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PEACE AND GRACE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1:13-17

SERVICES THIS WEEK

Wednesday: 

• Divine Liturgy: 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Friday:

• Bible Study for College Students and Professionals: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Saturday:

• Book Review Series on Parenting: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

• Vespers: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Sunday:

• Divine Liturgy: 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

• Sunday School: Noon-12:45 p.m.

Monday:

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

Fridays Nights (7:00 pm)- Bible Study for College students and Professionals!

This Friday, we will be learning how to use one of the most important and effective tools in studying the bible: the Commentaries of the Church Fathers.

Learn where to find the commentaries and how to invite the experts to help you dive deeper into the bible from great saints such as: St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. John Chrysostom, St. Augustine, and many more. See you there!

Saturday Nights | Book Series on parenting!

St. Basil’s book series meetings will continue on Saturdays at 5:30 pm, before the vespers raising of incense prayers. Baby-sitting will be provided and there are guest speakers! Even if you’ve missed the first session, you will easily pick up where we last left off! See you there!

This time we will be reviewing “Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child-Rearing”. Whether you are a parent now or hope to be one day, this book will offer valuable guidance and techniques. Purchase the book now to get a head start on the reading! CLICK HERE to purchase on Amazon! You can also listen to an overview and intent of the book from the author by CLICKING HERE.

Congratulations Jasmine and Tyler!

Congratulations to Tyler and Jasmine for the baptism of their son Luke! God bless your family with a beautiful journey with Christ!

Educational Vespers (Saturday nights 7:00pm-8:00pm)

Want to teach your children the basics of Coptic praises, hymns, midnight praises, deacon movements and responsibilities, etc.? Or maybe you too want to learn? Vespers is a great opportunity to prepare your children for the basics and build a foundation for greater growth in the rich tradition of Coptic liturgical hymns.

Join us on Saturday nights (7:00-8:00 pm) where we will pause at important points during vespers to explain what is happening! Even if your children are not deacons / deaconesses yet, this is a great opportunity to participate nonetheless!

AGAPE MEAL AFTER THE LITURGY! 

Hello St. Basil’s family!  We’re happy to continue our weekly Agape meal, but we can’t do it without your help!  

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 CLICK HERE to sign up.

God bless your efforts!

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: FrMichael@stbasil.net

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.