July 2020
"Even in the world, the yogi who faithfully discharges his responsibilities, without personal motive or attachment, treads the sure path of enlightenment."

Mahavatar Babaji
Autobiography of a Yogi , p.364
Greetings!

As Prince Georges County Maryland begins a full Phase Two reopening this week, the managing Council has asked SRF Mother Center for their guidance for our reopening the DC Center. Here are the highlights of their response to our inquiry:

  • Regardless of local government guidance, if your group would prefer to wait until such time that you (as a membership majority) feel comfortable in returning to services, this is acceptable.
  • If your group does decide to resume services, for those individuals with health issues or any other concerns, they are of course free not to attend until they feel comfortable in doing so. 
  • When restarting services, we recommend that you continue to follow universal health guidelines with regards to coronavirus, which can be found on the websites of the Centers for Disease Control.

They also ask that we follow the local government guidance, Prince Georges County MD in our location, and when the Managing Council felt it was safe to open and we can provide the required safety precautions, we will need 70% majority to reopen from the devotees who attend our services regularly.

As mentioned in our last newsletter the Managing Council has been meeting virtually monthly and at our last meeting, we agreed that we are not ready to reopen the DC Center at this time. We also agreed to review this decision on a monthly basis and plan to send a questionnaire to the congregation to get feedback about reopening the Center soon. In the meantime we encourage all the team chairs to reach out to their members or have a virtual team meeting, via Zoom (40 free minutes)   https://zoom.us/   or Google Meet (1 hour free) https://apps.google.com/meet/ . This is a great way to stay connected and to get opinions on how others feel about the reopening of the Center. Your feedback is always welcomed.

You may have heard that the 2020 World Convocation will be held online this year from August 9-15, 2020 and is free! Registration will be begin sometime in mid-July. You can get more information hear https://yogananda.org/convo2020 .

We are happy and thankful for your quick response to last months mention of the need to cover our Center’s fixed costs. Since then we have received over $3,200 which created a positive cash flow for the month of June, the first positive cash flow this year! Thanks again for your support.


In Master’s Service,
 
Wayne T. Lavallee
Coordinator
Staying Connected

We encourage all to stay remotely connected to the worldwide SRF family:

DC Center Fixed Expense Update

We wanted to bring to your attention that although the Center is closed, we still have significant monthly fixed expenses of about $1,500 per month, including electricity, heating and cooling, telephone/internet, security, insurance, trash, software. We have reduced the expense associated with all these as much as practical.  

For unexpected emergencies such as this pandemic, we have a $10,000 reserve, but since we may be closed for a significant period of time, for those of you who have the means to contribute financially at this time, we greatly appreciate and welcome your support. Your gifts will help defray these ongoing fixed expenses of the Center.

Donating online is simple. Please use the yellow Donate button at the bottom of the newsletter or visit  https://www.dccentersrf.org/support-us/donate/

We also realize that many of you have seen significant declines in your own financial resources during this crisis. Please know that our hearts go out to you and that through your prayers, goodwill, acts of service, and your sincere following of our Guru’s spiritual path, you are contributing to SRF and the center in a deeply meaningful way.
Suggestion Box

Due to the fact we no longer are physically present at the DC Center we thought we would add a feature called the “Suggestion Box” in which we invite your suggestions or comments. Much like the suggestion box at the DC Center, if you have a constructive idea or suggestion for our Center please send it by replying to this email. We can then review them monthly at our Council meetings. Someone will reply to each suggestion after each monthly Council meeting.
Caring Friends Team

The Caring Friends Team provides support and outreach to members who are experiencing illness, hardships, and personal crisis. For more information please contact Stacey Hawkins at 301-395-9541.
Online Donations Now Available

You can now make online donations to the Washington DC Center of SRF by clicking on the yellow Donate button below. You will have the option of designating whether the donation is for the General Fund or the Building Fund. Please note that donations made using this button are not tax deductible.

While services are suspended, you can also make donations to the Center by check, mailed to: Washington DC Center, 4911 Niagara Road, College Park, MD 20740. If you wish your donation to go toward the Building Fund, please note this in the memo field.

Tax deductible Building Fund donations may be made online here, or by making the check payable to Self-Realization Fellowship, noting Washington DC Building Fund in the memo field, and mailing it to the Center. Full details concerning donations are explained on the Center's website Donate page .
Donations made using the above yellow Donate button are not tax deductible. For other donation options use the Donate Website button below, including tax deductible building fund donations.
Washington DC Center of Self-Realization Fellowship
4911 Niagara Road College Park MD 20740
washington.dc.srf@gmail.com
DCcentersrf.org