namahatta.org - Congregational Development Ministry

Kripamoya Prabhu explains history and development of book distribution follow-up strategies in the UK. This online-book contains the following articles:

• Book Distribution Follow Up Strategies: The Mail Order Miracle
• Book Distribution Follow Up Strategies: Meet the Monks!
• Book Distribution Follow Up Strategies: Market Place Festivals

The articles have been posted originally on his blog, The Vaishnava Voice. If and when Kripamoya Prabhu writes more on this subject, I'll include it here.

You can download the whole series as a pdf-file, too.

Many, many moons ago—way back in the last century—when the ISKCON movement was just becoming established as "a confederation of centers, farms, schools, and restaurants" and anybody who was anybody lived in a temple, the temple president was the natural person to care for the spiritual lives of the devotees.

The president was the appointed head of the community, the spiritual supervisor of standards of worship and practice, and often also the chief inspiration behind the preaching. It was a very responsible position—and still is. Along with the "temple commander," the president engaged the members of local ISKCON in all the activities necessary to support a spiritual community and to prosper in their own spiritual lives.

We have an eight-petalled lotus symbol for this year's theme, as it neatly fits as an emblem for the eight projects comprising the campaign. OK, so lotuses have many more petals than eight—but by the end of the year so will we.

It started many months ago when I interviewed all the long-serving leaders of both London temples as to what the words "congregational development" means to them. We all have visions of what an expanded and improved Krishna consciousness movement looks like—based upon Srila Prabhupada’s criteria—and it does no harm, and perhaps a lot of good, to sometimes use our long-distance imagination.

"He’s up there!" - Nitai Kirtan das, ahem, scientifically locates God to the university students.

By Nitai Kirtan das

When I was at school, I remember reading in one of Prabhupada’s books that the modern educational system was like a slaughterhouse. To be completely frank, I thought Srila Prabhupada was exaggerating. I was thinking, “Its not that bad … a slaughterhouse? That’s a bit of an extreme statement!” It’s only until I went to university, and I saw first-hand the things that go on, that I realized that Prabhupada was in no way exaggerating, he was 108% right, as always.

...

We would like to present some of the lessons that we have learnt from our experience of university preaching, to hopefully inspire our readers to also find ways of preaching to others in new and creative ways.

[Originally published at the Vaishnava Connection, as a pdf-document]

Dear Devotees, Hare Krishna!

Here are the details for the upcoming Vaishnava retreat in the Midlands. Last year it was very well attended and an enjoyable weekend with some excellent talks and kirtans.

Yours with all best wishes, Kripamoya Das

[You find schedule and prices for the retreat & accomodation inside.]

(This article appeared on dandavats.com and seems to be part of a book, written by Radha Mohan das. Unfortunately i wasn't able to figure out the title and other details of it. If you happen to know more, please let me know).

From the article:

Today there is a wide range of devotees who have an interesting variety of relationships and perspectives on the movement. Among the first British and American devotees some are still very much involved today.

Other devotees, on the other hand, may only have been involved for a few years or even less.

I therefore wanted to explore similarities and differences of perception, as well devotees’ general understandings about ISKCON. I found the interviews I conducted personally rewarding and hope the reader will find them useful in terms of understanding current perceptions held by devotees within the movement.

Ratha-yatra London, 2004

Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Here is a list of engagements for just some of our sanyasis - travelling monks and teachers - who are visiting for the London Rathayatra Festival period. This list has been contributed by a number of disciples and is being sent out in response to requests for greater advance notification of visiting speakers.

by ISKCON Leicester, UK

Posted May 5, 2006, on www.chakra.org

Their Holinesses Jayadvaita , Jayapataka,
and Kadamba Kanana Maharaja.

April 22 and 23, 2006 saw ISKCON Leicester hosting well over 160 ISKCON devotees from all over the UK in its annual Midlands Retreat. The aim of the retreat is for ISKCON devotees to come together and enhance their Krishna consciousness in the company of different senior devotees.

This year's event was staged at the Leicester Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre in the heart of the city, an old church building where the devotees took part in a wide range of activities and seminars. Presiding over the retreat were H.H. Jayadvaita Swami, H.H. Jayapataka Swami and H.H. Kadamba Kanana Swami. Also on the lineup were devotees like Kripamoya das, Jayadeva das, and Haridas prabhus. The Maharajas led seminars in congregational development, the six items of surrender to Krishna, initiation within ISKCON, and yoga, as well as a special youth seminar. There were also question & answer sessions in which the sannyasi guests covered a wide range of subjects.

From Kripamoya prabhu (sent on 17 March, 2006):

Dear Vaishnavas,

Just to let you know that the upcoming Vaishnava gathering in Leicester on Saturday 22nd April and Sunday 23rd will now be attended by both Jayadvaita Swami and Jayapataka Swami. It sounds like being an event to remember. Please get all the details you'll need from Antardwip Das on: antardwip at pamho.net

Jayadvaita Swami joined ISKCON in 1968 and was Srila Prabhupada's editor for the Srimad Bhagavatam and many other books. He was also editor-in-chief of the Back to Godhead magazine for many years.