Emmanuel C.S.I. Church, Philadelphia
Worshiping at
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church at the Field
500 Somerton Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA, 19116
Sunday school at 10:00 a.m.
Newsletter of
Emmanuel C.S.I. Church, Philadelphia
May 2015
Sunday Worship at 11:00 a.m.
1st & 3rd - Malayalam Holy Communion
2nd – English H. C. with Praise & Worship
4th – English Holy Communion
5th – Malayalam Matins5
Prayer Meeting – Every Saturday @ 6:30 PM
(Youth Prayer Fellowship – 2nd Saturdays)
Fasting Prayer – 2nd Saturdays @ 10:00 AM
Women’s Fellowship Meetings – 1st & 3rd Sundays after the Service
(A monthly Publication)
Contact Information:
President: Rev. Bejoy Mathew Scaria: (215) 825-3305
Vice-president: Mr. Maxwell P. Gifford: (215) 637-5498
Secretary: Mr. Cherian M. Abraham: (215) 620-7324
Jt. Secretary: Mr. Reny Eapen Mathew: (215) 633-7676
Treasurer: Mr. Saju Isaac Mathew: (215) 327-9875
Web Master: Mr. Anand Mathew
www.emmanuelcsi.com
500 Somerton Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19116
Mother’s day:
Mother’s Day is a holiday honoring motherhood that is
observed in different forms throughout the world. The American
incarnation of Mother’s Day was created by Anna Jarvis in 1908
and became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. Jarvis would later
denounce the holiday’s commercialization and spent the latter part
of her life trying to remove it from the calendar. While dates and
celebrations vary, Mother’s Day most commonly falls on the second
Sunday in May and traditionally involves presenting mothers with
flowers, cards and other gifts.
Celebrations of mothers and motherhood can be traced back
to the ancient Greeks and Romans, who held festivals in honor of
the mother goddesses Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern
precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as
“Mothering Sunday.” Once a major tradition in the United
Kingdom and parts of Europe, this celebration fell on the fourth
Sunday in Lent and was originally seen as a time when the faithful
would return to their “mother church”—the main church in the
vicinity of their home—for a special service.
The official Mother’s Day holiday arose in the 1900s as a
result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Reeves Jarvis.
Following her mother’s 1905 death, Anna Jarvis conceived of
Mother’s Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for
their children. After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia
department store owner named John Wanamaker, in May 1908 she
organized the first official Mother’s Day celebration at a Methodist
church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw
thousands of people attend a Mother’s Day event at one of
Wanamaker’s retail stores in Philadelphia. Following the success of
her first Mother’s Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and
childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the
national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased
toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing
campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the
adoption of a special day honoring motherhood. By 1912 many
states, towns and churches had adopted Mother’s Day as an annual
holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother’s Day International
Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in
1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially
establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day.
8
From Achen’s Desk:
Greetings in the name of our Lord risen Christ,
“I lift up my eyes to the hills” Psalms.121:1
Psalm 121 is very special to each family. It starts with a
question and an answer. Where does your help come from? The
psalmist lifted his eyes to the hills. The most stable, secure thing
the Jews knew were the mountains around Jerusalem. Then the
psalmist lifted his eyes higher and said. No, I do not get my help
from the hills. I get my help from the heavens. God is helper, who
is the creator of the heavens and the earth. Our God is big enough
to help us with our problems today. Psalmist here assures himself
of help from God. Here psalmist gives the details of a journey and
the help of God. As the traveler looks toward the horizon, those
distant hills present a great challenge. They are steep and at times,
the trails are dangerous. There are thieves and bandits in the
mountains around Jerusalem, as we see in Jesus parable of the
Good Samaritan. Anyhow, the journey is rigorous and dangerous
and he lifts up his eyes to the hills. From where will our help
come? Where do we get safety and strength? Our help comes
from the Lord who is the Creator of heaven and earth.
The source of help is God alone. God would keep His
people stable and upright in their manner of life. He would not
allow danger to overtake them by day or by night. Let us keep our
eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ; He will not take His eyes off us.
May God bless you all!
With love and prayer
Bejoyachen
1
May 03, 2015
4th Sunday after Easter
Holy Communion Service in Malayalam
Theme:
Believing in Christ: The resurrection
1st Lesson
2 Kings 4: 27 - 37
Psalm
90
nd
2 Lesson Acts 26: 12 – 23
Gospel
John 11: 17 - 28
Lay Ministry: Nobby and Family
Church Calendar
May 10, 2015;
5th Sunday after Easter
English Service with Praise & Worship
Theme:
Christ’s Invitation to be an Expression of Mission
1st Lesson
Ezekiel 34: 25-31
Psalm
47
nd
2 Lesson 1 Peter 2: 1-10
Gospel
John 20: 19-23
Lay Ministry: Youth Fellowship
06-27-2015 Church Picnic
6th
Important Dates to Remember:
05-30-2015 Women’s /Laity Fellowship Meeting
06-12 to 14-2015
VBS
06-21-2015 Harvest Festival (1st day)
06-28-2015 Harvest Festival (2nd day)
08-02-2015 Laity Sunday
09-06-2015 Choir Sunday
09-20-2015 Mission Sunday
09-27-2015 CSI Formation Day
May 17, 2015;
Sunday after Easter
Holy Communion Service in Malayalam
Theme: Waiting upon the Holy Sprit
1 Lesson:
Isaiah 40: 25 -31
Psalm :
51
2 Lesson:
Acts. 1: 1 – 11
Gospel:
Luke 24: 44 – 49
Lay Ministry: Jacob Korah & family
10-11-2015
May 24, 2015;
Pentecost Sunday
Holy Communion Service in English
Theme: Come Holy Spirit Renew Us
1 Lesson:
Ezekiel 37
Psalm :
104: 24 - 35
2 Lesson: Acts 2: 1 - 13
Gospel:
John 16: 1 - 11
Lay Ministry: Ivan Pattamthanam & family
2
12-12-2015 Ecumenical Fellowship Christmas
Youth Sunday
10-18-2015 Church Day
11-01-2015
Sunday School Sunday
11-29-2015 Thanksgiving Sunday
12-4-2015
House to House Caroling
12-5-2015
House to House Caroling
12-19-2015 Christmas Carol Service
12-25-2015 Christmas Day Service
12-31-2015 Watch Night Service
(Please mark your calendar and schedule your time off)
7
Women’s Fellowship/Laity Fellowship meeting and
QUIZ Competition:
Immanuel CSI Church in Elizabeth, NJ is planning
for Women’s Fellowship/Laity Fellowship one day retreat
and a Quiz competition for the region 1 and 2. The retreat
will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015 from 9:00 AM to 3:00
PM at the Third-Westminster Presbyterian Church, 68
North Avenue, Elizabeth NJ 07208.The Quiz competition
will be based on the book of Romans. The competition will
be held on Saturday, May 30, 2015. Please start reading the
book of Romans if you haven’t started already. The
registration fee is 5 dollars per person. Breakfast and lunch
will be provided.
May 31, 2015;
Trinity Sunday
1st Sunday after Pentecost
Worship Service: Malayalam Matins
Theme: We worship the Triune God
1 Lesson: Genesis 1: 1 - 28
Psalm
2
2 Lesson: 2 Corinthians 13: 11– 14
Gospel:
John 1: 1-18
Lay Ministry: Anish Mathew & family
29th CSI Family & Youth Conference:
July 2 - 5 at Buffalo Niagara Convention center
Hosted by CSI Malayalam Congregation, Seaford
If you are planning to attend this year’s Family and Youth
conference, Please register as soon as possible. Already 600
people has registered for the conference.
For more information or Registration Form, Please
contact Mr. Russal Samuel.
VBS 2015:
1) The dates for the 2015 VBS: June 12- June 14
2) The registration form is attached and is also available on
the church website. There will a registration fee of $10 per
child and $20 for 2 or more children, which will be used
primarily for funding the VBS. Please use one form per
family. Registration closes May 16.
3) Please remember to bring a friend. We want to make the
VBS a big success.
All the key information can also be found on the church
website.
6
Wedding Anniversaries:
Congratulations and best wishes to the following couples
who will be celebrating their anniversaries in the month of
May. They are requested to attend the Thanksgiving
prayer during the Service.
05/10
05/16
05/25
05/28
Jacob Korah & Annamma Jacob
George Thomas & Mariamma Thomas
Ivan Pattamthanam & Giji Ivan
Nobby Nainan & Annie Nainan
May you truly sense God’s love as you celebrate your
Wedding Anniversary and see the future years together as
memories to be made. By M.S.Lowndes
3
Birthday Greetings:
The following members will be celebrating their birthday in the month
of May. They are requested to attend the Thanksgiving prayer
during the Service.
05/01 Josephine Reny
05/04 Nobby Nainan
05/08 Mariamma Thomas
05/09 Dr. Thomas Colacot
05/10 Lizy Kunnel
05/12 Davis R Samuel
05/12 Thalitha Rosie Betty
05/15 Saramma Abraham
05/15 Mathew Mangalath
05/15 Sajin George
05/21 Dhanya John
05/22 Amelia Fay John
 Reminders….
 Or next fasting prayer (Laity and Women’s
Fellowship) will be held on Saturday, May 09, 2015 at
10:30 AM at the residence of Mrs. Seeja & Mr.
Prasad Philip. Address: 1556 Society Hill Drive,
Bensalem, PA 19020. Phone: 215-639-5916; 267235-8947
 If you wish to host a fasting prayer at your residence,
please inform Achen or the secretary. If no one has
volunteered to host one at their residence, the prayer
meeting will be held at the parsonage.
 No Cottage Prayer meeting is scheduled for the
month of May. If you are interested in hosting a
prayer meeting at your house, please sign up or
communicate with Bejoy Achen or the secretary.
 Bible study for the Women’s Fellowship will be held
on every first and third Sundays after the service. All
women’s Fellowship members are requested to
attend.
 Choir Practice will be held on every second Sunday
after the service.
05/24 Shawn Abraham
05/25 Anu Reny
 Youth meetings will be held every 2nd Saturday at the
Parsonage. All Youth members are requested to
attend.
05/26 Reny E Mathew
05/30 Dr. Reena Colacot
God’s blessings be upon you as you celebrate yet
another year on this journey with Christ and as you
commit each day into the hands of the Lord.
4
 The Saturday prayer fellowship will be held in the
Parsonage at 7:00 PM on every Saturday, if no other
cottage prayer meeting is scheduled on that day.
5