Announcements – December 25, 2024

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Vodcasts

  • Sermon Link – Birth of Jesus Christ: Peace on Earth (Rev. P. Chacko)

Upcoming Prayers, Meetings & Events

      • December 26 (Thursday)
        • 11 AM: MIWAA Prayer (via Zoom)
      • December 27 (Friday)
        • 10:30 AM: Fasting Prayer (via Zoom)
      • December 29 (Sunday)
        • 9:00 AM: Sunday School
        • 10:15 AM: Divine Worship in Malayalam
        • 5 PM: Detroit Ecumenical Council’s 30th Christmas Program (at church)

Watch Night Service

      • Year-ending Watch Night Service will be held on Tuesday, December 31st. Adult and Youth evening sessions will start at 9:30 pm. Holy Communion Service in Malayalam at 11 pm at the church. All members are prayerfully requested to participate as we welcome in the New Year.

Ecumenical Christmas Program

      • Detroit Ecumenical Council’s 30th Christmas Program will be conducted on Sunday Dec 29th, at 5PM in our Fellowship Hall. Many churches from the Metro Detroit area will be participating in the Carol Service including our parish. Rev. Fr. Shawn P. Thomas, assistant Vicar of St. Thomas Orthodox Church of India (Warren, MI) will give the Christmas message. Also during the program there will be an offertory collection to support the Pope Francis Center. Finally there will be food available for purchase from local vendors. Cordially inviting all parish members to attend.

Youth Group

      • The 38th Midwest Regional Youth Conference will be hosted by St. Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Chicago, Youth Group. The conference will take place from December 27th-30th at Miracle Camp and Retreat Center in Lawton, MI. Let’s remember all our youths that are attending and pray that they are blessed and renewed through the conference
      • Diocesan Leadership Conference hosted by our DMTC Youth Group will be held on Thursday January 2nd to Sunday January 5th, 2025 at our church. The conference is less than 2 weeks away. The coordinators are expecting close to 100 delegates in total to attend the conference from across the diocese. Our youths have been diligently preparing for the conference and are requesting help from parish members in volunteering during the conference days at church, helping with transportation of delegates and finally financial support. Please contact Sanya Bency or Abigail Shinoj if you are able to help. Most importantly please keep the DLC in your prayers as our youths prepare and that the DLC may be a blessing for all those attending.
      • Youth group is conducting a clothing drive for the next couple of Sundays at church. Requesting donations of undamaged clothing such as hats, gloves, shirts, hoodies, socks, etc. Donated items will be prepared and packed during the DLC conference and will be later distributed to homeless shelters around the local community. There will be a box set up in the fellowship hall labeled “Clothing Drive” to place the donated items. We hope all members will consider donating towards this cause this Christmas season to support those less fortunate around us. Thank you ahead of time for your support.

Showers of Blessings

      • Mr. & Mrs. Christopher and Ashley Chacko were blessed with a baby girl Nora Shanthi Chacko on Thursday, December 19th, 2024. Baby Nora and mother are doing well. Congratulations to the family including the happy grandparents Mr. & Mrs. George & Anuja Chacko. May God bless the newborn

Carmel Badminton Tournament 2025

      • Carmel Mar Thoma Center, Atlanta is organizing a Diocesan level Badminton Tournament on Saturday, January 25th, 2025 at 9 am at the Carmel Gym in Stone Mountain, GA. There will be a Doubles Men and Doubles Women category for the tournament. Those interested to participate will need to register online.  Registration fee is $100 per participant and $50 for non-playing members  Registration fee includes lunch and dinner on Saturday, Jan. 25th. The tournament will also be followed by an enrichment session on Saturday evening.  All members of the Mar Thoma parishes within the diocese are welcome to participate. Registration deadline for the tournament is January 10th, 2025.  This will be a unique opportunity to visit the Carmel Center and connect with the Badminton lovers across the Diocese.Tournament Registration: https://forms.gle/7KUSX8PXVHe8aqoM8

Sub-Organization General Body / Annual Report

      • A friendly reminder to all sub-organizations, as we are approaching the end of the year please prepare annual reports and schedule sub-organization General Body meetings with the Vicar as early as possible so that our annual church General Body meeting may be prepared for and conducted in a timely manner. We thank you for your cooperation.

Note from Trustees

      • As the end of the year is approaching a reminder that all members must submit their contributions for the year 2024 by this month. Contributions for 2024 will not be accepted in the new year. Requesting the cooperation of all members.ZEFFY ONLINE PAYMENT OPTION – REMINDERAlso a reminder regarding our online payment option Zeffy. We have been using the Zeffy platform for almost 2 years now. We thank all the members who have embraced this payment option as this streamlines online financial transactions for the church. We want to remind everyone that contributions can be made with credit card or bank account with no service fee if desired through Zeffy

        As the new year is approaching we also want to strongly encourage parish members to use the automatic reoccurring monthly contribution option with Zeffy for the repeated contributions members give to the church.  This allows members to manage their contributions better and ensure their contributions are submitted in a timely manner every month automatically. This option also supports the church with a steady and reliable income source to manage ongoing operating expenses. Currently only few families are taking advantage of this automatic monthly contribution option, again this feature through Zeffy is completely free and very convenient to use and similar to automatic payments we set-up for our personal subscriptions and reoccurring bills.

        Monthly Contributions to consider (per family)

        Subscription – $85/month

        Refreshments (minimum expected per GB decision) – $100/ year or $9/month

        Diocese (covering budgeted diocesan collection from DMTC) – $110/year or $9/month

        TOTAL SUGGESTED MONTHLY CONTRIBUTION: $103

        Also for those participating in the Light to Life program – $20/child the automatic payment option should also be considered to ensure your charitable contribution is submitted timely.

        If any parish members require support in setting up automatic monthly payments please contact the office bearers. Thank you once again to all parish members for your generous support of the church.

        ZEFFY LINK: https://detroitmarthoma.org/main/resources-2/online-donation/

Church Safety Practices

      • Our church is a vibrant place, and our church building is utilized for activities almost every day of the week. From worship services and fellowship events to sub-organization meetings and other general activities, it is encouraging to see our facilities being used so actively for the spiritual growth and well-being of our church.With this frequent usage, it is important to emphasize that the security of the church is a shared responsibility. We kindly remind all members, especially office bearers, convenors, and sub-organization leaders, to take proper measures when leaving the church premises. This includes confirming that the church is closed appropriately or ensuring that a responsible individual is designated to do so.When closing the church, please make sure to:
        • Turn off all lights in the church and fellowship hall, including bathroom lights.
        • Switch off appliances, such as the sound system and TVs.
        • Ensure all emergency exits are closed (Main Sanctuary (2), Deacon Side Room (1), By Trustees Office (1), Stage side room (1))
        • Close and lock the main entrance doors in the front and rear.

        We have experienced several incidents where lights and appliances were left on and/or doors were left open or unlocked overnight, and in some cases, for multiple days. These occurrences present a significant security risk. We ask all members to recognize the importance of this matter and to act responsibly so we can continue using our church and its facilities safely and effectively.

        If you have any questions or need further clarification, pleas contact any of the parish office bearers.

Refreshments

      • Thanks to the refreshment committee for arranging today’s refreshments.
      • Many families have not contributed this year for refreshments. Based on GB decision the minimum expected contribution is $100. Kindly requesting all families to submit their contribution as soon as possible to ensure the smooth functioning of refreshments distribution

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Rev. Santhosh Varughese for leading today’s service and Rev. P. Chacko for the message. Thank you to P. Chacko Achen, Lay leaders, and Choir for assisting in today’s service.

DMTC Family wishes all our fellow members celebrating their Birthday & Wedding Anniversary this coming week; May the Almighty Lord bless each one of you and your family in the new year & years ahead.

Please uphold our near & dear ones who are sick and those grieving the loss of their loved ones.

Thank you all for participating, have a blessed week.

Live Streaming of Church Events

Live streaming will be available on the church YouTube channel – https://youtube.com/@DetroitMarthomaChurch.  After clicking the link, click on “Live” and find the livestream for the respective church event.

We will do our very best to live stream all church events, however as this is dependent on trained volunteers, there may be technical interruptions and occasions where live streaming is not available. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Zeffy – Online Payment Option

      • Zeffy is a user-friendly platform for not-for-profit organizations that allows for one-time and reoccurring monthly contributions with a no transaction fee option. Contributions can be made with credit card, bank account, Apple or Google pay. We strongly encourage all members to utilize Zeffy for electronic payments. Our Trustees want to thank all the members who have utilized this method as this streamlines the financial activities of the parish.
        • Zeffy is available through the DMTC Mobile App or church website (link below):https://detroitmarthoma.org/main/resources-2/online-donation/
        • With this online payment option, Paypal will no longer be available as an online payment option. If any member has questions or would like additional assistance with Zeffy please contact our Trustee or Accountant, Mr. Jacob Thomas or Mr. Alan Thomas, at any time

Church Zoom Information

Zoom Meeting ID: 811 6679 1004       Password: 926644

      • Dial-in
        • (US) +1 312 626 6799 and then enter the access code 811 6679 1004# and then# again and then the passcode 926644#
        • (Canada) +1 647 558 0588 and then enter the access code 811 6679 1004# and then# again and then the passcode 926644#

Admin Update

If you are currently not receiving emails from the church or would like to update your email address, please notify us by sending it to sec@detroitmarthoma.org. Send your name and address in the email so that we can identify you properly. Please visit the church website

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