St. Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church

Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. George Floyd who died in a way that no one should ever experience; begging for his life. In the world that we live in today and with all that is going around us with the COVID-19, this is not something that anyone should have to bear.
We are praying that God give rest to his soul, comfort to the family, healing and peace to the world. There are many ways for us to serve one another and we should use every opportunity to do it, BUT if I have not love, it profits me nothing. We must love one another as the Lord has loved us. He said by this they will know that you are My disciples.
May the Lord grant us all heavenly comfort and restore mankind to the pure state and the life that we were created for – living in Him, through Him and for Him.
Mr. George Floyd, we are praying for your rest in the Lord and for the comfort of your family. RIP Mr. George Floyd.

Your Servant,

Fr. John

Please use the Registration link on the top right corner to send us you’re registration and update us with all of your information. 

IF YOU DON’T ADD YOUR NAME TO THIS LIST YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE THE LINK TO THE REGISTRATION FORM FOR THE DIVINE LITURGY.

If you have already filled out the form, you DO NOT need to do it again.

Many of you have been waiting for further details regarding the gradual restarting of liturgical services. Please read the following in its entirety, which shall be in effect UNTIL July 30, 2020, unless otherwise extended by the H.G. Bishop David, in unison with the church priests of the Archdiocese in New Jersey and the Diocese of New York and New England.

1. Based on state law and local regulations and guidelines:
   1. There will be a TOTAL of 10 persons inside the church building including children as well as one priest and two deacons. Consequently, there will be a MAXIMUM of 7 spots for the congregation;
   1. Each spot is for an individual person, so, for example, a family of 5 would take up 5 spots;
   1. All household members should remain home (and/or seek medical help) if any member is showing any “COVID related symptoms,” such as (cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, loss of smell/taste, diarrhea/Gastrointestinal symptoms, and/or has been in direct contact with another sick person exhibiting any of the above-mentioned symptoms within the last 2 weeks, whether confirmed COVID-19 or not);
   1. Elderly (above 65 and above) and immunocompromised persons are advised to stay home and to make alternate arrangements to receive holy communion with the priest;
   1. All persons in attendance must maintain a distance of at least 6 feet apart from one another;
   1. All persons in attendance must wear a face mask each covering the mouth and nose at all times (unless otherwise instructed) and must sanitize their hands upon entry to the church;
   1. In any setting where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, more protective face coverings than cloth face coverings must be used;
   1. A deacon will be at the door to screen the following, prior to congregants being admitted to the Church;
   1. Confirming if the member is on the pre-assigned list to attend the respective Liturgy;
   1. The temperature of each person will be checked prior to admittance along with answering a set of questions on the provided checklist; 
   1. If a congregant or any member of their household exhibits any COVID related symptoms, the entire household will not be admitted to Church;
   1. To help prevent any potential cross-contamination, cell phones and other personal belongings, such as purses, bags, etc should be left in the vehicles; and
   1. Each church will designate a place outside the nave of the church for the congregants to leave their shoes.

• Based on these limitations, we will begin to pray liturgies multiple times per week. Attendance will be based on the following system:
• Families will be randomly selected to attend liturgy from the list of families who registered. No family will attend twice before all the registered families in that church get a turn to attend;
• Registration to attend liturgies for the members of the church of St Anthony Coptic Orthodox Church in Medford, NJ will be provided soon.
• Prior to the day of each liturgy, there will be a confirmation of the ability of the assigned families to attend as well as a health screening through a brief questionnaire;
• If you have been assigned to a particular date, you MUST be in church promptly by 8:30 AM. The doors of the church will be locked promptly at 8:30 AM;
• If you have been assigned to a particular date, you MUST attend on that date, or else you have taken away from someone else the opportunity to pray liturgy and receive communion. Should you miss your turn, you will have to wait until the entire congregation has had a chance to attend, and then you will have a chance to re-enter for Liturgy;
• After the liturgy has concluded, everyone must promptly leave the premises. There will be no social gatherings or agape meals; and
• All other building facilities will be off-limits.

The circumstances under which we must celebrate for the foreseeable future are not ideal and are difficult to work around. We ask each person’s cooperation to allow this process to be safe, fair, and as smooth as possible. 

Please join us for the Divine Liturgy – Feast of Ascension 5/28/2020 at 9 AM.
For the deacons who would like to participate with us through Zoom meeting please use the following information to create an account and log in. Someone will be managing the room.  
NOTE FOR THE DEACONS AND ALL ZOOM PARTICIPANTS:PLEASE DO NOT UNMUTE YOURSELF DURING THE PRAYER AS IT CAUSES A LOT OF BACKGROUND NOISE.
The meeting will also be live on the church’s YouTube channel. Go to YouTube and go to the St. AnthonyNJ channel and look for the “Live” broadcast. 

For the deacons who would like to participate with us through Zoom meeting please use the following information to create an account and log in. Someone will be managing the room.  
NOTE FOR THE DEACONS AND ALL ZOOM PARTICIPANTS:PLEASE DO NOT UNMUTE YOURSELF DURING THE PRAYER AS IT CAUSES A LOT OF BACKGROUND NOISE.
The meeting will also be live on the church’s YouTube channel. Go to YouTube and go to the St. AnthonyNJ channel and look for the “Live” broadcast. 

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your joyous resurrection and for saving us and for giving us life once more. We also thank You dear Lord for this special time that You have allowed for us to get to know You more through all of the different ways that Your word is reaching us today.

We are thankful to You for allowing our families to spend more time together, to eat together and to pray together. We are now all praying in our homes more than we ever have before.

You are our help, our support and most importantly, during this time, You are our peace. Please O Lord, say, “Peace be still.”

O Lord save Your people from this plague. O Lord save Your people from this plague. O Lord save Your people from this plague. Amen

Peace to all,
You are all invited to attend Zoom meeting titled “Battle of the Consciousness Aimed Covid-19” hosted by H.G. Bishop David. The meeting will take place via Zoom tomorrow, Saturday April 11 from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. 
Zoom info:
https://zoom.us/join

Meeting ID: 203 333 1500

Lord, give us the endurance needed to get through this difficult time. Our families and loved ones have been affected and we are now recognizing the need to be in Your hands, O Almighty Father. We have been trying and living on our own for so long and today we see that we can’t live without You. Return us O Lord back to You and be merciful to Your creation which Your hands have made. Lord we submit ourselves to You and Your will in our lives. Please teach us O Lord to offer true repentance. You are our refuge and our help. We trust You and we submit to You. Amen.