Weekly Update - Oct 12
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PEACE AND GRACE
The Departure of the Righteous Hannah, the Prophetess Mother of Samuel, the Prophet (Oct 16 / Baba 6)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
James 4:13-15
SERVICES THIS WEEK
Tuesday:
Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (online)
Book Club: 8:00 p.m. (online)
Wednesday:
Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (online)
Thursday:
Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (online)
Coptic Club & SDCC Mental Health Workshop: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (online)
Friday:
Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (online)
Sunday:
Indoor Divine Liturgy: 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (registration required)
Sunday School: 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. (online)
Monday:
Preparation for Baptism (Catechism) Class: 7:30 p.m. (online)
Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (online)
WELCOME STEPHEN!
Congratulations to Peter and Youstina for the baptism of their son Stephen! God bless their family with the presence of the Holy Spirit and continuous renewal in Jesus Christ.
“Blessed be God! Behold, there are stars here on earth too, and they shine forth more brilliantly than those of heaven! There are stars on earth because of Him who came from heaven and was seen on earth.”
St John Chrysostom on the newly baptized
Oct 13 || BOOK CLUB CONTINUING THIS TUESDAY 8:00 PM
Join us as we finish up our talk on the book “Preserve Them, O Lord.” This marriage enrichment book includes many practical guidelines for Orthodox Christian couples to develop marital unity and enrichment. This is beneficial for all who are currently married, as well as those who intend to marry.
Click here for the textbook!
Click Here to join the Zoom meetings at 8:00 PM Tuesday nights!
OCT 15 || COPTIC CLUB & SDCC MENTAL HEALTH WORKSHOP
Do you know a college student who's feeling a little anxious about the start of school? Coptic Club and SDCC are co-hosting an interactive online panel session with professional counselors from our community who will talk about the things to pay attention to and simple daily practices to offset the challenges college students in particular can experience.
Thursday, October 15, 7:30-9:00 pm.
OCT 19 || PREPARATION FOR BAPTISM (CATECHISM) CLASSES
Join us on ONLINE on Monday nights at 7:30 PM for Baptism preparation classes. These classes are open for:
Anyone interested in becoming members of the Coptic Orthodox Church,
Those recently baptized (within the last few years), or
Simply anyone else seeking to better understand the basics of the Christian Faith and History.
Together, we will review the importance of baptism and its impact, the Sacraments, the inspiring church history, the Orthodox Creed, the Holy Bible, Orthodox Prayer and Spiritual life, and Church traditions. Reading material will be provided for those who wish to attend. To register for this class, please contact Fr. Michael at 949-378-0350 or FrMichaelMaximous@gmail.com .
OCT 31 || ALL SAINTS NIGHT (HALLOWEEN NIGHT)
On Saturday, October 31st (Halloween Night), we will be celebrating All Saints Night at St. Basil’s! There will be booths set up outside with food, carnival games, “guess that saint”, pumpkin decorations, and other crafts. This will be for all kids, High School and below! Following the activities, we will be praying the vespers raising of incense. Mark your calendars and more information will follow! All activities will be outside and please follow all COVID precautions (masks, distancing, sanitizers, etc.).
STARTING IN NOVEMBER || SUNDAY SCHOOL LITURGIES
As long as God continues to allow us to have the privilege of praying in the Church, we will be starting additional liturgies on Saturdays specifically for the Sunday School classes and their families and servants. These are separate from the registrations we have for Sunday Liturgies which will continue as usual for the time being. Following the Liturgy, there will be some minimal-contact refreshments followed by the Sunday School lesson. Parents are welcome to stay or visit a nearby Starbucks!
Starting in November:
1st Saturday of each month: High School and Junior High School.
This first Sunday in November will also be used to assemble the Care Kits (see below)
2nd Saturday of each month: First through Fifth Grade
3rd Saturday of each month: Kindergarten and Preschool
Please observe all COVID precautions (masks, distancing, sanitizers, etc.)
NOV 7 || CARE KIT ASSEMBLY
Jr High and High School youth will be assembling CARE KITS for those in need on Saturday, November 7th, following the liturgy. You can help by signing up for items to be dropped off or delivered to the church. Items to be delivered may be obtained via our Amazon wish list or any other source of your choosing. Please update the sign-up sheet as you pick up/drop off or order items. We have less than one month to gather all the items SO DON'T BE SHY and sign up today! Care Kits will be available for pickup and distribution on the afternoon of November 7th.
You may reach out to Jessica Gharbawy at 518-281-7976 or jmalaty@gmail.com with any questions.
Sign Up document: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1APuULP74zyTZLbMTEAMxVDaBa6Z33F7elNcU57Z7e9o/edit?usp=sharing
Amazon Wish List: St. Basil Care Kit Project 2020
THE COPTIC PRAYER BOOK OF HOURS - WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH
Join us every week night at 7:00 PM to pray the 11th Hour Agpeya prayers. This prayer takes less than 15 minutes and would be great for you and the family to join. Click here to join or visit StBasil.net anytime for the easy-to-use link!
Scripture is clear that we are to call upon God on a regular basis for our own benefit and peace.
Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Ephesians 6:18 - Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Colossians 4:2 - Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving
Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
The Coptic prayer book called the Agpeya in Coptic (Book of Hours) or Horologion (Greek for hours), is an essential part of Coptic Orthodox Christian spirituality. The Agpeya aims to prolonging our presence with our Lord and raising our concentration and feelings to higher levels of prayer which should not be done as a duty or routine, but from the heart and spirit. The Agpeya is full of many psalms written by David the Prophet, sections from scripture written by the Disciples and Apostles, and prayers of saintly fathers (litanies), which they all wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. There are no other words better than the words of God to speak to God with. When we use the Agpeya, we feel the same feelings they felt and we have the opportunity to make their powerful prayers our own. They are a model and guide for us in our own personal prayers.
The hours are chronologically laid out, containing a theme corresponding to events in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as shown below. Try to use it today, even one or two of the “hours” which takes less than 15 minutes each.
REMINDER ABOUT LITURGY REGISTRATIONS
A reminder to only register once for a liturgy for each cycle so as to make sure everyone has a chance to take communion during each of the three-week cycles. If you wish to attend more than one liturgy during each cycle, there are a few ways you can do so:
Sign up on the waiting list. If there are cancellations, we will release tickets as seats become available. Preference will be given to those who have not signed up for a liturgy during the current cycle.
Check availability after 7:00 PM Saturday nights. If there is an opening, even if you have signed up for other liturgies during that cycle, please sign up again.
Attend weekday liturgies as they occur for feasts and as they are announced. Attendance at these liturgies is expected to be well below our maximum COVID19 occupancy guidelines.
Thank you all for your patience and cooperation and we look forward to the day, through your prayers with the grace of Jesus Christ, that these restrictions will no longer be necessary.
PROFESSIONAL MENTORS NEEDED
We are seeking professional mentors to help rising professionals as well as those in career transition. Your savvy, insights, and advice can go a long way to help someone navigating their career path.
We are also happy to announce that more than 35 community members have joined the group so far. Please consider joining and encouraging others to do so. https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13891157/
For more info about the network, mentoring, or career coaching, please contact Sam Soloman at sam@samsoloman.com.
COVID-19 HARDSHIP
If you or anyone you know is suffering from hardships related to this virus, or any distress at all, please contact Fr. Michael at 949-378-0350 or FrMichaelMaximous@gmail.com.
Additionally, the servants of St. Basil have put together a list of spiritual, financial, educational, and employment resources that you may find helpful during the COVID-19. We hope that it is helpful. You can download the PDF here.
ST. BASIL WELCOME PORTAL
Do you know about our Welcome Portal? You can use it to register as a member, update existing contact information, volunteer for a church service, make a donation, contact Father Michael, or provide private comments/questions/suggestions. Try it out:
FAMILY HOME VISITS
Father Michael is offering home visits for anyone who is interested. Please reach out to him directly to schedule a visit.
Phone: 949-378-0350
Email: FrMichaelMaximous@gmail.com
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
Please let us know if you have any upcoming important events for us to share with our fellow congregants. Special events are best shared among our family, and we encourage you to share your special news with us.