will continue to *all* meet together regularly for
hari-katha programs. etc.

a) help to avoid and eventually solve the current problem of mistrust of "the committee",

b) allow us all to legitimately associate with like-minded people without the danger of being labelled "a different group"

c) enable the community to celebrate our unity in diversity and achieve goals for the benefit of all members by

d) facilitating the execution of Srila Gurudeva's desires which after all is the standard of our spiritual lives.

I look forward to your views on this proposal! please send them to purebhaktiaustralia@yahoogroups.com for an open discussion!! (You'll have to join this newsgroup to do so if you aren't already on it;)

humbly yours,
Subal Krsna das

P.S. One rebuff I can see for this proposal is that it would fragment the community hahah. Um, I suppose I shouldn't laugh, but it is pretty funny hahah hahahahaha☺

vancha-kalpa tarubhyas-ca
krpa-sindhu-bhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo
vaisnavebhyo namo namah!

Q: Can I just clarify something? - Do you mean that a representative of each of the seva-teams makes up the "Committee" or do they just report to the "Committee"

The committee remains seperate from the service teams, and acts as stipulated by the relevant laws. In this proposal the committee isnt 'on top' of the service teams, but rather serves them as well as performing its existing roles, as another seva-team. All seva-teams, including the committee report to the community (each other)

Q: If they just report to the committee and the committee still has its own meetings etc. will we not run into the same problems as we have been this past year?

No because instead of a 'committee meeting', all the service groups as well as the committee would meet together. The groups would each present their respective reports, and then at the end the committee would have its meeting, with all team members (and anyone else who for any reason isn't on a team) able to attend.

Q: Just as an example, obtaining an authority to fundraise. Who makes this sort of decision? the committee or the community? What about renewing the public liability insurance?

Sorry, just to clarify, the committee would serve the other seva-teams in its existing capacity - so that legal authorities, official business etc, would continue to be done by the committee, for the teams, - but the committee would not be the overseer of the goings on of the teams - it would be a specialised partner of the teams. Each team would be responsible for its own area, and reporting regularly to the whole community.

So in this proposal the committee would do its normal duties as well as arranging for things like authorities and official correspondence, financial arrangements for the teams, as a specialised seva-team itself, specialising in these aspects of the teams' activities.

Q: >>1. Srila Gurudeva, as representative of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha
Krishna, is the one supreme spiritual authority for all members and
projects of this sanga. >>

And what happens when Srila Gurudeva departs this world, will we have another ISKCON on our hands?

When there is money and properties involved, there seems to be a "Law of nature" that takes over.

Perhaps this can be amended to the term 'present Acarya', or BHAKTI Trust? Maybe we need Srila Gurudeva's advice on this point.....

This point # 1 is not so much part of the management system improvements proposal here, it is really just a preface to explain the fact he is the Supreme Personality of Servitor Godhead, and that is the motivation for us to want to achieve so many of his instructions......