Happy Birthday Achen! – Happy 85th birthday to our dear Achen, Very Rev. Dr. Mathai Yohannan Sankarathil Cor-Episcopa, on behalf of the parish.
MGOCSM Area Lenten Retreat – The MGOCSM of BQLI will be hosting the area lenten retreat on Friday, March 5th at 7pm via Zoom. The theme will be “Conquering Temptations” based on St. Matthew 6:13. Please register with the following link: tinyurl.com/bqlilentenretreat2021
Education Day 2021 – On Saturday, March 6th at 3pm, the Sunday School ministry will be hosting its annual Education Day. The theme is from 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” The guest speaker will be Fr. Joel Mathew from Dallas, TX. In addition to speaking, he will be leading a group for those who are in MGOCSM. All Sunday School children and MGOCSM members are asked to register and attend! Please contact Ansue Koshy for any details/questions.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sunday, March 7th, the deadline is Wednesday, March 3rd. Please do so as soon as possible; once capacity has been reached, exceptions can not be made. If you sign up, be sure to come for service by 8:30am; doors will be closed after that time. Also, masks must be properly worn for all services.
General Body Meeting – There will be a General Body meeting held on Sunday, March 14th at 3:30pm via Zoom. The 2021 Annual Budget will be discussed at this meeting. The budget and instructions were sent to the parish members. If you have not received the 2021 Annual Budget, please email treasurer@stthomasli.org.
Holy Week Donation – All members are kindly requested to make a donation of $100 for Holy Week. Please give your donation to the Treasurer as soon as possible.
Annual Subscriptions/Dues/Donations – Members are also requested to begin payment on your annual subscriptions, dues owed and any donations you wish to provide. Due to the limitations in services and our current financial situation, earlier payment would be graciously appreciated.
2020 Christmas Donations – For those who have inquired about handing in last year’s christmas donations. You are still welcome to donate for the previous year. Please notify the Treasurer at your earliest convenience, if you wish to do so.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sunday, December 20th, the deadline is Wednesday, December 16th. If you have attended prior services, you will be placed on a waiting list if you leave a voicemail or text to sign up.
MGOCSM Canned Food Drive – The MGOCSM would like to thank everyone for their support with the canned food drive. With all your help, they were able to donate 15 boxes of food and clothing to the Mary Brennan Inn just in time for the holiday season.
MGOCSM Meeting –The MGOCSM meeting that was scheduled for Sunday, December 13th has been postponed to Sunday, December 20th at 5:30pm via Zoom. All youth members are kindly requested to attend. Link: https://zoom.us/j/97094496434
Passing of Mr. Idichandy Muthalaly Alexander – on Wednesday, December 2nd. He was 68 years old. The funeral took place Friday, December 4th. Please keep the bereaved family in your prayers.
Thirumeni’s Annual Visit –Next Sunday, December 13th, H.G. Zachariah Nickolovas will be conducting Qurbana at the parish for his annual visit.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – To sign up for Sunday, December 13th, the deadline is Wednesday, December 9nd. If you have attended prior services, you will be placed on a waiting list if you leave a voicemail or text to sign up.
MGOCSM Elections – There will be an MGOCSM meeting next Sunday, December 13th at 4pm via Zoom followed by MGOCSM elections for the next year. All youth members are requested to attend, especially if they are interested in serving on the committee next year. Link: https://zoom.us/j/97094496434
Masks – We would like to remind all church members of the current mask requirement in effect, which is also mandated by NY State for houses of worship. It is important that everyone keeps their masks on for their own safety as well as for our fellow parishioners. In order to make sure we create a safe environment, where everyone feels comfortable to participate in the service, we want to remind all members that they need to consistently wear their masks in church, covering both the nose and mouth. Thank you for following the set guidelines.
The Fast of the Nativity of our Lord – Lent begins this Tuesday, December 1st till the 25th. All members are kindly requested to observe.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – The church will remain open at a limited capacity for Holy Qurbana on Sundays. Please follow the instructions, which were sent via text and posted on the parish website to sign up for Sunday, December 6th. The deadline is Wednesday, December 2nd. If you have attended prior services, you will be placed on a waiting list if you leave a voicemail or text to sign up.
MGOCSM Canned Food Drive – The MGOCSM is hosting a canned food drive for the Mary Brennan Inn. Please bring in any non perishable canned or boxed food items. On your way in, please drop the items in the box in the lobby before entering the sanctuary. The last date for collection will be next Sunday. Please reach out to Ruth Abraham or Joshua Mathew with any further questions. They wish to thank everyone in advance for your support.
Holy Qurbana Sign-Up – The church will remain open at a limited capacity for Holy Qurbana on Sundays. Please follow the instructions, which were sent via text and posted on the parish website to sign up for Sunday, November 29th. The deadline is Wednesday, November 25th. If you have attended prior services, you will be placed on a waiting list if you leave a voicemail or text to sign up.
Monthly Prayer Meeting – We will have our monthly video interactive prayer meeting Sunday, November 29th at 4PM for the entire parish via Zoom.
MGOCSM Canned Food Drive – The MGOCSM is hosting a canned food drive for the Mary Brennan Inn. Please bring in any non perishable canned or boxed food items. There is a box placed in the lobby of the church. On your way in, please drop the items in the box before entering the sanctuary. The youth is kindly requesting that all donations be brought in a grocery bag, to avoid any cross contamination. The last date for collection will be Sunday, December 6th. Please reach out to Ruth Abraham or Joshua Mathew with any further questions. They wish to thank everyone in advance for your support.
MGOCSM Meeting – There will be a youth meeting next Sunday at 4pm in the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Jose Varghese. All youth members are requested to attend.
February Youth Meeting – The first youth meeting of the year will take place Sunday, Feb. 16th at 4pm. The location will be announced next week. Please make all efforts to attend.
Passing
of Mrs. Rachel Varghese– the mother of Mr. Jose
Varghese on Wednesday in India. Mr. Jose Varghese has traveled to India to
attend the funeral, which took place on Sunday. Please keep the
bereaved family in your prayers.
MGOCSM
New Years Conference – The MGOCSM New Years Conference will be held on Saturday, Jan 18th at
our parish from 9:30am to 3:30pm. The theme is Inner Warfare,
“keeping watch over our thoughts in the New Year” and the main speaker will be our very own, Seminarian Shojil Abraham. All MGOCSM
members, be sure to make an effort to attend this conference. Please use the following link to register online. tinyurl.com/newyearsconf
2020
AJM Tournament Meeting – There will be an Anil John Memorial Basketball tournament meeting on
Friday, Jan 17th, at 6:30pm, in the residence of Mr. Samuel P Mathai and
family. All youth and focus are requested to attend. Please contact Midhun
Kuruvilla or Danniya Samuel for further details.
Education
Day – The Sunday School will be
hosting Education Day for all Sunday School students on Saturday, Feb 8th, from
2 to 6pm. This year, Rev. Fr. Andrew Daniel will be our guest speaker. There is
a $5 registration fee. Please see Amy George or Danniya Samuel for further
details.
The
Schedule of Worship for 2020 – Please find the schedule of worship for 2020
below.
General Body Meeting – as announced earlier, there will be a General Body meeting held on, Nov. 24th, after Holy Qurbana. We will be discussing the 2020 Annual Budget at this meeting. All members can pick up a copy of the proposed 2020 Budget in the office today.
Christmas Caroling Practice – we will be having our 4th Christmas Caroling practice on Sunday, Nov. 24th at 4pm. All members are requested to participate.
Thanksgiving Potluck– The annual youth and FOCUS Thanksgiving potluck will be held on Friday November 29th, 6:30 pm at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Sini Jablonski. Please refer to the sign up sheet posted on GroupMe and sign up at your earliest.
MGOCSM Annual Thanksgiving Conference – The MGOCSM of the NE American Diocese will be holding it one day conference on Saturday, Nov. 30th at St. Stephen’s Orthodox Church of Midland Park, NJ from 8:30AM to 5PM. The main speaker for the conference will Dn. Alexander (Pradeep) Hatcher. MGOCSM members please see the flyer below for more details on how you can register.
MGOCSM Missions Raffle- As announced previously, the MGOCSM is selling raffle tickets for $10 to fundraise for the missions trip. Next Sunday is the last day to purchase tickets, so kindly see Ms. Ruth Abraham or Mr. Swagath Thomas to purchase one and support the missions trip today.
MGOCSM Meeting– There will be a youth meeting on Sunday December 1st, 4 pm, at the residence of Mr. & Mrs. Vinod Abraham. All MGOCSM members are requested to attend.
Sunday School Announcements:
Sunday, November 24th – In lieu of regular classes, there will be a “Sunday School Crafts Day,” for all the Sunday School children. All Sunday School children are requested to be present.
Flu Shot Clinic – We will be hosting a flu shot clinic in conjunction with Walgreens after service next Sunday November 3rd. Anyone who has not yet been vaccinated can receive the flu shot for free that day. In order to assure we have enough supplies we kindly request that you sign up in advance if you need the vaccine. Please see Mr. Joshua Mathew or Mrs. Sini Jablonski to sign up today. Also as an additional service the MMVS will be conducting blood pressure readings and glucose readings.
Christmas Caroling Practice – We will be having our first Christmas Caroling practice starting on Nov. 9th after Evening Prayer. All members are requested to participate.
Feast of St. Geevarghese Mar Gregorios (Parumala Thriumeni’s Perunal) – Will be celebrated next Sunday Nov. 3rd. Special thanks to all the people that offered to bring food for the feast day. For those who didn’t get a chance to offer food are more than welcome to offer some money to cover other expenses.
MGOCSM Missions Raffle – In order to raise funds for the missions trip, the MGOCSM is selling raffle tickets for only $10 each. The first prize is an Apple MacBook, second prize is a 55″ Samsung TV and third prize is a pair of apple airpods. To purchase a ticket or for more information, kindly see Ms. Ruth Abraham or Ms. Sonia Joseph.
House Visit Coordinator – Mr. T.P Mathews was selected as the new house visit coordinator, and he will be reaching out to the families to coordinate house visits with the Clergy.
