Challenges of Space

 The skepticism some had about buying the Farmington temple has carried over to a low level of participation in temple activities in the new space. In describing the transition of the past two years, Satya Balroop has been honest about the challenges she faced with her fellow devotees. She said,

In Eagan we were doing great. In Farmington it has been a struggle...Once people start coming more often, they will think there is something they are a part of. From coming they will become more committed. From there it will go on, they will just go with it.

There were certainly many more devotees who lived in Eagan than Farmington, so distance of the 30 minute drive may factor; Satya said many of the Eagan devotees work all day and do not want to commute again to Farmington, for work or worship.

In response to this change in devotees, Satya Balroop has sought new ways to attract people to Farmington. Satya hopes to attract Farmington residents to the Mandir. She regularly welcomes high school students who come to the temple as a field trip for their religion class. In the audio to the left, Satya describes her relationship to these students. She later added that she hopes students in Farmington will be interested in learning more and attend classes at the Mandir (i.e theological programs, yoga, and dancing and other “cultural programs”). Part of this effort may include working with local churches.

Besides the youth, Satya hopes to reach out to the Farmington community through social service, as outlined by her guiding principles of Bharat Sevashram Sangha. Her aspirations include running a soup kitchen once a month, helping mothers specifically, giving out clothing, housing displaced peoples and battered women in the rooms in the basement, and helping people live a “healthy and radiant lifestyle” through yoga and education.