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PEACE AND GRACE!
Commemoration of The Martyrdom of St. Matthias, the apostle, celebrated on Baramhat 8 (Mar 17)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"And though every day a man lives may rightly be a day of repentance, yet is it in these days more becoming, more appropriate, to confess our sins, to fast, and to give alms to the poor; since in these days you may wash clean the sins of the whole year."
+St. John Chrysostom
SERVICES & EVENTS THIS WEEK
Wednesday:
Lenten Liturgy: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Friday:
Lenten Liturgy: 4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Lenten Speaker Series: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (His Grace Bishop Abraham)
Saturday:
True Physician Ministry Training: 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church)
Children’s Hymns Class: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Vespers: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sunday:
Divine Liturgy: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
GREAT LENT STARTED MARCH 4TH
As we began the Holy and Great Fast, it is important that each of us receives spiritual guidance with regards to how to fast - please ensure you receive guidance from your spiritual father. Lent is a time of asceticism and self-control; a time for modesty in all that we do. We prepare for the most holy time of the year, where we remember our Lord's agony, death, and far more importantly: resurrection.
CONGRATULATIONS FATHER MICHAEL
Congratulations, Father Michael! May this day hold special joy for you. May love of God and peace of heart bless the holy work you are about to begin. We feel blessed to have been able to celebrate and witness this special day.
Thank you to everyone who came, and of course, to everyone who helped before and during the big event. We could have not done this without all your helping hands! You can see some of the photos here. If you like, you can upload your own pictures to the shared album.
FRIDAY LENTEN SPEAKER SERIES
After the great success of our Nativity Speaker Series last year, we are excited to announce a new speaker series during Lenten. Please join us each Friday from March 15th through April 19th. His Grace Bishop Abraham will honor us with his presence on March 15th, starting at 7:00 p.m.
TRUE PHYSICIAN MINISTRY TRAINING
Under the auspices of His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion and His Grace Bishop Abraham, the Department of Diakonia is offering a one day training for those who desire to serve the sick. Attendees will earn a certificate of completion at the end of the training.
March 16th at Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church in Santa Ana, CA
April 6th at St. Mary and St. Athanasius Coptic Orthodox Church in Northridge, CA
April 13th at St. Maurice Coptic Orthodox Church in Pomona, CA
Each training day will begin with the celebration of the Divine Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. and will end at 6:00 p.m. For more information and registration, click here.
NEW SIGN UP TOOL FOR AGAPE MEAL
As we’ve experienced challenges with the physical sign-up sheets for our weekly agape meal, we are trying a new way of signing up. Starting March 31st, we will be using an electronic tool called VolunteerSignup. It requires NO account creation, NO app downloads, and is mobile user friendly. You don’t even have to think about what to bring, since suggestions are being made for each Sunday.
All you have to do is click the link for the week you want to sign up for and enter your name and contact info next to the item you'd like to bring. If you want to bring something else, please contact Erene Hanna via the "contact manager" button and let her know.
Here are the links to the sheets for the next few weeks:
March 31: https://volunteersignup.org/FJEC3
April 7: https://volunteersignup.org/D7RXA
April 14: https://volunteersignup.org/XJRX3
Thank you for your continued support and help!
Under the auspices of His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, the Graduates and Young Professionals (GYP) committee cordially invites you to the 10th Annual Lenten Retreat on April 5-7, 2019. This year we are blessed to have Fr. Antony Paul, of the Saint Paul Brotherhood to lead us in a spiritual discussion on “Discipleship”
Don’t miss out on the opportunity for spiritual contemplation, growth, and fellowship.
Register TODAY to reserve your spot HERE
Registration Deadlines are:
Early Bird $175 -February 18, 2019 (President’s Day Special Price!)
Regular $195 – March 10, 2019
Late $220 – March 24, 2019
We are looking forward to benefiting spiritually together and enjoying Christ in fellowship with one another.
HELP WITH AMAZON SMILE
If you are looking into other ways to support our church, the AmazonSmile Foundation offers an easy way to give while browsing the Amazon shop. It will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases, at no cost to you. To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com (you may want to add a bookmark to make it easier to return). You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on the product detail pages. If you already own an Amazon account you can use the same account for AmazonSmile. On your first visit, please select “Saint Basil American Coptic Orthodox Church” as your charity of choice. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make will result in a donation for our church. Thank you so much for your love and support.
ANNOUNCEMENTS, VISITATIONS & CONFESSIONS
Please let us know if you have any upcoming important events for us to share with our fellow congregants. Special events are best shared amongst our family, and we encourage you to share your special news with us.
FOOD & CLEAN-UP
Since we’ve experienced low sign-up rates for our weekly agape meal, we are trying a new approach. A sign-up sheet will be hung on the fridge in the food hall every Sunday. We ask all families, if you can, to stop by the fridge and sign up to bring an item for the following week. Thank you to all who have contributed and helped make the agape meal a special time for everyone. We need as many volunteers as possible to keep the church clean on Sundays after the Divine Liturgy. Please consider this important expression of stewards