(Left) Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg helps with
the congregation choir.
(Right) Rabbi "Arnie" has seen his small
congregation grow from a handful of
families to over 210 with an active
religious school as well.

0 Troy

sually parking lot
conversations are
for see-you-laters
or for completions
of adjourned
meetings or shop-
ping trips.
But the 1982 conversation
that Phyllis Wenig had with
zi - Pam Spitzer in the parking
lot of the Troy branch of the
United Hebrew Schools (ac-
tually a church), wasn't an
ending, but a beginning.
Soon after, Ms. Wenig
placed ads in local newspa-
pers to see if there would be
1; Irina
r„,

-

in the areas of Troy,
Rochester and Rochester
Hills to form a congregation.
The response resulted in two
meetings. The first meeting
had 18 families represented
by 25 people. The second
meeting had 60 families and
80 people. Phyllis' husband,
Paul, was out in his front
yard with a sign and a flash-
light, directing traffic.
As it goes into six months
of celebration of its 10-yeai
anniversary, Congregation
Shir Tikvah has over 200
member families with about
9.nn rhilfircm in its reliffious

school. Next year, the Re-
form congregation will be-
come independent of United
Hebrew Schools, choosing
instead to run its own show.
Rabbi Arnie Sleutelberg has
a full-time pulpit.
The congregation does not
have its own building, yet.
But ask any of its members,
and they don't seem to care.
For now it doesn't need a
building. It has an identity
instead, one stronger than
brick and mortar.
Shir Tikvah has held ser-
vices in homes, in a Uni-
tarian Church, a Lutheran