Dear St. James Family Members
Greetings in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ. Praise be to God for all who participating in and praying for the overall progress and spiritual growth of our parish. From this month our children are going back to school for the new academic year after the summer holidays. Some of our youths newly joined into different colleges as their new levels of knowledge. Also, we begin our Sunday school new section on September 10, 2023. As important as we are to our children’s schooling, parents should be careful to teach their children Sunday school and develop in them a basic scriptural knowledge, a spiritual foundation, and a commitment to the church. Proverbs 3:13 “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.” According to Martin Luther King Jr., “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”
Our Parish Convention is scheduled for September 22-24. Plan to attend this year’s convention with family. Three Sundays in September are distinguished as Education Day, Sevika Sangham Day, and Senior Citizen’s Sunday. Since the time of Christ, women have played pivotal roles in the growth, ministry, and vitality of the church. Incarnated into the Hellenistic culture which marginalized women’s presence and contribution, Jesus consistently included and valued women as capable equals. As the church flourished, many women not only lived out the Christian life but some, such as Perpetua (a 21-year-old woman who was executed in Carthage), even demonstrated their allegiance to Christ through courageous martyrdoms. Women’s full and equal participation in all facets of society is a fundamental human right. Power, empowerment, freedom, rights, and equality are just meaningless words if we are not happy in exercising these values. The roles of women are primarily recognized in the social, political, economic, cultural, and religious spheres. According to Charles H. Spurgeon “The power of a mother’s prayers with all her children kneeling around is far greater than any public ministry.” May God give grace to the women of our parish to carry out the witness and participate in the services according to the time.
The Elderly in our parish lives in different environments and physical conditions. By 2030, 1 in 6 people in the world will be aged 60 years or over. Old age is often portrayed as a time of rest, reflection, and opportunities to do things that were put off while raising families and pursuing careers. Late-life events such as chronic and debilitating medical disorders, loss of friends and loved ones, and the inability to take part in once-cherished activities can take a heavy toll on an aging person’s emotional well-being. According to Betty Friedan “Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength.” Praise God for the participation and contributions of the elderly in our parish. May God provide the grace to face this old age blessedly.
In His Ministry
Ajith Varghese Achen
