Hindu Temple Society of New Mexico
P.O. Box 51616
Albuquerque, NM 87181
December 20, 2006

Dear Friends,

It gives me great pleasure to report to you that the seller of the property (New Mexico Central Credit Union at the intersection of Zuni & Utah) that I described in my letter two weeks ago has accepted our offer to purchase the property for $365,000. We have to provide proof of financing to the seller by the end of January and the closing is expected to be sometime in February.

If you have been waiting for something concrete to happen before committing your money for the temple, now is the time to come forward. The Board of Trustees has asked me to convey to the community that any amount of contribution will be most gratefully accepted. Of course we need a large some of money, but we also need to feel that the community is behind us as we proceed on the path of acquiring our own place of worship and community fellowship. I invite you to send a check for $100, $50, or even $25. If you can make a monthly commitment for a certain amount, it will help us pay the mortgage. A one-time commitment will help us make a larger down payment and thus reduce the amount of mortgage. Remember, a donation of $1,000 gives you lifetime membership and $50 makes you a member for one year, and all donations to HTSNM are tax deductible, if you itemize your tax return.

At our last function on December 10, a number of you came forward and pledged donations, both immediate and for the long-term. A list of these pledges is attached to this letter. If you pledged a donation and have not mailed in your check, kindly do so before the end of the year. This is important for our financial planning as well as for you to be able to take income tax deduction for this year. For those who could not attend the December 10 function, or could not decide at the moment, there is still time for you to write a check and take the deduction for this year. I strongly encourage you to do so. Of course, many of you have contributed in the previous years. The complete list of cumulative donations is maintained by the Treasurer of HTSNM. Also, anyone who wishes to review the financial statements of HTSNM is encouraged to do so; just contact me or another Board Member.

In response to our need for paying the mortgage, we requested pledges of $3,000 per year for five years during the December 10 function. We are very grateful to Gopal and Lalita Rao who have pledged $3,000 to pay for one-month’s mortgage on the property in Year 2007 and the same amount every year for an additional four years. If we can get 25 such commitments, we will be able to pay off the mortgage in 5 years! I know there are devotees in our community who can ease our burden with even larger donation. If you are blessed with that capability, now is the time to come forward.

Please write your check today to Hindu Temple Society of New Mexico and mail it to: HTSNM, P.O. Box 51616, Albuquerque, NM 87181.

Please do not forget to give us your current mailing address and telephone number(s). A receipt will be promptly mailed to you for your records. If you need it for tax purposes, the HTSNM non-profit religious organization Tax I.D. # is 85-0458579. Please call me at 821-7373 or Krishan Wahi at 292-8190 if you have any questions. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
Vinod Mehta
President, HTSNM Board of Trustees