ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry

GBC Report for 2005

Please accept my humble obeisance’s. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

In this year’s GBC report detailing the services of the Congregational Development Ministry, we are giving you a package. Included is this cover letter, which gives a brief overview of the Ministry and its basic activities, CD PowerPoint presentations for 2005-2006 and 2004-2005, and the most recent issues of The Congregational Development Journal.

Normally I would personally give a presentation to the GBC body, but this year, in their wisdom, the Executive Committee decided that we should give instead everyone a CD, which in your abundant free time, you may view.

We would like to know how you liked the CD, so after seeing it please send us some feedback. You may to the manager of the Ministry, His Grace Seva Swarup das via email (PAMHO), with a copy to me. We would like to know ifyou like the CD with sound or as it is now, simply visual. Later we will produce an audio version for general distribution, but we thought it may be to slow for the GBCs, as they like to go through things quickly.

Thank you for your reading this.

Education and Training

The ISKCON Congregational Development Ministry educates ISKCON temples presidents and leaders in techniques to build and sustain congregational preaching. For that purpose, the Ministry produces publications, magazines, newsletters, a web site, and hosts a PAMHO conference. We answer emails, make tours, presentations and seminars at various festivals around the world. Website: www.namahatta.org

Courses and presentations on congregational development are given by Jayapataka Swami (Minister) or Kaunteya das (Secretary), or by other staff members in the following places:

-New Vrndavan, USA

-Canada

-Rio de Janeiro & Sao Paulo, Brazil

-Malaysia

-La Paz & Cochabamba, Bolivia

-Lima, Chosica, Perú

-Guayaquil & Cuenca, Ecuador

-Santiago, Chile

-Buenos Aires, Argentina

-Montevideo, Uruguay

-Moscow & Anapa, Russia

-Croatia

-Serbia

-Lithuania

-Wroclaw, Poland

-Leicester, UK

-Auckland. New Zealand

-Melbourne & Perth, Australia

-Middle East

-Australia

-India

If you would like to have congregational development seminars at any of your temples or festivals, please contact the Ministry.

The Ministry promotes strategic planning for congregational development. Our Ministry’s staff has given seminars in the following places:

Lima, Chiclayo, Trujillo & Arequipa Peru

Villa Vrindavana, Italy

This year we had three national congregational educational conventions in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia which were organized by local temples, national councils and the Ministry. We conducted seminars and workshops on the following topics:

Bhakti-vriksha

Mediation

Reception & Hospitality

Youth

Family life

Gaura-katha

Listening Skills

Building Relations

Improving the Sunday Program

Publications

Regarding our publications, in the CD we present a picture of a number of the publications. Our most recent book is a compilation of quotes from the previous acaryas and Srila Prabhupada, as well as testimonials from our esteemed GBC members and leaders. The Nectar of Congregational Preaching will be available for the Gaur Pumima festival. The Ministry’s upcoming publications include Godruma Kalpatavi by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura (with translations and purports by Jayapataka Swami) and Super Sunday by Kaunteya das. We have published other books that are available in our office (Chakra 112) in Sri Dham Mayapur. These include:

The Bhakti-vriksha Manual (in English, Spanish, Slovenian

Bengali, and Russian)

The Book of Ice Breakers

Free to Preach by Prema Padmini devi dasi

Yours in service,

Jayapataka Swami