Every Friday night provides an opportunity to build community and to grow spiritually.  Having weekly Shabbat t’filot (Sabbath prayer services) is one way to invite people to join you on a consistent basis. If you are not at a commuter campus, try having services every Friday night; your goal is to establish consistency.  It is okay if you only have a few people at first. Soon your numbers will grow, as word gets around!  If you have never had your own Reform service, don’t hesitate to try one. You might get more people than you expect!  It is also a lot easier, and probably more successful to hold Shabbat services on Friday night rather than Saturday morning, when you might likely lose a lot of your congregation to sleep!

There are several things you can do to create a very warm, community-oriented atmosphere where everyone feels welcome.  First, you can organize walking groups from the different residence halls to services.  Have someone standing at the door, handing out siddurim (prayer books) and greeting people with a smiling Shabbat Shalom as they enter.  At the beginning of services, go around the room and have people introduce themselves and maybe say something about how their week went.  These activities build community and allow people who would otherwise never meet to learn about one another.  As leaders, you may receive some positive feedback, which could encourage people to come back.

If you don’t have a regular location for services, you can hold them at Hillel (if there is a room), in a dorm, at the student center or other common location, or even in someone’s apartment or home.  You can have them almost anywhere!  It is also always preferable to use too small a space than one that is too big: small spaces bring people together like you wouldn’t believe!  UCLA’s Reform chavurah used to meet in people’s apartments, and most felt it was the key to the group’s success.

If you choose to have services in group members’ homes, whether it is on a regular basis or only once in a while, having a pot-luck dinner alongside the t’filot is another community-building opportunity.  Invite everyone to bring a dish (if you know in advance who is coming, you might want to assign specific foods for people to bring so there is a variety), and allow time for socialization afterwards.  Keep in mind that it may be difficult for students to actually prepare a dish if they live in a dorm.  Even if you do not have a full dinner, you can ask people to bring dessert for an oneg Shabbat (a reception after services in honor of the “Delight of Shabbat”).

"May the Words of My Mouth": Creating the Service Materials

You may choose to use a service from one of the prayer books published by the Reform Movement, such as Gates of Prayer, if you have them. If not, you might want to embark on a fund-raising campaign to obtain them, apply for a Reform on Campus Grant to purchase them, or ask nearby congregations if they are able to spare a few. You can also put together your own creative service. KESHER has many resources available, including a service template and corresponding Hebrew fonts to create your own service. You might want to alternate between services, or even write your own siddur. BaRuCh (Brandeis Reform Chavurah) and the Reform minyan at Ohio State University used the KESHER liturgy to create its own prayer book, and many of these resources are available on the Web.

Music adds a special component to the service, whether it be the singing of the group, or a guitar played by a song leader. You can have someone lead songs at the beginning or throughout the entire service. At the end of the service, a good song leader can also energize the group with an invigorating song session. Make sure to have the words to all of the songs available either in the printed service itself or on a song sheet. In addition, have sheets with the transliteration of all of the Hebrew used in the service available so that everyone present can follow along, whether they know Hebrew or not. Remember, the goal is to create community, to help everyone feel included.

When putting the service together, you should follow the normal order of the prayers. You can then insert various readings between the prayers. Readings can come from other prayer books, poetry, or other books. You might want to have a theme for your service and base your readings around that theme. A service might be based on a holiday, or even the meaning of Shabbat! If you decide to create a siddur for your community, consider having multiple options for readings for some variation.