Dear All, I greet you all in the name of our Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I would like to thank all for attending last month's services and various activities in our church. During the summer season, our church was focused on organizing various events. Prayer Meetings: We are conducting our area prayer meetings once a month and choir fellowship is held monthly at church along with Sevika Sangham meetings, which are scheduled either at the church or various houses. Our Vicar is actively participating in and coordinating all those meetings.. 2011 Annual Harvest Festival:This year we had the annual Harvest Festival on Saturday th September 18 after the service at the church. A large amount of our members actively participated in the auction and raised about $20,000.00. I sincerely thank all the participants for the success of our Harvest Festival. Onam Lunch: This year we celebrated Onam Lunch in a traditional Kerala style at the social th hall after the service on Sept. 11 . About 325 people attended the lunch. The program started with a cultural event coordinated by our youth members. I sincerely thank the following individuals for their dedicated service and cultural contributions: Anu Philip, Babu Philip, Stanley, Abraham Panicker, Santosh Tharakan, Achenkunju & Delicia, Kurian Idiculla, Saji, Shaji Mathew, Jimji, Sally Babu, Mariamma Babu, Lija John, Marykutty John and so on. After Refreshment Program: I would like to thank all for contributing to the after service refreshment. We need more volunteers and sponsors for this program. When you celebrate birthdays and anniversaries please join at the social hall and pray with us, celebrate with us. That will be a great blessing to all. Thanks to Our Guests: Last month, we had a great number of guests attending our services. We would like to sincerely thank each and every one for their participation. Senior Citizen Sunday: This year, we celebrated our Senior Citizens Day on September 25th. Our Seniors participated in various ways during the service. Let's pray to God for their faithfulness and dedication for the growth of the church during this year. My sincere thanks to all who participated in the last Sunday service in various activities. Thanks and regards, John Mathew RD MORE DETAILS AVAILABLE ON 3 PAGE Dearly Beloved in Christ, Greetings in the name of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We belong to the family of San Francisco Marthoma Church. Our parish is our spiritual home. The church has set apart this month for the dedication of our families. Jesus has taught us that the family is a small unit and model of the Kingdom of God. The basic teaching of the Kingdom of God is His Love. Jesus said "Father all mine are yours and all yours are mine.(St.John 17:10) Father, you are in me and am in you"17:21). Everything is submitted mutually and so love is shared among each other. This is the relationship between Father, God and Son. This love is portrayed as the model of love in the family life. Thus the whole family says "What is yours are ours and what are ours is yours". Our parish as a big family shares this love of God. Family prayer is very important in our Christian family life. It is said that the family that prays together stays together. We must build our family on the rock of prayers. Thus God will build our families through our hearts, As it is said, hands can make house. But only hearts can make families. Thus, God will build our families through our hearts. As per our Church calendar this month, a week is set apart for Voluntary Evangelistic Association and and another for Yuvajana Sakhyam. So it is meaningful to have our annual convention on this month itself. Our convention will be from Thursday, October 27th through Sunday, October 30th.. The theme for our convention is, 'a meaningful Christian life based on the word of God'. Convention is the time to hear the word of God which leads to our renewal. Do not think that it is only an annual program by the Edavaka mission and so only the Edavaka mission members are expected to attend the same. It is the celebration of the word of God. So I request each and everyone to plan your Schedule to attend the whole 4 days of the convention, as it will be a series of messages based on one theme. This year we are privileged with our main speakers Rev. Dr. Martin Alphonse and also Rev. Thomas John from LA. Uphold our convention in our personal prayers and also prayerfully be prepared ourselves for the word of God. Yours in Christ's service, VijiAchen From the Vicar’s Desk Secretary’s Note M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 Speakers Dr Martin Alphonse Rev. Thomas John Thursday 27th and Friday 28th @ FIRST METHODIST CHURCH OF SUNNYVALE 535 OLD SAN FRANCISCO ROAD SUNNYVALE CA 94086 CHURCH ANNUAL CONVENTION Oct 27-30 Sunday 29th and Sunday 30th @ MARTHOMA CHURCH OF SAN FRANCISCO