Achen s Message. Dearly Beloved in Christ,

Transcription

1 Achen s Message Dearly Beloved in Christ, Warm Greetings! This month we are in the atmosphere of preparing for our Family Retreat, Confirmation and Convention. It is a blessed time, and the Lord will bless us with His everlasting and life giving words. The important service among these will be the Confirmation service on 18th September. 10 children are getting ready for Confirmation. I request the valuable prayers of the Church members for their spiritual life journey. Confirmation service is not a traditional practice; rather it is the most important service of submission and receiving the Holy Spirit. What is confirmation? It is the action of confirming something or the state of being confirmed. In the Christian Church it is the sacrament by which a baptized person, especially one baptized as an infant, affirms Christian belief and is admitted as a full member of the Church. Confirmation is a rite of initiation in Christian churches, normally carried out through anointing, the laying on of hands and prayer for the purpose of bestowing the gift of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation marks the point in the Christian journey at which you affirm for yourself the faith into which you have been baptized and your intention to live a life of committed discipleship. This affirmation is confirmed through prayer and the laying on of hands by the confirming bishop. The Church also asks God to give you power through the Holy Spirit to enable you to live in the way of Jesus. In Christianity, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant made in Holy Baptism. At the time of Baptism in the presence of God, God parents had taken three oaths for the child. They are: 1.We have brought this child for baptism promise before God and in the presence of this congregation that we will ourselves steadfastly affirm and uphold the faith of the Church. 1 P a g e

2 2. We promise that by our prayers for this child, by our own manner of life, and by our guidance, we will help him/her as he/she grows up to pray and to worship God, to study the Bible, to follow the example and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, to share generously what he/she has with others and to take an active part in the Church's witness to Christ. 3. We promise that we will help this child to grow in the knowledge and experience of Christ, and encourage him/her later to be received into the full fellowship of the Church by confirmation; so that, established in faith by the Holy Spirit, he/she may partake of the Lord's Supper and go forth into the world to serve God faithfully in his Church. At the time of Confirmation, the children affirm their faith and they receive these oaths. Now they have taken these oaths. So each child needs a mind of submission. All of them need valuable guidance from our Church throughout their life. The touch stone of submission is found in Mark If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Self denial is not self-hatred. Rather it is simply a way of coming to understand that we cannot have our own way, if we submit to Christ. Young people need spiritual guidance for their spiritual life journey. Guidance or direction is the help that one person gives another in order to encourage that person s spiritual development. Bradley Holt writes: A spiritual mentor can be a very important help in the spiritual journey. The guilt and shame that we seek to hide can be accepted, discussed and healed in a situation of openness and trust. Spiritual directors were supposed to be persons of holiness, prayer and abilities to discern spirits. The spiritual guide helps the direction towards correcting weaknesses and responding constructively to the varied circumstances of life. So, really our church has a serious responsibility to the children who are preparing for Confirmation. They need our spiritual guidance so that they may appear with submission. Let us uphold them in our prayers. Let us be the spiritual guides in their life and faith journeys. Therefore, please be aware of this responsibility and continue your valuable prayers for the Confirmation candidates. May the Lord Almighty help you to remember these responsibilities! With Prayers, Ninan Jacob Achen 2 P a g e

3 September 04, 2016 Family Retreat (Malayalam) Be Transformed to Transform 1st Lesson Jud.13: 1-14 Mr. George Varghese Psalms 119:9-16 Master Bradley James 2nd Lesson Eph. 6:1-4 Mrs. Annu Vinod Gospel Reading Luke 1: September 11, 2016 Choir Sunday (Malayalam) Sing a New Song for a New World 1st Lesson Isa. 42:10-25 Psalms 96: nd Lesson Rev. 5:1-10 Gospel Reading - Mt. 26:26-30 (readers to be arranged by Choir) September 18, 2016 Confirmation (Malayalam) Christian Response to Confirmation 1st Lesson Ezek.36:26-28 Psalms 16 2nd Lesson Rom.8:12 17 Gospel Reading - John.14: (readers to be arranged by Confirmation students & parents) September 25, 2016 Caring and Accepting the Elderly (English) 1st Lesson Gen. 46:28-34: 47:1-10 Psalms 21 2nd Lesson 1 Tim. 5:1-10 Gospel Reading - Luke 2:25-35 (readers to be arranged by Youth Fellowship) October 02, 2016 Laity Sunday (Malayalam) Priesthood of All Believers 1st Lesson Isa. 61:1-11 Mr. Thomas M. Mathai Psalms 135:12-21 Miss Rebecca Richardson 2nd Lesson 1 Pet.2:1-10 Mrs. Jolly Williams Gospel Reading - John 17:1-8 3 P a g e

4 The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following members a very Happy Birthday!!! Sept 3 Sept 3 Sept 4 Sept 4 Sept 5 Sept 11 Sept 21 Sept 21 Sept 21 Sept 24 Sept 27 Sept 27 Sept 30 Sept 30 Mrs. Annu Vinod Miss Alisha Miriam Itty Mrs. Leena Rony Mrs. Reshmi Abraham Mrs. Mariamma Mathew Mrs. Susamma James Mrs. Saramma Thomas Rev. A. V. Thomas Mr. Samuel Joseph Mr. Richardson Mathew Mr. Aleyamma Kurien Mr. Eapen K Samuel Miss. Rebecca Richardson Mr. Thomas George The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following families a very happy and blessed wedding anniversary Sept 10 Sept 12 Sept 14 Sept 16 Sept 17 Mr. Alvin Kurien & Mrs. Sheeba Alvin Mr. Thomas Varghese & Mrs. Susan Varghese Mr. Sreejith John & Mrs. Rachel Thomas Mr. Vinod Philip & Mrs. Annu Vinod Mr. Binu Thomas & Mrs. Shiny Binu 4 P a g e

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6 Sunday School Talent Competition 2016 Congratulations!!! 6 P a g e

7 SECRETARY S NOTE And so, school has once again started for all the students of our Church. The majority of the Youth are still pursuing their studies, and so all the best is wished for them in the upcoming school year. In the preceding month of August, our Youth was able to actively participate and volunteer in our VBS. Youth members were helping in all different activities including Music, Group Leaders, Arts and Crafts, and more! It was a truly blessed experience for all and I know for a fact I am looking forward to the next VBS. Furthermore, our monthly participation in service on Youth Sunday was conducted. Once again, I would like to personally wish a successful year for all our students. To end, I would like to share a bible verse. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ( Jeremiah 29:11) Thank you and have a blessed day. UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS September 25: Youth Sunday September 25: Youth Corner Deadline for Oct. Sincerely, Trifeena James Youth Secretary Advice for Back to School 1. It s going to take time, but that s okay! Going back to school after having so much free time in the summer can be difficult, so it is okay to take a few days to readjust and put yourself back into routine. 2. Love em, and Leave em. People change and you are going to change as well. Friends that you may have cherished at one point may not seem the same as before. It is difficult sometimes to accept that, but it is important to realize that you also have the ability to make new friends. Take it as an opportunity to meet someone new. 3. The Usual We all know these, but it s important to remind ourselves in order to have a great start. Here we go: get rest the night before, have a nutritious breakfast, be prepared, and lastly go with a good attitude. The day is what you make it. 4. Set the Schedule and Habits Everyone s routines and habits may be different, but having one that works for you will allow you to be productive every day. Experiment with different ideas to find how you study and learn the best. 5. Don t forget your Priorities. Being too busy should not be an excuse to forget our gracious, loving Father. Every day we have, every breath we take He has given to us. We should never forget that, and so always remember to turn everything back to God because it is through Him that all things are possible. 7 P a g e

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9 Please pray for the confirmation service which will be held on Sunday, September 18 th, Our church service will begin at 9:30am. Rt. Rev. Thomas K. Oommen will be confirming the 10 candidates. All are requested to pray for these children. We had our annual family retreat at Shepherd s Pasture, Jefferson Texas from September 3-5. We had a blessed, fun-filled and memorable weekend. Thank you to all families and individuals who made this a success. Valedictory function of the North American Bicentenary Celebration of Madhya Kerala Diocese will be held on Saturday, September 10th 2016 at Seaford CSI Church, Greater New York. More details are posted on the church bulletin board. Our annual 3 day convention will begin on Friday, September 30 Sunday October 2, Mr. Abraham Joseph (Jose Pandanad) will be the main speaker. Let s pray for this convention to be a blessing for many. Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field" (Exodus 23: 16). Harvest festival will be held on Sunday, October 9, As we have done in the past years, all are requested to bring items for auctioning and to participate in the auctions. We held vacation bible school from August th. Thank you to all volunteers. Special thanks to Achen, Mrs. Seena Thomas, Mrs. Betty George, teachers, youth members, and all who helped to make this year s VBS a success. We will have tele prayer every Friday, beginning at 8pm. The dial in number is , the access code is followed by the # sign. Please find time to join us in prayer. Cottage Prayer: We will have a cottage prayer meeting on Saturday, September 24th, 7pm at the residence of Mr. Binu & Mrs. Shaini Thomas. Address: 2320 Amesbury Drive Mesquite, Texas Looking for: Bible readers - If you are interested in reading the lessons, please let me know. Snack Sponsors - Please sign up for sponsoring snacks. A list is posted on the church bulletin board. Hosts - There is a sign-up sheet for cottage prayer meetings. We humbly ask you to open your homes for prayer meetings. 9 P a g e

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