Weekly Update - November 20, 2023
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PEACE AND GRACE
The Departure of St. Hannah, the mother of the Theotokos (November 21, 2023 / Hator 11, 1740)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34-38
SERVICES THIS WEEK
Monday:
College Coptic Club Friendsgiving Dinner: 5:00 p.m.
Preparation for Baptism Class: 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. (Zoom Meeting)
Tuesday:
Midnight Praise: 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Wednesday:
Divine Liturgy: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Thursday:
No College Coptic Club Meeting this week! Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday:
No Bible Study this week! Happy Thanksgiving!
Saturday:
Saturday Youth Camp: (no Camp this week - Happy Thanksgiving!)
Vespers Raising of Incense: 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Midnight Praise 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Sunday:
Divine Liturgy: 8:00 a.m.- 11:00 a.m.
Beginner & Intermediate Hymn Classes: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Sunday School Classes: 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
January 14, 2024 - Annual St. Basil Formal Banquet & Silent Auction
Mark your calendars for 2:00PM - 6:00 PM , on January 14th for St. Basil’s annual banquet in celebration of St. Basil’s annual commemoration (January 14th) for a wonderful night with family and friends! Tickets will are available at St. Basil’s Store by clicking here!
This will be a formal dinner with presentations on the past accomplishments of our church and goals for the future. There will also be fundraising events such as a silent auction and raffle giveaways and other presentations! Contact Silvia Guirguis for more information at (858) 248-0708.
Consider donating items for the silent auction, such as:
Gift Baskets: either prepare them or sponsor the preparation of a basket!
Service Vouchers: tutoring, limousine rides, boat rides, fishing, babysitting, etc.
Entertainment tickets: sports events, movies, etc.
Black Friday items: iPads, computers, etc.
Got an old car you are thinking of selling? Why not have it be a highlight of the auction?
Keep your receipts because all donations used for the auction are tax deductible! More info to follow!
Also, do you have a talent? Share it with everybody as part of the variety show during St. Basil’s Annual banquet! Submit your 2-minute video audition by December 10th, for a chance to be selected to perform (Share your video with Mariam Habib mariam.k.habib@gmail.com) for consideration!!!
Dec. 17 | St. Basil’s Women’s Christmas Fellowship Night!
Mark the date! December 17, 2023. There will be food, fellowship, and a spiritual talk! Also, the very popular secret Santa activity will return this year too! More information to follow on the time and what to bring!
Friends-Giving 2023
The friends-giving event was a great success on Sunday! There was plenty of excellent food and fellowship! Thank you to all who labored so hard to bring us all together, with Christ in our midst!
St. Basil’s Bible Study: Friday Nights (7-8:30pm)
Be on the lookout for this year’s Nativity Series starting on December 1st on the Sermon on the Mount!
This week, there will be no bible study because of the Thanksgiving Weekend!
Congratulations Fr. George Zaki
Congratulations to Fr. George Zaki (formerly Maged Zaki) for his blessed ordination! Many of you may recall that Fr. George, along with his wife Germin, served at St. Basil’s church for many years. Fr. George was ordained to serve at St. George and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church in San Jose, CA.
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:
Sign up to bring food (Please refrain from excessive sweets).
Sign up for the coffee cart: set up and clean up the coffee cart on Sunday morning.
Hall clean up following the Agape meal.
Please CLICK HERE to sign up.
We also need help with coffee so please 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.
DIOCESE EVENTS
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. It’s a wonderful practice to have a priest visit your home at least once a year. Please reach out to him directly to schedule a visit!
Phone: 949-378-0350
Email: FrMichael@stbasil.net
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.