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PEACE AND GRACE!

Commemoration of the Departure of Lazarus, the beloved of the Lord (March 26 / Baramhat 17)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

ONLINE SERVICES THIS WEEK (via Zoom)

Tuesday:

Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Lent Spiritual Talk: 7:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday: 

Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Thursday:

Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Friday:

Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Coptic Cafe - Diocese Spiritual Talk: 7:45 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday:

Vespers Prayer: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Baptism Preparation Class: 6:45 p.m.

Sunday: 

Sunday Bible and Synaxarium Readings and Sermon: 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Sunday School: 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.

ONLINE SERVICES FOR COVID-19 SHELTER-IN

During these unprecedented times, we believe that it's more important than ever that we all continue to receive spiritual nourishment. While we may not be able to attend church in person, we hope that we can grow and strengthen the churches within our homes. 

Therefore, we have set up a series of online video sessions for both prayer and spiritual edification, so that you and your family can join from your home.

All events can be found here: http://stbasil.net/covid19-services

CONGRATULATIONS TO TERRY AND JOHN RYAN

It is our joy to announce that their daughter Amaya Grace was baptized into the Coptic Orthodox Church on March 14th. May God’s grace guide their lives and may they have a lifetime of blessings. Welcome home!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN || “LITTLE FLOCK” LESSONS

For our children in elementary school, the Diocese plans to have weekly Sunday school lessons live on Logos TV on Sunday evenings at 4:00 PM. These lessons are provided by some of the best servants in the Diocese. The first series of three weeks will focus on God as our refuge and fortress (Psa. 91:2). The final week will be a wonderful overview of Holy Pascha week for our children. 

These lessons will include lessons from the Bible with visuals, application and memory verse memorization, arts and crafts, puppet shows, and much more. We hope this can engage our children during this time. We also hope that parents can watch along side their children, to ask questions to make sure they are retaining and applying the information in their lives.

MARCH 28 || PREPARATION FOR BAPTISM (CATUCHEMEN) CLASSES

Come join us on Saturday nights at 6:45 PM (after the Vespers Prayers) for Baptism preparation classes. These classes are for those interested in becoming members of the Coptic Orthodox Church, for those recently baptized (within the last few years), or simply for anyone else seeking to better understand the basics of the Christian Faith. 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.

APRIL 11 || ANNUAL LIVING PASCHA STORY

April 11th will be our annual Living Pascha Story. It will include palm weaving and stations to learn about the Resurrection along with a live donkey and pony.

DONATION LETTERS ARE READY

Donation letters are ready in time for tax season. If you would like your donation letter to be sent to you, please reach out via email to info@stbasil.net.

NEW || 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. 

FOOD & CLEAN-UP

If you would like to help with food for our weekly Agape Meal please sign up through the links below. For questions please reach out to Erene at erenepasi@gmail.com

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 stewardship.