St. Basil American Coptic Orthodox Church

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Weekly Update - Mar 28

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PEACE AND GRACE

Commemoration of the Departure of the Great Prophet Daniel (April 1 / Baramhat 23)

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.”

Daniel 12:3

SERVICES THIS WEEK

Wednesday:

Liturgy: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Friday:

Youth Online Hymn Meeting: 7:00 p.m. (Contact Mariam G. 562-456-6067 or clicking here to join!)

In-person Lent Series Book Discussion: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday:

Vespers Raising of Incense: 7:00 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.

Sunday:

Divine Liturgy: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (IN-PERSON Sunday School following Liturgy)

Monday:

Preparation for Baptism (Catechism) Class: 8:00 p.m. (online)

APRIL 9 || CHURCH CLEAN-UP DAY

It’s time for some spring cleaning! Please spare whatever time you have on Saturday, April 9, from 9 am to 2 pm. We are looking to clean out the first floor, do some hauling and organization. No time is too little. Check out the link to sign up for some needed supplies and/or volunteer your time and strength!

Sign up here.

AGAPE MEAL AFTER THE LITURGY! 

Hello St. Basil’s family!  We’re happy to bring back our weekly Agape meal, but we can’t do it without the help of our congregation.  

You can help in the following ways:

  1. Sign up to bring food (Please refrain from excessive sweets).

  2. Sign up for the coffee cart: set up and clean up the coffee cart on Sunday morning.

  3. Hall clean up following the Agape meal.

Please use the link below to sign up.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OKBxoDTaw1hUW2y7hik9hKlFk1Bu790Utuxei_K8yjc/edit

God bless your efforts!

LENT SERIES: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SPIRITUAL PATH

This year, starting March 11th, we will be reviewing a special book written by one of the most influential Christian writers of the 20th Century, Pope Shenouda the III, 117th Patriarch of Alexandria. Join us in person Friday nights at St. Basil’s for a discussion on this amazing book sure to give you spiritual renewal and commitment. Babysitting will be provided along with hymn lessons for the youth. We have many copies of this book in the bookstore or you can CLICK HERE to purchase the book from Amazon.

LENT SCHEDULE 

Be sure to look out for updated schedules for the upcoming services and events during Lent and Holy Week!

  • Weekly Wednesday Liturgies from 8-10 am

  • March 19th: Feast of the Cross

  • April 7th: Commemoration of the Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ

  • April 15th: Last Friday of Great Lent

  • April 17th: Palm Sunday

  • April 18-April 22 - Holy Week

  • April 24th - Feast of the Resurrection

ONLINE HYMNS LESSONS!

The Coptic Orthodox Church has hundreds of hymns that are beautiful, ancient and powerful in moving the soul!  When sung, not just by deacons, but by every member of the church, they can uplift the spirit and mind to a place where the angels are!  These hymns are rich tradition that we have inherited and now it is our responsivity to provide them to our children.  

Please encourage your child to join us online to learn these hymns every Friday at 7:00PM by clicking here

PREPARATION FOR BAPTISM (CATECHISM) CLASSES

Join us on ONLINE on Monday nights at 8:00 PM for Baptism preparation classes. Visit www.stbasil.net/baptism for more information. 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.

PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

As a reminder, the Professionals LinkedIn group is an easy way to connect and network with fellow members of our community.

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 and visit our Welcome Portal.

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