Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We are an open, caring, supportive community, where all are welcomed to participate at whatever level of knowledge, experience, and involvement they may bring. We hope these qualities will become common in the larger community and that Micah is a center of strength for our growth and participation in the world.
Over the past several years, our membership has grown and we now have approximately 150 member families and individuals. Our diverse membership includes traditional families, single parents, interfaith couples, singles, and non-traditional couples. Many of our members are Jews-by-choice or are interfaith couples and families. We proudly welcome these individuals and families into our congregation.
Will Interfaith Families be welcome?
Interfaith families are full participants at Micah. While only Jews can perform certain ritual acts, our non-Jewish members are valued participants in many aspects of our services and in other activities of the congregation. Religion is both a personal and communal commitment; we honor the integrity of each person's choice.
- 1st and 3rd Friday of the month is a Shabbat Service at 6:00 PM, enabling participants to attend at the end of their workday, and then enjoy a more leisurely Shabbat dinner at home, after the service.
- 2nd Friday of the month is a family oriented Shabbat Service at 7:00 PM, that follows a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM. (In summer, the 2nd Friday of each month is a Shabbat-in-the-Park. The service starts at 6 PM, with bring-your-own picnic to enjoy after the service.)
- 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month we have a Shabbat Morning service at 10:00 AM, which occasionally includes Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations, and is preceded by Adult Study at 9 AM.
- 5th Friday and Saturday of the month we celebrate Shabbat with alternative services.
> Our online calendar lists all of our services.
Services at Micah are at once serious and relaxed. We take Judaism seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously. For example, many congregants come to services in day-to-day street clothes, but we all take great care to observe the Sabbath service with the respect and consideration it deserves. We enjoy a high level of lay participation in all our services, but also respect the quiet congregant who may not like to come up to the bimah. We love to sing but respect the congregant who only feels comfortable humming quietly.
We use the Gates of Prayer prayer book and make every effort to use egalitarian language. Many of the prayers are recited in Hebrew, but we also recite them in English and transliterations are provided for those who don't read Hebrew. Ritual clothing, such as tallit and kippot, is optional and available.
What are the rewards and social opportunities at Micah?
From its mission statement to its services, Micah offers a welcoming community to Jews of all backgrounds and at all stages along their individual life journeys. Micah members hold regular discussion and study groups which offer members the opportunity to make new friendships and grow in their Jewish knowledge. Our programs, which include introductions to the Jewish holidays, customs, prayer, and ethics, are also appropriate for non-Jews and for those new to Judaism.
What is Micah's religious school like?
Micah's religious school, held at the Denver Campus for Jewish Education from 9:00 to 11:30 most Sunday mornings, offers classes for all ages of children and for adults. Classes are available from pre-kindergarten (aleph) through b'nai mitzvah (zayin) students. We encourage post-b'nai mitzvah students to join our youth group and return to the religious school as Madrachim (teaching assistants). Finally, our most experienced high school seniors may become teachers themselves.
On Sunday mornings, we also offer Hebrew to adults of all ages who want to learn to read, write, and speak Hebrew, and Adult Education to deal with contemporary moral, ethical, and religious issues. See the website, http://www.micahdenver.org or our newsletter for the schedule.
What additional educational opportunities exist at Temple Micah?
Micah's active Adult Education program is multifaceted and responsive to the needs of our congregants. For those who attend Saturday services, we hold an ongoing program of Kollel (wide-ranging studies) events that begin with an open, participatory Judaic discussion and may be followed by, or include, a Torah study.
The Adult Education Committee sponsors occasional guest lecturers and special learning events. We also offer short-term study groups that pursue member-initiated topics of interest such as Jewish music, cooking, and ethics. Micah also has supported both scholarly and more casual book discussion groups. We encourage the involvement of all of our members in these events.
How is Jewish music experienced at Micah?
Music lifts our spirits. At Micah, singing is a truly participatory experience. During our services, our musicians lead us in a combination of traditional and modern melodies. To keep our service interesting, we vary the melodies we sing and occasionally like to try out new songs. We enjoy music and singing at Havdalah services, Hanukkah, and High Holy Days and we annually celebrate Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song), a service that is entirely musical. Our religious school students are taught Jewish songs in their classes and in the school's group sessions.
How are life-cycle events celebrated at Micah?
In the Reform tradition we value the life cycle events (birth, blessings, namings, bar and bat mitzvah, weddings, funerals), of our congregants. Our Rabbi assists member families to make their life cycle event both personal and meaningful. Temple Micah celebrates and mourns as a community. We celebrate and honor all life-cycle events.
How does Micah practice tikkun olam (healing the world)?
As a Reform congregation, Micah has a long tradition of social action. We honor the commandment to "repair the world," tikkun olam, by speaking out and taking action on issues that reflect the religious and ethical teachings of progressive Judaism. We have a Social Action Committee that encourages individual members to take part in social action, beginning with an expectation for community service among our b'nai mitzvah class. We also raise money in our religious school for small-scale tzedaka, charitable projects, observing most holidays with a special project. Within our community Micah has an active Chesed, "Caring," Committee which helps our members. The committee provides meals, visits, calls, and cards to members in times of need.
Temple Micah uses the "Fair Share" plan, designed by the Union for Reform Judaism to spread financial obligations of a congregation as equitably as possible among the membership. Accordingly, The Fair Share plan requests its members to provide Annual Support (i.e., dues) at 2 percent of a household's total gross income. Payment arrangements are flexible. For congregants joining mid year, the dues can be pro rated. You can get information concerning Temple Micah's dues policy and becoming a member by clicking here.
For more information about applying for membership, please contact Elaine Lee at 303-388-4239,E-mail: office@micahdenver.org.