Nihalati

Ephesians.

2010-09-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

Prepared by Dr. George M Bassaly.

Date Of Writing: About 60-63 A.D.

žRecipients: The Christians of the church in Ephesus, Ephesians 1:1.

žPurpose: To strengthen the Christians in the church of Ephesus.

žTheme: The Church, the body of Christ

žBeing a prisoner in Rome who was awaiting trial, St. Paul could not revisit the church in Ephesus, as he had revisited other churches he had established during his first and second missionary journeys. St. Paul had established the church in Ephesus on his second missionary journey about ~ 54 A.D. coming from Corinth on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 18). He went back during his third missionary journey where stayed more than two years (56-58 A.D.).

ž
The Christian’s position – chapters 1-3:

A. In Christ, and

B. In “heavenly places”

ž
The Christian’s walk – chapters 4-6:

A. Ecclesiastically (chap. 4)

B. Morally (chap. 5)

C. Socially (chap. 5:21 -6:9)

D. Martially (chap. 6:10 -24)

The three “whats” in this prayer:

žWhat is the hope of His calling? An invitation to the eternal glories: As true Christians, we start living a heavenly life on earth, and continue in heaven with what the eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

žWhat are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints? Think of Christ’s inheritance in us. He has suns and stars, but He also wants sons and saints.

žWhat is the exceeding greatness of His power? His power in us, and with us, to live holy for Him.

2010-09-06T23:15:00.001-07:00

The Theotokos

The Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, had many attributes that we would like to discuss. We will briefly mention three of them.

Humility

She said to the angel “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38).

She did find favor with God (Luke 1:30). She was praying and saying, that God “has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant” (Luke 1:48).

My dear friend, in reading these words, we cannot but pray and ask the Lord our God to grant us to be humble in each thought, each word we utter, and each act we do.

Are we humble? Do we consider ourselves better than others? Can we serve, with true love, everyone including those who hurt us, or even those who may ignore us?

One of the best ways to be humble is not to judge people before due time, and to leave the judgment to the Just Judge. Also, knowing that we are sinful will help us in acknowledging that we are limited, and that we can commit the same mistakes like anyone else. We are not better than anyone when it comes to falling into sin. It is the grace and mercy of God that protect us.

As the Virgin Mary found favor with God, we also need to find favor with God.

Pray from all your heart that He may grant you to be humble, to know yourself, and to follow His path.

Obedience and 3. Love

In any truthful love relationship, submission and obedience take a big part in it.

Love and obedience go hand in hand, and the Virgin Mary was obedient because she loved the Lord.

My dear reader, do you truly love the Lord? Is your love full of obedience? You may need to examine yourself.

Is your obedience out of fear?

Then, when will you love Him for who He is?

Is your obedience out of need?

When will you love Him because He is THE LOVE?

Is your obedience because you want to follow what the church is telling you, to follow the church crowd, and not to be left out?

When will you love Him because He is the Creator, the Savior and the King of Kings?

My dear reader, love Him from all your heart, mind, and soul, as He asked.

Pray that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Ask Him to grant you wisdom to understand His will, while waiting on Him. Tell Him that fulfilling His will, without understanding, is far better, and beyond measure, than fulfilling our own weak desires.

Submit to Him in love and reverence.

Finally, love Him, live Him, and live for Him, and you will see wonders in your life.

May the prayers and the intercessions of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, be with us all.

Amen.

Pray for me

Dr. George M. Bassaly

drgbassaly@gmail.com

Feast of the apostles

2010-07-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The feast of the Apostles is a good time to reflect on some points:

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” Philippians 1:21

A) They longed for Him: Each day the Apostles wished to be with the Lord.

St. Paul was saying “....having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” Philippians 1:23.

“….that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with HIM” 1Thess.5:10

Let this desire, to be with the Lord, grow in you. Have it as your wish, longing for it every day, and asking for it. If you love someone, you cannot wait until you are with that person, and spend as much time as possible together, even if you are not talking for a long period of time. Just being around, and near, the Beloved is your satisfaction and joy.

B) They Lived Him: Our Fathers the Apostles lived each day as the Lord wanted them to live, guided by the Holy Spirit. For St. Paul, life is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and nothing else. Everything in St. Paul’s life revolved around His Master and Savior.

Does everything in your life revolve around Him? Is He the center of your life, your ambitions, and even your dreams? If He is, may the Lord bless you more and more. If you are just starting on this path to live Him, grow more and more. If you did not start yet, ask Him to give you courage to begin from today, to live this way of life, to live Him.

C) They sacrificed their lives for Him: If I were asked to sacrifice my life for Him today, will I be able to? Will I even think of it?

My dear brother and sister: What do you consider a sacrifice for the Lord?

What are the things that you are holding on to, and do not want to let go?

We do not own anything on earth, irrespective of what we may possess, but most importantly is that we have Him. That is all that count. Ask Him to help you in sacrificing bit by bit, as you grow spiritually, and get closer to Him who sacrificed His life for us.

Pray that the Lord may help you long for Him, live Him, and sacrifice your life for Him.

May the blessings of the holy Apostles be with us all. Amen.

Pray for me.

Dr. George M. Bassaly

July 12, 2010

2010-07-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry to tell you that Tawfik Tawfik (servant in St Mary St John) passed away yesterday and the Funeral is tomorrow at 1pm from St. antonios Church in Hayward.

2010-07-01T00:36:00.001-07:00

There will be NO Mehragan elkeraza this Friday for the youth or HS.

2010-04-29T21:48:00.001-07:00

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The Resurrection & Holy 50 Days

2010-04-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

Khristos Anesti! Alithos Anesti!

We want to help you live the Holy 50 to the fullest so we have some materials below to get you started.

Great Lent

2010-03-08T23:15:00.000-08:00

The Spirituality of Fasting
By. HH Pope Shenouda III

http://tasbeha.org/content/hh_books/fasting/index.html

The Feast of Resurrection Liturgy will start 8:00pm on April 3rd

Visit StMaryStJohn.org for more church information!

Jonah's Fast

2010-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

Liturgy
Monday - Wednesday
11:00am - 1:00pm

Fasting rules are like the Great Lent

Online book! Click Here!

Patient Love

2010-01-18T21:59:00.001-08:00

In the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, known as the "Chapter of Love," Saint Paul the Apostle presents to us the attributes of love or the virtues that a loving person should adorn himself with. Amongst these virtues is patience or longsuffering, "Love suffers long" (I Cor.13:4).

What it the meaning of longsuffering?

Longsuffering means having a spirit that is patient and slow to anger. A person who loves another should not get angry quickly, but should be patient with him. He should internally calm himself, enduring the mistakes and weaknesses of that other individual, while trying to deal with them quietly and with tolerance. On the other hand, when a person closes his heart towards another human being, he will not tolerate him or be patient with him. On the contrary, he will take into account the smallest mistakes and will pay attention to the most insignificant matters. Saint Peter the Apostle advises us saying, "And above all things have fervent love for one another for love will cover a multitude of sins" (I Peter 4:8). No one can have patience and longsuffering towards others, unless his heart is full of love for them.

Patience and longsuffering require divine intervention. By nature, man becomes angry quickly and condemns others, especially when their mistakes are obvious. Therefore, Saint Paul the Apostle describes longsuffering as one of the fruits of the Spirit, "but the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" (Gal. 5:22).

May the Holy Spirit work within us and help us to bring forth the fruit of longsuffering. However, this requires our prayers and supplications so that God may grant us this fruit.

As mentioned previously, patience and longsuffering are amongst the qualities of love. The foundation of God’s relationship with us, our relationship with God, and our relationship with one another are all based on love. Let us reflect on God’s patience with us and the importance of longsuffering in our relationship with God and in dealing with one another.

A. God’s Patience With Us

Patience and longsuffering are divine qualities. Saint Paul the Apostle experienced God’s longsuffering and patience, thus he said, "… sinner, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show about longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe in Him" (I Tim 1:15-16). We can see that Saint Paul defines the goal of God’s longsuffering as leading sinners to repentance. Yet, he warns us against disdaining it, by saying, "Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4).

As for Saint Peter, who denied Christ, but later repented, we see how the Lord accepted him with kindness and patience. Thus he talks about God’s longsuffering saying, "…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (ii Peter 3:9).

Also David the Prophet chants in the Psalms about how God is longsuffering, how He is slow to anger and is merciful by saying, "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy towards those who fear Him; as far as the East is from the West, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, He remembers that we are dust" (Ps. 103:8-14). David sinned; nevertheless, despite his sins, God accepted him. Undoubtedly, this led David to experience the profoundness of God’s longsuffering and patience.

In dealing with humans, God has patience with them and tolerates them in order to lead them to repentance. There are countless examples that illustrate God’s patience with humans. It is impossible to enumerate them all, but we will mention a few.

1. God’s Treatment of the Israelites:

They were stiff-necked, always grumbling, sinning, worshipping idols, and deviating from God’s commandments. Yet God dealt with them with enormous patience and longsuffering. Moses the Prophet said, "The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression" (Num. 14:18). Also Nehemiah the Prophet said, "but they and our fathers acted proudly, hardened their necks, and did not heed Your commandments… But You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness and did not forsake them" (Neh. 9:16-17).

2. God’s dealing with Pharaoh:

God was very patient with Pharaoh. After every time the Egyptians were struck by a plague, Pharaoh would promise to let the Israelites go. But as soon as God lifted the plague, Pharaoh’s heart hardened and he broke his promise.

3. God’s Patience with Jonah the Prophet:

God prepared the big fish to swallow Jonah. When Jonah repented, God accepted his repentance and saved him. Later, when God did not let the Ninevites perish, Jonah grumbled. Again, God treated him patiently and prepared for him the plant by which he tried to explain to him the essence of the matter.

4. God’s Patience with the Gentiles:

The gentiles deviated, were corrupt, and worshipped idols. Yet, God was patient with them, as in the case of Nineveh, which was a gentile city. God sent them Jonah the Prophet, and when they repented, God accepted their repentance and did not destroy the city.

5. Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Patience with His disciples:

Our Lord Jesus Christ dealt with His disciples patiently and treated their weaknesses, which were manifested in such things as their inability to stay awake with Him, their escape at the time of the Crucifixion, Peter’s denial of Christ, their doubts about the Resurrection, their inability to understand the meaning of His teachings, and their rivalry over which one of them was the greatest. With patience and longsuffering, Our Lord Jesus Christ changed the hearts and nature of His disciples, turning them into a strong and courageous group able to preach the Gospel and the Resurrection to the whole world.

6. Examples of God’s Patience in the New Testament:

Our Lord Jesus Christ was patient with the Samaritan woman, with Zacchaeus, with Simon the Pharisee, with the rich young man, and many others.

7. Examples of God’s Patience with Other Sinners:

There are many examples of sinners who were led to repentance by God’s longsuffering and kindness such as Saint Augustine, Saint Moses the Black, Saint Mary of Egypt, and many others.

In the parable about the fig tree, we are reminded of God’s longsuffering which leads to repentance. The tree was about to be cut down, but it was said of it, "…let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if it does not, after that you can cut it down" (Luke 13:8-9).

We pray that God may have patience with us and not treat us according to our sins and iniquities.

B. Our Patience in Our Relationship with God

In our relationship with God, it is required that we have patience and longsuffering, since He manages wisely all aspects of our lives and grants us our needs before we even ask. But all is granted in due time, i.e. "in the fullness of time." We neither know nor comprehend God’s wisdom in how He manages our affairs, especially when it comes to timing. Therefore we should say with David the Prophet, "I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry" (Ps. 40:1). Also he said, "wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait I say, on the Lord" (Ps. 27:14). Our Lord Jesus Christ advises us saying, "By your patience possess your souls" (Luke 21:9).

Joseph the Righteous waited for God and endured slavery, as well as false accusations in Egypt. Through all that, he remained true to God, Who fulfilled his dreams, and he became a master to his brothers who had previously conspired against him. David, who was anointed king by Samuel the Prophet, waited for God and refused to resort to human methods, such as killing Saul to obtain the throne. Although he had two opportunities to kill Saul, who was chasing him, he refused and said, "The Lord forbid that I should stretch my hand against the Lord’s anointed" (I Sam. 26:11). At the right time, God gave him the kingdom and the throne.

On the other hand, Abraham the Patriarch did not wait for the Lord. Instead, he resorted to human means and listened to Sarah’s advice on how to beget a son. Eventually, this led him and his family to many problems.

Also, Mary and Martha did not wait for the Lord and thought that Christ came late. Each of them told Christ, "Lord if You had been here, my brother would not have died" (Jn.11:21,32). Christ asked them to be patient, and He raised Lazarus from the dead after four days.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

The Nihalati Youth Meeting will continue after the new year. Have a merry Christmas and we will see you soon!

December 18: Forgiveness (George Bassilios)

2009-12-12T16:59:00.000-08:00

Thursday:
8:00 – 9:00pm Bible Study

Friday: Nihalati Youth Meeting
7:30 – 8:00pm Opening Prayer & Songs
8:00 – 9:00 Forgiveness (George Bassilios)
9:00 – 11:00 Kiahk Praises with Fr. Anastasi St. Anthony in Hayward

Saturday:
6:00 – 7:00 Hymn Lesson (MS & up)
7:00 – 8:00 Asheya & Bible Study
8:00 – 10:00 Kiahk Praises (7 & 4)

Sunday:
8:30 – 11:30 Divine Liturgy
11:30 – 12:30 Sunday School

December 5th-8th

2009-12-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Services will be conducted by HG Bishop Dioscorus

Thursday:

8:00 – 9:00pm Bible Study

Friday: Nihalati Youth Meeting
7:30 – 8:00pm Opening Prayer & Songs
8:00 – 9:00 "Evolution: Fact or Fiction?" (Bishop Discorus)
9:00 – 11:00 Activities

Saturday:
6:00 – 7:00 Hymn Lesson (MS & up)
7:00 – 8:00 Asheya & Bible Study
8:00 – 10:00 Tasbeha

Sunday:
8:30 – 11:30 Divine Liturgy
11:30 – 12:30 Sunday School
1:00 – 2:00 Servant’s Meeting

1st Week of November

2009-11-04T17:59:00.001-08:00

Thursday:

8:00 – 9:00pm Bible Study

Friday: Nihalati Youth Meeting

7:30 – 8:00pm Opening Prayer & Songs

8:00 – 9:00 Lesson

9:00 – 11:00 Activities

Saturday:

6:00 – 7:00 Hymn Lesson (MS & up)

7:00 – 8:00 Asheya & Sermon

8:00 – 10:00 Tasbeha

Sunday:

8:30 – 11:30 Divine Liturgy

11:30 – 12:30 Sunday School

1:00 – 2:00 Servant’s Meeting with Fr. Anastasi St Antony

4th week of October

2009-10-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

Special Announcements
1. All Saints day this Saturday from 5-10pm

Schedule
Thursday:
7:00 – 7:45 Bible Study (2 Corinthians)
7:45 – 8:00 Prayer Meeting

Friday: Nihalati Youth Meeting (NYM)
7:30 – 8:00 Opening Prayer & Songs
8:00 – 9:00 Lesson
9:00 – 11:00 Activities

Saturday:
5:00 – 7:00 All Saints Day Celebration
7:00 – 8:00 Sermon & Raising of Incense (Asheya)
8:00 – 10:00 All Saints Day Celebration (Cont.)

Sunday:
8:30 – 11:30 Divine Liturgy
11:30 – 12:30 Sunday School

3rd Week of October

2009-10-22T13:34:00.001-07:00

Friday, October 23rd:
5:30-6:45pm Halloween Preparations Meeting
6:45-7:00pm Arranging Carpool to UOP
8:00pm Combined Coptic Club Meeting at UOP (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144802389749&ref=ts)

Saturday, October 24th:
6:00-7:00pm Hymns Lesson (for Middle School & up)
7:00-8:30pm Asheya & Sermon
8:30pm Tasbeha

Sunday, October 25th:
8:30-11:30am Divine Liturgy
11:30am-12:30pm Sunday School

2nd Week of October

2009-10-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, October 16th
7:30-8:00: Opening prayers and songs
8:00-9:00: Lesson w/ Fr. Dawood St. Anthony

Saturday, October 17th
7:00-8:30: Vespers (Asheya) & Sermon
8:30-10:00: Midnight Praises (Tasbeha)

Sunday, October 18th
8:00 - 11:30AM: Holy Liturgy
11:30AM - 12:30PM: Sunday School

*Fr. Dawood St. Anthony will be with us this weekend for all the church services.

2nd Week of August

2009-08-12T23:44:00.001-07:00

Hey Everyone!

Hope all is well and you are all enjoying this blessed Fast of St. Mary. :)

For this week's Nihalati Youth Meeting, we will be blessed to have Abouna Youhanna Sadek from St. Mark's Church in Ripon join us for this week's Youth Meeting.

The schedule will be as follows:
6:30-7:30pm Sacraments Review for Mahragan El-Keraza
7:30-8:00pm Agpeya & Songs
8:00-9:00pm Youth Meeting
9:00-11:00pm Activities

REMEMBER TO REGISTER NOW FOR THE SUMMER COMPETITION!!
http://www.norcalcopts.org/summerclub_register.html
Competition will be in the Dublin/Pleasanton area on Saturday, August 15th.

Hope to see you all there! :)

Last Week of July

2009-07-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday:
7:00-9:00 SMF Bible Study

Friday: Nihalati Youth Meeting (NYM)
7:30 - 8:00 Opening Prayer & Songs
8:00 - 9:00 Dave Allen - Becoming Orthodox
9:00 - 11:00 Activities

Saturday:
6:30-7:15 Coptic Lessons
7:30-8:00 Raising of Incense (Asheya)

Sunday:
8:30-11:30 Divine Liturgy
11:45-12:30 Sunday School

Special Announcements:
1. Nihalati Youth Bios
2. NCCYC Youth Retreat 2009 Coming up
3. SMF: Mahregan El-Keraza - Register online @ norcalcopts.org

4th Week of July

2009-07-20T12:32:00.000-07:00

GENERAL SCHEDULE

1st Week of July

2009-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Special announcements:
1) Nihalati Youth Bios
2) Ministries page
3) Coptic lessons with Tunt Amira overlaps with material from St. Mark's Festival (Mahragan Al Keraza)
4) PCAL: San Ramon Eagles BYE week (No games)

3rd Week of June

2009-06-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

1) Spiritual Revival w/ Fr. Joseph Boules
*Refer to Nihalati News & calender for details
2) St. Mark's Festival: Thursday Bible Study (Summer Competition)
3) Water World: Facebook Event
4) Nihalati Youth Bios
5) PCAL: San Ramon Eagles play in San Jose @ 4pm and 6pm

2nd Week of June

2009-06-22T22:10:00.001-07:00

NYM on June 19th (Joint Meeting)

2009-06-13T22:11:00.001-07:00

This Friday we will be blessed to have the youth from St. Mina's COC in Concord for the night along with Fr. Antonious Hanna who will speak with us about "Drinking & Dancing".

Also, Fr. Karas St. Anthony from the Monastery in SoCal will come with the youth of St. Mark's COC in Monterey for the meeting and a special night of praise.

Fr. Karas will be leading us in the Midnight Praises (Tasbeha). Since the group from Monterey will have a long drive back home at night, it is really important that we stay on time so they get there safely. We can't wait to see you all there so we can enjoy this night of fellowship and praise.

Friday, June 19th:
7:30pm... Drinking & Dancing (Fr. Antonious Hanna)
8:45pm... Midnight Praises (Fr. Karas St. Anthony)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Be sure to check out the Ministries page to see ongoing and upcoming Nihalati ministries. All of us are called to serve so if you see a service you are interested in or have an idea for a new service, reach the contact person or send an email to nihalati@gmail.com.
Check out some of the new features on the website. (Nihalati News, Live Stream coming soon, Online Giving)
Fill out your information for the Nihalati Youth Bios
Keep Fr. John and the church in your prayers.

Ministries

2009-06-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

Clean-Up Crew & Stock Manager
This service is for anyone who would like to help out. The primary goal is to keep the Nihalati Youth Room organized and looking good. The supply room has a lot of stuff we use every week for youth meetings and Sunday school. Naturally, our resources deplete or get tossed around all over the place. This service requires someone to keep the supply and Nihalati Youth room clean, stocked, organized, and secured.
Contact: TBA

Community Service & Mission
Probably one of the most important ministries we will ever do. Mission work blesses a whole service and fills us with the Holy Spirit. This service is for everyone and anyone.
Contact: Monica Mosis
livin4god02@netscape.net

Decorations & Style
Making decorations and creative crafts for youth room and group.
Contact: TBA

Geek Squad
This service is for technologically savvy individuals who want to use their skills for God. There is plenty of room for creativity for new ideas. Tasks include:
Short-term goals

Audio/visual support for Nihalati events (i.e. Friday night meetings)
Recording lessons

Long-term goals

Live stream
iPhone Application

Contact: Mark Nakhla
mknakhla@gmail.com

Nihalati Clothing Line
Contact: Marian Shahid
marianshahid@gmail.com

Nihalati News
The people need to get their news, so it is our job to give it to them. This service is to keep everyone up-to-date on the weekly activities, upcoming events, and general church news.
Contact: John Nakhla
John@nakhla.net

Nihalati Website
Contact: Mark Nakhla, John Nakhla
mknakhla@gmail.com, John@nakhla.net

Praise and Worship
If you enjoy music and singing , then this is the ministry for you.
Contact: Mark Nakhla
mknakhla@gmail.com

Sports Ministry
Short-Term Goal: We want to unite the youth together in love through sports days periodically throughout the year. If you like sports and are excited to start this new service, be sure to get involved soon since summer is here.
Contact: TBA

YMCA (Youth Meeting Creative Activities)
This service is for creative people with new and fun ideas for group activities after the Friday night youth meeting.
Contact: TBA

The Resurrection - Fact or Fiction?

2009-05-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

How can a person rise from the dead? How can a man raise HIMSELF from the dead? If Jesus rose from the dead, why does it matter?

If you have ever asked yourself these questions, then don't miss out this Friday when we discuss "The Resurrection - Fact or Fiction?" with George Bassilios. Here's the plan.

7:30 - 8:00... Opening Prayer & Songs
8:00- 9:00.... Lesson
9:00-11:00... Game Night

Click here to RSVP

*Also, please remember to bring your "Lifeline" t-shirt money to turn in to Dina Morcos sometime this weekend. Thanks :)

Side note: If you have any games you would like to bring, please feel free. Also, if you have a game system or controllers and games for an xbox that you are willing to part ways from, we could always use more of these to use at church.
If you do, please contact Mark Nakhla or email us at nihalati@gmail.com
(925) 200-7236

Joining San Jose

2009-05-07T17:21:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone!

This week we are joining San Jose for the Combined meeting! :)
We are leaving church at 7PM SHARP. We will be meeting approximately 15 - 20 minutes before.

There are 4 confirmed cars with 14 available seats. If you need a ride, you MUST contact someone before hand.

These are the cars confirmed so far:

Mark Nakhla: (925) 200 7236
Marian Shahid: (925) 216 9298
Dina Morcos: (925) 487 3556
Yoni Mulugeta: (925) 639 3458

If you can drive, please let us know immediately.

Sorry for the late notice! See you all soon!!

Nihalati BBQ and Paintballing

2009-04-26T15:41:00.000-07:00

We have a packed weekend coming up, so here is the plan:

Friday:
6:30pm-11:00pm......BBQ and games at church

Saturday:
9:00am-11:00am .... Liturgy with Bishop Tadros
11:00am-12:00pm ...Lunch
12:00pm-4:00pm.....Paintballing in Antioch
7:30pm-10:00pm.....Vespers (Asheya) and Midnight Praises (Tasbeha) with Bishop Rofail

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Many things are needed for the BBQ so here is a list. We NEED people to sign up. SIGN UP SHEET
Bring any games you would like to play at the BBQ
Some of our deacons will be ordained to higher ranks during the liturgy. Please try to make it early so we can all enjoy this time together as a family.
For paintballing, everyone must bring $30 CASH with them if you want to play. If you are under 18, your parents MUST sign this waiver and you MUST bring it with you. PAINTBALL WAIVER
We will finish by 4 which should leave us plenty of time to go home, wash up, and meet up at night for the night time services with Bishop Rofail. It would be great if we can all be there to praise together.

Bright Saturday

2009-03-31T21:45:00.000-07:00

This night is the night the Heavens were opened to all of us, but usually we have our eyes closed as we sleep in our beds at home. Let's break that routine!

All of Holy week is a time of sadness and mourning of Christ' death but Bright Saturday is a time to be happy, to praise, and to have a good time because of the great gift we receive because of His death.

Here's the plan:

Good Friday ends around 6 pm. Afterward, there will be a meal prepared for the whole congregation.
Then..
7:30 - 9:00: Watch "The Passion" in the Nihalati room
9:00 - 9:10: Short group prayer to bless the night
9:10 - Midnight: Time for Fellowship (Or sleep)
Midnight - 5:00: Bright Saturday
5:00 - 6:30 am: Liturgy

8:00 pm... Liturgy for the Resurrection

During the fellowship, the Church will be open for anyone who would like to spend time in personal prayer. There will also be isolated rooms for those who would like to sleep so feel free to bring something to sleep on.

The facebook group will send out an event and any updates.

Bright Saturday Program
April 18th... 7:30 pm
4300 Mirador Dr, Pleasanton, CA

Slumber Party!!

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Okay babies, this is how it's goin down.

5 - 7PM: Holy Liturgy
7 - 7:30PM: Dinner
7:30 - 9PM: Youth Meeting with Fr. John Ragheb*
9PM - 12AM: Movie - Pay It Forward
12AM - 9AM: SLEEPOVER AT CHURCH :D

Rest of Saturday:
Sports, games, other surprise activities!

*Remember: If you have a question or topic suggestion, please send it to Abouna this week. We will also have a box for questions if you want it to be anonymous.

email Abouna at: frjohnra@hotmail.com

Remember to bring:

Sleeping bag and Pillow
Toiletries
Clothes for sports
EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY!!! Oh... YA!

Hope to see you all there!!

The News

2009-03-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you didn't go to the monastery trip, you made a mistake. That was some good stuff. We had an amazing time so the next time we plan a trip there, don't miss your opportunity.

Nihalati sweatshirts have FINALLY arrived, thank God. They will be distributed at the meeting this Friday God willing.

Last, but certainly not least, the lent started and so have the holy lent liturgies. These will be held every Friday during lent from 5-7pm before the youth meeting followed by a meal. So come ready for a Holy meal and then a siyami meal :P

Monastery Trip: Stuff to bring

2009-02-19T17:52:00.001-08:00

Stuff to bring:

Sleeping bags (for boys only)
Flash light
Pillow (boys only again)
Winter clothing (very cold by night)
Bible
Cash if you want to buy anything from the monastery bookstore: They have a lot great stuff like cymbals, triangle, spiritual books, icons, church books (liturgy, tasbeha, pascha, etc)
Toiletries (Soap, toothbrush and paste, shower towel for the boys, DEODORANT PLEASE)
DEODORANT!!
DEODORANT!!!!!!!
Get ready to have a great weekend!

ATTENTION: Fr. John will be available during the whole bus trip for confession or for private discussion. This is a great way to start off the lent and the monastery trip. Please take advantage of this time :)

Monastery Trip

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The deadline to sign up for the retreat was Sunday, February 8th. Anyone who signed up, please make sure to make your checks out to "St. Mary & St. John COC" and give them to Marian Shahid, Nada Armanios, or Wassim Naguib as soon as possible. If you were not able to sign up by the deadline and would still like to join us, please contact Wassim Naguib: (415) 652-4511

Here's the plan:

Friday, Feb. 27th
9:00 am............ Gathering at church
9:00-10:00......... Packing
10:00.............. Bus leaves the church
5:00-6:00.......... Arrival & Wash up
6:00-7:00.......... Gathering at the Monastery church for Prayer
7:00-8:30.......... Sermon by the monastery fathers
8:30-10:00......... Free Time
10:00.............. Bed time

Saturday Feb. 28th
4:00-6:00 am....... Tasbeha
6:00-8:30.......... Liturgy
8:30-9:00.......... Breakfast/snack
9:30-12:00......... Nap time/free time
12:00-1:00pm....... Lunch at the monastery
1:00-3:30.......... Labor work/service
4:30-6:00.......... Vesper
6:00-7:00.......... Dinner
7:00-8:30.......... Sermon by the monastery fathers
8:30-10:00......... Free Time
10:00.............. Bed time

Sunday March 1st
4:00-6:00 am....... Tasbeha
6:00-8:30.......... Liturgy
8:30-9:00.......... Breakfast/snack
9:00-10:00......... Packing
10am............... Leave the monastery back to Church

Recent Sermons

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Here are some of the sermons from recent weeks :) Click the name to listen.
All sermons will be posted on the left under the general schedule. Feel free to listen and download.

Jan 30: Fr. Gregory Bishay - Christ, Baptism, and Me!

Jan 23: Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim - Life of the Church Fathers

Bowling Night

2009-02-02T12:14:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone!

February 6th, Friday, we will be going out for the Nihalati youth meeting. We will meet at Dublin Bowling Center @ 5 pm then go out for dinner together. Anyone who is planning to attend the servants retreat this weekend, we will be done in time to attend the program.

If you have any questions, please contact Wassim Naguib: (415) 652-4511

Skits and Such

2009-01-18T17:16:00.000-08:00

The NYM this week was jam packed with creativity. For the lesson, it took some creativity to get the audio working. Special thanks to THE MICHO! Then the creativity came in strong for the skits. Watch them at www.youtube.com/nihalati or at the bottom of the post.

Then for extra creativity, the King of Charades was in house to continue the neverending "Battle of the Sexes: Charades" The ladies came away with this one, although the first few movies for them were rumored to be giveaways. Whose side will you take? :P

Next week, Jimmy Michael will be here to bring up a "Hot Topic" so to speak. Be here when we discuss "The Difference Between Love and Lust" Afterward, be sure to bring your A-Game because its Karaoke Night at the NYM!!

Friday, January 23rd @ 7:30 pm

*Fr. Kyrillos Ibrahim's lessons and powerpoints coming soon...

First Meeting of 2009

2009-01-05T00:34:00.000-08:00

Nihalati Youth Group

The first meeting of 2009 was one to remember. We all got in depth in a discussion led by Amira Morcos about "Free Will" which got responses from nearly everybody present. Then we all enjoyed making pizza from scratch as well as playing Xbox and ping-pong while others led an effort to get the Nihalati Room in top shape.

For pictures and videos, please join our Facebook group (the link is under the calendar)

Merry Christmas & Happy New Years!

2009-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

We pray that all of you have a great New Year filled with resolutions that you actually keep and truly live a new life with Christ this coming Christmas.

New Year's Message will be posted soon

Gotta Problem?

2008-12-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Any question, concern, social issue, spiritual issue, or anything else you want to discuss at the N.Y.M., please email us at nihalati@gmail.com

Then we can get you just the answer you need. Don't be shy :)

Suggestions - Speak up

2008-12-17T17:15:00.001-08:00

This is YOUR youth group so make your voice heard. Make it what you want it to be.

If you have any suggestions for the youth meeting, website, activities, events, or anything at all, please feel free to send us an email at nihalati@gmail.com

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

I hope all of you are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit. There is much to be cheerful about in this Christmas Season, especially if you weren't one of the people nearly killed at Best Buy on Black Friday :)

But aside from that, we are cheerful because this time of year is a great chance to get into the TRUE Christmas spirit. What is that spirit you ask? Let's find out...

Special thanks to St. Mark DC & OrthodoxSermons.org

NCCYC Winter Retreat 2008

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Mt. Gilead Christian Conference Center
13485 Green Valley Rd., Sebastopal, CA

Theme: Facing Your Giants
When: Dec. 26-28th, 2008
Where: Mt. Gilead Conference Center (Sebastopol, CA) Ages: High School and up
Cost & Deadlines:
o Early Registration – Wednesday, Dec. 10th, 2008 - $120
o Final Registration – Sunday, Dec. 21st, 2008 - $140
o Part-time Registration – Sunday, Dec. 21st, 2008 - $60 (per day)

More info & Online Registration at:
http://www.norcalservants.com/NCCYCWinter/

*NOTE: Registration is not complete until you fill out and mail the release form and registration payment.

Links

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Northern California Coptic Orthodox Churches
NorCalCopts.org
St. Antonious, Hayward
St. George & St. Joseph, San Jose
St. Mark, Modesto
St. Mark, Monterey
St. Mary, Sacramento
St. Mary & St. John, San Ramon
St. Mary & St. Mina, Concord

Coptic Orthodox Dioceses in the United States
Archdiocese of Northern America
Diocese of Los Angeles
Diocese of Southern United States

Online Resources
Guides
How to Confess
Humility
Quiet Time Guide
Today's Quiet Time & One Year Bible Reading

Hymns & Liturgy
Agpeya.org (Prayer book of hours)
Alhan.org
CopticHymns.net
Tasbeha.org
Tasbeha (Fr. Anastasi, Fr. John Paul, & St. John's COC, Covina)

Mission
Mission Life Center

Reading & Learning
Bible Studies
Coptic Daily Readings
Coptic Synaxarium & Saint Stories
OrthodoxBookstore.org
OrthodoxSermons.org
Servant's Sermons

Nihalati Youth Bios

2008-06-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

Recorded Lessons

2008-06-13T16:19:00.000-07:00

Contact Us

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Email: nihalati@gmail.com
Facebook Username: Nihalati

General Schedule

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GENERAL SCHEDULE

About Us

2008-06-12T02:14:00.000-07:00

We are the youth group of St. Mary & St. John Coptic Orthodox Church in Pleasanton, CA located at 4300 Mirador Drive. We get together throughout the week to bond as a family in Christ and walk side-by-side in our life with God. We welcome everyone and anyone to join our family.

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as EAGLES they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
+Isaiah 40:31+

Nihalati Live Stream

2008-06-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

Video Tasbeha

2008-01-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Greek Psali for the Three Saintly Children
The Song of the Three Saintly Children (Tenen)
Psail Batos for the Three Saintly Youth (Aripsalin)
Fourth Hoos
Hail To You Mary
Doxologies
Seven Times Every Day
You Are More Worthy
Who is Likened unto You
Conclusion of the Adam Theotokia