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PEACE AND GRACE

St. Mary’s Fast (Aug 7-21 / Mesra1- 15)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

ONLINE SERVICES THIS WEEK

Tuesday:

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

Book Review & Discussion: 7:45 p.m. - 8:45 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.

Sunday: 

Sunday Scripture Readings and Gospel Sermon: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

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

Monday:

Preparation for Baptism (Catechism) Class: 6:30 p.m.

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

August 11 || BOOK CLUB

Come join us online on Tuesdays for a review of “Interior Freedom” by Jacques Philippe. Books can be purchased through Amazon by clicking here. Below is a description of the book and which is very appropriate with the challenges we are facing today:

Interior Freedom leads one to discover that even in the most difficult circumstances we possess within ourselves a space of freedom that nobody can take away, because God is its source and guarantee. Without this discovery we will always be restricted in some way and will never taste true happiness. Author Jacques Philippe develops a simple but important theme: we gain possession of our interior freedom in exact proportion to our growth in faith, hope, and love. He explains that the dynamism between these three theological virtues is the heart of the spiritual life, and he underlines the key role of the virtue of hope in our inner growth.

AUGUST 14 || DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR ACTS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Apply for ACTS Theological Seminary now! The Fall 2020 registration is now open, simply fill out our brief application form at www.actslibrary.org/apply. But hurry! Registration closes on August 14th.

AUGUST 15 || DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR RECIPES FOR OUR ST. BASIL COOKBOOK!

Want to share a recipe, get a recipe and talk it over with each other? St. Basil’s Church is preparing a wonderful customized cookbook featuring favorite recipes from our members. The cookbook will be professionally published and is certain to be a treasured keepsake. Whether it’s one or more of your more traditional dishes or new creations, you’ll have fun participating with each other and contributing to the St. Basil’s Church Cookbook!

Your assistance and participation will be needed to help make it a success.

How can you help:

Please submit up to five of your favorite recipes for inclusion in our cookbook. You can do this by sending an email to Silvia Guirguis: s_guirguis@yahoo.com.  You can also contact Silvia at (858) 248-0708.

All recipes are due by August 15, 2020. 

For each recipe, please submit

• The title of the recipe

• Ingredients

• Directions for preparing and cooking

• Special notes/suggestions/ideas such as: suggested side dish, dessert, or snack?  

• Time it takes to prepare and cook

• Number people it would serve

• Picture of the completed dish or pictures of complicated steps

• Your full name 

• If your recipe is award-winning, in memory of a loved one who gave it to you, quick & easy, slow cooker, side dish, desert, heart-healthy or vegetarian, etc.., please let us know that as well. 

Our goal is to have this book completed in time for Christmas!

August 17 || PREPARATION FOR BAPTISM (CATECHISM) CLASSES

Join us on ONLINE on Monday nights at 6:30 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 .

MENTORING FOR NEW COLLEGE STUDENT IN SAN DIEGO

Coptic Club of San Diego hosted an online info session last Wednesday with a great turnout of new first-year and transfer college students, plus nine (9) panelists representing current students and recent alumni from various campuses. In total, we had about 30 students joined and exchanged questions for useful information and advice about starting college in our areas.

To continue supporting our newest college students, Coptic Club is launching a mentoring program to match returning students with upper-class standing with newcomer students (second-years are welcome, too). 15 mentors have volunteered so far. Please reach out and invite any new college students to apply for the mentoring & fellowship program. Apply here by Sunday, August 23. For more information, please email copticclubsd@gmail.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

During these unique circumstances, Fr. Michael will be visiting families at home virtually through Zoom!  Please reach out to Fr. Michael directly to schedule an e-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.