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Beloved in Christ, The Church celebrated August 6 th as the day of The transfiguration of Christ in every year. The transfiguration is the event in the earthly life of Jesus Christ in which he was visibly glorified in the presence of the three disciples who at all times stood nearest to him. In Luke 9: 28-29 we read Jesus took with him Peter, John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered and his clothing became dazzling white. In Matthew 17: 2, we read And he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. In Mark 9: 3, we read His clothes became radiant, intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them. This was a special revelation of Jesus s divinity to three of the disciples. It revealed Christ s divine nature. Jesus Christ is God s son. He came down to earth to save sinners. In the old testament, we find God used many approaches to send His messages to people. He spoke to Isaiah in vision (Isaiah 6: 1-8), Jacob in a dream (Genesis 28: 10-15) and to Abraham and to Moses personally. Finally, God Himself revealed by speaking through His son Jesus Christ. He is the fulfillment and culmination of God s revelation through centuries. The transfiguration was God s affirmation of everything Jesus has done and was about to do. When He was transfigured, a great change happened to Jesus. His clothes became radiant, intensely white as no one on earth could bleach them. In the transfiguration Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with the Lord. Moses represents the Law, and Elijah the prophet. Moses represents those who have died in the Lord and Elijah those who have not. Elijah did not die, but was taken up to glory in the whirl wind and chariots of fire and horses. Moses wrote the Law which anticipates the sacrificial atonement of the Messiah. Elijah was to come to prepare the hearts of the people for the coming of the Lord. Here the two of them speak to the Christ. Luke 9: 30-31, And behold two men were talking with him Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. They spoke of his coming death. The vision was then clear. Christ was revealed in His glory. Seeing Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus, Peter said, Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah not knowing what he said. As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my son, my chosen one, listen to Him. In Matthew we read, when the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, Rise, and have no fear. The revelation was given to the disciples to convince and to encourage and to strengthen them in their faith and obedience. Jesus touched them. The touch was not simply proof that He was real, but that they were His friends and accepted by Him. The revelation demands response, the natural instinct is fear and worship, falling on our faces before Him. We must worship Him and Obey Him. We who are the children of God be transformed by renewal of mind as in Romans 12: 1, 2. God wants us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. He wants us to be transformed people with renewed minds living to honor and obey Him. May God Bless us. Rev. K. G Thomson 3 P a g e
August 6, 2017 (Malayalam) Witness of the People of God 1st Lesson Daniel 3: 12-30 Mr. Mathew Kaippalimalil Psalm 15 Miss. Leeya Thomas 2nd Lesson Acts 18: 24-28 Mrs. Mariamma George Gospel Reading Luke 10: 1-20 August 13, 2017 (English) Sacrament of Baptism 1st Lesson Exodus 14: 15-31 Mr. Sreejith John Joseph Psalm 32 Miss. Prabitha Cherian 2nd Lesson Titus 3: 3-8 Mrs. Seena Thomas Gospel Reading John 3: 1-8 August 20, 2017 (Malayalam) Sacrament of Holy Eucharist 1st Lesson Genesis 14: 17-24 Mr. George Itty Psalm 104: 14-30 Mr. Ashby Joseph 2nd Lesson 1 Corinthians 10: 15-17 Mrs. Happy Johnson Gospel Reading Mark 14: 12-26 August 27, 2017 Christian Presence in Multi Faith Society 1st Lesson Daniel 1: 1-21 Psalm 67 2nd Lesson Acts 10: 9-16 Gospel Reading Matthew 13: 31-33 (English) September 3, 2017 (Malayalam) Teachers Agents of Liberation 1st Lesson Proverbs 8: 1-12 Mr. Richardson Mathew Psalm 119: 97-104 Mr. Bradley Tom James 2nd Lesson Acts 8: 26-38 Mrs. Annu Vinod Gospel Reading Mark 6: 34-44 4 P a g e
The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following members a very Happy Birthday!!! August 1 Miss. Leeya Thomas August 16 Mrs. Susan Varghese August 1 Mrs. Julie Abraham August 17 Miss. Suzane Mariam Joseph August 1 Mr. Edwin Mathew William August 17 Miss. Saly Thomas August 2 Mrs. Annie Thomas August 19 Mr. Binu Thomas August 2 Mr. Dylan Varghese August 20 Mr. Jonathan Thomas Cherian August 4 Miss. Tina Thomas August 20 Mr. Kevin T. Daniel August 7 Miss. Amelia Cherian August 21 Mr. T.C Thomas August 7 Mrs. Jolly William August 23 Mr. George Kurien August 7 Mrs. Angel William August 23 Mrs. Delfy Thomas August 11 Mr. Justin Raju August 26 Miss. Sherin Thomas August 12 Mr. Aljo Kurien August 27 Mr. Babloo John Williams August 12 Miss. Trifeena Mary James August 28 Mr. George Itty August 13 Mr. Sreejith John Joseph August 28 Mrs. Julie Rejoy August 15 Mrs. Mary Daniel August 29 Mrs. Mariamma George August 15 Mr. Teshy V. John August 31 Mr. Bradley Tom James The Vicar and members of the CSI Congregation of Dallas wish the following families a very happy & blessed wedding anniversary August 4 August 12 August 16 August 21 August 23 August 23 August 30 Mr. Bobby Williams & Mrs. Angel Williams Mr. John Thomas & Mrs. Seena Thomas Mr. Jacob John & Mrs. Deepa John Mr. Mathew Kaippalimalil & Mrs. Betty George Mr. Bill Cherian & Mrs. Anju S Kuruvilla Mr. Johnson Jacob & Mrs. Happy Johnson Mr. T.C Thomas & Mrs. Saramma Thomas 5 P a g e
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Do Your Best and God will do the Rest Philippians 4:6 It s that time of the year again Yes, just less than 3 weeks away from our Sunday school talent competition! Believe it or not, I m excited along with you! Every year, around this time of the year, many of my dear young friends and my very own children ask, do I have to participate, why do I have to study this, it s hard, and even I m not going to win anyway, why should I bother studying? etc. The purpose behind participating in a Sunday school competition is not to bring trophies home on Sunday school anniversary day, but to learn the word of God. Keep in mind this is a fun way to learn along with your friends. You are learning these songs, memory verses, stories to strengthen your spiritual life. You as a child have an amazing memory. What you learn as a child is often retained for a lifetime. Fifteen, twenty years from now you will say yes, I remember singing that song, learning that verse or doing that Bible skit. I still remember the songs my parents sung during family prayers, the songs that I learned in Sunday school and VBS, the songs I had to sing for my Sunday school competition. Learning these song as child, have only grown my passion towards worship songs, especially Malayalam worship songs!! I encourage all of you to participate in the singing competition, either Malayalam or English or both. Growing up in a CSI church should give you more one more reason in participating in the singing competition. I have heard all or many of you sing so beautifully in both English and Malayalam. If you practice you sure will do well. I encourage each one of you to participate in both singing competitions. Listen to the songs on YouTube in your free time. When you hear it over and over again, you will learn the songs. Memorizing the scripture provides you with a counselor at all times. Learning a Bible verse will always come in handy when you need a word of comfort or encouragement. Have you ever watched the show National Bible Bee? It s a game show you should watch. Every time, I watch this show it just amazes me how beautifully these teenage contestants recite Bible portions, word for word!! Sometimes, I just wish someday I will be able to recite at least half of these verses like these young kids. I would like to share a few tips with you in preparing for the memory verse competition. Learn the easiest verses first. Leave the longer ones for later and focus on studying the ones you find easier or even familiar. Use index cards to write out the verses. On 1 side of the index card write out the memory verse and on the other side write the reference. Another way to memorize is to draw pictures, symbols. If you have a photographic memory, this will help you. The most important key to memorization is repetition. Say it loud and clear as if you are speaking to a group. Repeat, repeat, repeat!! Also, include your parents in preparing you for the competition. Test their knowledge too see if they can recite the Malayalam verse. This year s Bible quiz is taken from Luke. If you started studying at least 2-3 chapters each day, you should be done preparing for the quiz by now. If not, it s not too late -start today!! Again, during family prayer read few chapters together and quiz your parents, siblings and other family members. I encourage all Sunday school students to participate in the upcoming Sunday school talent competition. I have faith in every one of you that if you put your heart to it you can do well. Learn what you can, put some effort into preparing. We should always remember that we are so blessed to live in a country where we can openly practice our Christian faith without any fears. You are so privileged to attend church and Sunday school. Let me leave you with this verse from the Bible (3 John 1:4) I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. - Annu Vinod 6 P a g e
Prayer Request for our Youth: Don t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 The Youth will be hosting our annual youth retreat this month during the third weekend of August. As we will be spending time in fellowship, prayer, worship, and scripture, we ask that as a church you keep us in your prayers. Be praying for a revival within our youth and that every activity is carried through with intention. We thank each of you for your support and love. Upcoming Youth Events August 18-19: Youth Retreat 7 P a g e
Story behind the song: It is well with my soul (നദ ത ല യ ശ ന ത വരട ട ൻ വഴ ) Horatio G. Spafford was a successful lawyer and businessman in Chicago with a lovely family a wife, Anna, and five children. However, they were not strangers to tears and tragedy. Their young son died with pneumonia in 1871, and in that same year, much of their business was lost in the great Chicago fire. Yet, God in His mercy and kindness allowed the business to flourish once more. On Nov. 21, 1873, the French ocean liner, Ville du Havre was crossing the Atlantic from the U.S. to Europe with 313 passengers on board. Among the passengers were Mrs. Spafford and their four daughters. Although Mr. Spafford had planned to go with his family, he found it necessary to stay in Chicago to help solve an unexpected business problem. He told his wife he would join her and their children in Europe a few days later. His plan was to take another ship. About four days into the crossing of the Atlantic, the Ville du Harve collided with a powerful, iron-hulled Scottish ship, the Loch Earn. Suddenly, all of those on board were in grave danger. Anna hurriedly brought her four children to the deck. She knelt there with Annie, Margaret Lee, Bessie and Tanetta and prayed that God would spare them if that could be His will, or to make them willing to endure whatever awaited them. Within approximately 12 minutes, the Ville du Harve slipped beneath the dark waters of the Atlantic, carrying with it 226 of the passengers including the four Spafford children. A sailor, rowing a small boat over the spot where the ship went down, spotted a woman floating on a piece of the wreckage. It was Anna, still alive. He pulled her into the boat and they were picked up by another large vessel which, nine days later, landed them in Cardiff, Wales. From there she wired her husband a message which began, Saved alone, what shall I do? Mr. Spafford later framed the telegram and placed it in his office. Another of the ship s survivors, Pastor Weiss, later recalled Anna saying, God gave me four daughters. Now they have been taken from me. Someday I will understand why. Mr. Spafford booked passage on the next available ship and left to join his grieving wife. With the ship about four days out, the captain called Spafford to his cabin and told him they were over the place where his children went down. According to Bertha Spafford Vester, a daughter born after the tragedy, Spafford wrote It Is Well with My Soul while on this journey. When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll, Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Chorus: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul Oh Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Psalm 95: 1 8 P a g e
Anna gave birth to three more children, one of which died at age four with dreaded pneumonia. In August 1881, the Spaffords moved to Jerusalem. Mr. Spafford died and is buried in that city. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, shall keep your hearts, your minds through Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:7. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul. Refrain: It is well with my soul, It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul. My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But, Lord, tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, The sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul! And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul. 9 P a g e
Which One are you? Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed. Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. After twenty minutes, he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. Daughter, what do you see? Potatoes, eggs, and coffee, she hastily replied. Look closer, he said, and touch the potatoes. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face. Dad, what does this mean? she asked. He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity the boiling water. However, each one reacted differently. The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard. 10 P a g e
However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new. Which are you, he asked his daughter. When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? Moral: In life, things happen around us, things happen to us, but the only thing that truly matters is what happens within us. Which one are you? Don t Judge people A 24-year-old boy seeing out from the train s window, shouted Dad, look the trees are going behind! Dad smiled, and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24-year old s childish behavior with pity, suddenly he again exclaimed Dad, look the clouds are running with us! The couple couldn t resist, and said to the old man Why don t you take your son to a good doctor? The old man smiled and said I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today. Every single person on the planet has a story. Don t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might surprise you. 11 P a g e
1. Tele Prayer We will have Tele prayer on Friday s at 8pm to 9pm. Tele Prayer conference number is 515-604-9057, the access code is 539672 followed by the # sign. Please find time to join the tele prayer. 2. KECF Convention 20 th KECF United Gospel Convention 2017 will be held on August 4 th, 5 th and 6 th at St. Alphonsa Catholic Church Auditorium, Coppel, TX between 6 pm to 9 pm. Main Speaker: Very Rev. Paulose Parekara Corepiscopa 3. Youth Retreat 2017 Youth Retreat of our church will be held on August 18 th and 19 th, starting at 6 pm on August 18 th. I encourage all the youth to participate in the Youth Retreat. For more information see page 15. 4. Back to school Prayer Service We will have our back to school prayer service on August 20 th Sunday. Children going back to school, college students including adults attending college are requested to attend this prayer service. 5. Sunday School Annual Competition Annual Sunday school competition will be held on August 19 th at our church, starting at 9:00 am, for further information please contact Sunday School Superintend. 6. Annual Church Retreat Annual church Retreat will be held on September 2 nd, 3 rd and 4 th at Sheppard s pasture Retreat center, I encourage all families to attend the Retreat. Theme: Celebrating Life in its Abundance and Fruitfulness Verse: John 10:10, Galatian 5:22, 23 Location: Sheppard s Pasture Retreat & Conference Center, 5645 US Hwy 59 South, Jefferson, TX 75657 7. Church Convention Our Annual convention will be held on September 15 th and 16 th at our church starting at 6 pm. Main Speaker: Dr. Paul Dhinakaran Please pray for our convention and make every effort to attend the convention and hear the life changing word of God. Please generously contribute to meet the expenses of our convention. 8. Harvest Festival Our Harvest Festival will be held on October 1 st Sunday, please prayerfully consider the needs of the church and contribute generously. 9. General Body Half yearly General Body meeting will be held on August 20 th Sunday immediately after the church service. We will have Holy Communion service in Malayalam starting at 9:30 am on August 20 th. If you have any matters that needs to be discussed in the General Body please provide the matter in writing to Achen or Secretary by August 12 th Saturday 7 pm. Matters that are not submitted in writing will not be taken up in the General Body. 10. Snack Sponsorship If you are interested in sponsoring snacks on Sundays after church service, please sign up on the snack sponsorship list posted on the church bulletin board. 12 P a g e
11. Cottage Prayers Please sign up for cottage prayers, we humbly request you to open your homes for prayer and to provide only light snacks. Following are the cottage prayers for the month of August. August 12th Residence of Mr. James Thomas and Viji James. Address: 2405 Lady of the Lake, Lewisville, TX 75056 Note: August 5 th Saturday KECF convention August 19 th Saturday Youth Retreat 12. Prayer Requests Many of our families are travelling to India and many parts of the world during this summer vacation. Please uphold the families in your prayers for a safe and happy vacation. Please pray for those who are sick and recovering, especially George Thomas (Thampichayan) recovering from bypass surgery John Thomas s (Deepu) father recovering from bypass surgery in India. Annamma Eapen (Eapen Achen s Kochamma) God Bless you! - Shelby Thomas 13 P a g e
I once made a remark about the hidden books of the Bible. This lulu kept people looking so hard for facts, and for others it was a revelation. Some were in a jam especially since the names of the books were not capitalized, but the truth finally struck home to numbers of readers. To others it was a real job. We want it to be a most fascinating few moments for you. Yes, there will be some really easy ones to spot. Others may require judges to help find them. I will quickly admit it usually takes a minister to find one of them and there will be loud lamentations when it is found. A little lady said she brews a cup of tea so she can concentrate better. Can you compete really well in this test? Relax, for there really are the names of sixteen books of the Bible in these sentences. Happy hunting! HIDDEN BOOKS: Mark, Luke, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Acts, Revelation, James, Ruth, Numbers, Job, Esther, Judges, Lamentations, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 2 Peter. Mr. Jacob Davidson(Biji) & his baby Aaron D. Jacob Mr. Vinn Varghese & his baby Edwin Mathew Varghese Mr. Eapen K Samuel (Sam) & his baby Rohan K. Samuel Mr. Vinod G Philip & his baby Revin Philip Mr. John Thomas (Deepu) & his baby Leeya Thomas 14 P a g e
SPEAKER : Mr. Mat Stan from St. Pauls s Marthoma Church, Dallas THEME : Selfless to Change (Our heart must be changed in order to bring change into the world). VERSE : Romans 12: 1,2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. Session 1 Session 2 Our culture is obsessed with selfies, ourselves. We are called to challenge ourselves not to live like this world, but rather think outside of ourselves. Why is it so important to get over ourselves with a Kingdom mindset? As we think past ourselves, we are then able to focus on loving others. Our world is becoming crazier as each day passes. We, as God s children, are called to speak the truth of Christ daily. What would it look like for us to take action and carry this out in our day to day? DATE : August 18 th (Friday) & August 19 th (Saturday) VENUE : Springhill Retreat Center, 3991 E. Renner Rd, Richardson, TX - 75082 15 P a g e