Weekly Update 11/23/2020 –
Message from Fr. Cyril Gorgy
Beloved in Christ,
The Peace and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Wishing you a blessed Nativity Fast and a blessed Thanksgiving. As you know, we’ve been steadfast in our prayers and actions for a permanent church for our growing parish. We have been renting our current location for approximately 7 years. We yearn for a space for all of our members to use and enjoy, and we appreciate your support for this project benefitting our community.
We recently toured a very attractive property in Culver City. It is currently a 16,000 square feet, 2-story office building, with 60 parking spaces. This property has a direct access to a 10 acre, family friendly, park that boasts basketball courts, tennis courts, jogging track, children play area, built-in BBQs and a multi-purpose large grassy field. This is a rare opportunity to find such a building in Culver city/West Los Angeles that comes with all these benefits, that may be enjoyed by many future generations.
The church has submitted a Letter Of Intent to purchase the building, with anticipation to start negotiating price and terms with the owner. Even though the asking price is out of our range, I believe that if we allow God to guide, He will provide. We are doing our best and asking the Lord to guide us and provide for His new house. Please keep it in your prayers that God reveals to us His will. We are excited to see what God has in store for us.
With your support, we can all be active participants with Christ as He guides us towards a permanent location. Would you consider being like Queen Helena and Emperor Constantine who built the Holy Ressurection Church in Jerusalem, and contributing to build our own Holy Resurrection Church here in Los Angeles. Together, we can reach our minimum goal of $3 million dollars for a down payment.
There are a couple ways that you can make a powerful difference:
- Prayer – Be constant and earnest asking God for blessing us a home church location.
- Appreciated Assets – Consider donating appreciated assets such as stocks or real estate.
- Cash Contribution – Cash gifts dated/postmarked by December 31, 2020 will generate a tax deduction. This year, the CARES Act and the IRS incentivized generosity by allowing individuals to deduct qualified contributions of up to 100 percent of their adjusted gross income. And a corporation may deduct qualified contributions of up to 25 percent of its taxable income. Please consult your CPA for details.
- Monthly Commitment – Pledge a monthly recurring amount, that will help guide the church on the planning process.
Offerings to the “building fund” can be mailed to Holy Resurrection Church, P.O. Box 91701, Los Angeles CA 90009. Or you can also donate through the HRC website at www.lahrc.org, and click ‘Donate Now’. If you have any questions please call me at 310-487-6151.
On behalf of the Holy Resurrection Church family, I thank you in advance for your support.
In Christ,
Fr. Cyril Gorgy, Parish Priest
Holy Resurrection American Coptic Orthodox Church
“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
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General Guidelines
Please review and abide by the following guidelines prior to attending church:
- Please STAY HOME IF YOU ARE SICK, or if you have a history or are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness, including FEVER or COUGH.
- If you have traveled in that last TWO WEEKS, please do not sign up to attend a Divine Liturgy until, TWO WEEKS have passed since you returned and you do not have any COVID19 symptoms, or you have been tested negative twice.
- If you were in direct contact with anyone that tested positive for COVID-19, please do not sign up or come to the church services, whether with symptoms or not, until you are tested negative.
- If you test positive please do not sign up or come to the church services until you are tested negative, for two consecutive tests, regardless of the time it takes to be tested negative twice.
- You should attend the Divine Liturgy at the church you regularly attend.
- Every church will take all the precautions necessary to ensure your safety, but your attendance is entirely your choice, and the church does not accept any liability.
When you come to church:
- Arrive on time. The church gate will ONLY be open at the beginning of the service and will remain closed for the duration. No one will be permitted to open the church door other than the church servant assigned by the clergy.
- Your body temperature may be taken prior to entering the church.
- You should wear a mask and gloves at all times during the service.
- You should sanitize your hands when entering the church.
Inside the Church:
- You must keep a minimum distance of 6 feet at all times between you and others that are not in your household.
- Each family (same household) should seated together.
- Children will stand with their parents even if they are deacons.
- Please do not touch anything or anyone inside the church including icons, relics, clergy, and deacons, etc.
- For Ologea (Al Barka), the priest will wash his hands, cut it and distribute it. You will take it with your hand without touching the priest.
- After Liturgy, we need to stagger exiting from the church as individuals or families to ensure we maintain social distancing guidelines.
Partaking of the Eucharist:
- Please bring your own head covering, corporeal (for communion) and water to use for partaking of the Eucharist.
- Each family should come forward together to receive the Eucharist. As every family is approaching please maintain 6’ away from other families.
- During communion, you will remove your mask, open your mouth wide and have your tongue lay flat so the priest can place the Holy Body on your tongue.
- When taking the Holy Blood, open your mouth wide and the priest will pour the Blood from the spoon into your mouth.