Of
Self-Realization Fellowship
| We must change. That was the message of Paramahansa Yogananda; that is why this work he founded will grow on and on and on — because it can and will help people to change. Sri Daya Mata |
Winter
Issue 59
|
SUNDAY MEDITATIONS 8:00 - 8:45 AM 9:00 - 9:45 AM MAIN SERVICE: SUNDAY READING SERVICE 10:00 - 11:00 AM CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 - 11:00 AM Tuesday Evening: SRF Lesson Study, Call for location. ENERGIZATION EXERCISES 7:00 - 7:15 PM Meditation SERVICE 7:15 - 9:00 PM |
Calendar for Winter 2009
January
4 Kriya Yoga - The Bliss-Filled Path to God
5 Paramahansaji's Birthday Commemoration
10 Paramahansaji's Birthday six-hour Meditation
11 Faith, Belief, and Wisdom
18 Power to Light Your Way
25 Three Kinds of Heaven
February
1 Vital Health Laws
7 India Night Celebration 6-8PM
8 How Active Westerners Can Realize God
15 The Necessity of Religion
22 The Way to Be Happy at Will
March
1 The Cosmic Awareness of Saints
5 Paramahansaji's Mahasamadhi Commemoration
8 Regain Your Divine Heritage
9 Sri Yukteswar's Mahasamadhi
15 Creating an Destroying Habits at Will
22 The Secret of Spiritual Success
29 Peace: the Altar of Heaven
| Thought is a force; it has immense power. That is why I believe so deeply in the Worldwide Prayer Circle that Paramahansa Yogananda began. I hope you are all involved in it. When people send forth concentrated, positive thoughts of peace, love, goodwill, forgiveness, as in the healing technique used by the Worldwide Prayer Circle, this generates a great power. If the masses were to do this, it would set up a vibration of goodness that would be powerful enough to change the world. Sri Daya Mata |
Annual Elections
Our annual elections will be held on Sunday, January 25 following Service. At these elections we elect our three Managing Council positions of Coordinator, Secretary, and Treasurer, as well as Service Readers. The nominating committee is preparing a slate of candidates for these positions which will be posted prior to the elections. Nominations will also be accepted from the floor. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. To be eligible to vote you should be an SRF Lessons student and have regularly attended group meetings and Services for at least six months.
India Night Celebration
Our annual India Night Dinner celebrating our Guru’s homeland will be held at the Lenexa Senior Citizens Center on Saturday, February 7th from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Please join us for delicious food and divine fellowship, and be sure to wear your Indian attire.
Also, that evening we will hold our annual silent auction as a kick-off to our fundraising for the children’s scholarship program. If you have something you would like to donate to the silent auction, please fill out the sign-up sheet in the foyer of the Pilgrim Chapel after Sunday service, or speak with Michelle Wolf at mwolf234@sbcglobal.net or 913-845-3545.
Upcoming Special Services
We have several upcoming Commemoration Services. On Thursday March 5 from 7 to 9 pm we will hold a Commemoration Service in honor of the Mahasamadhi of Paramahansa Yogananda. On Monday March 9 from 7 to 9 pm we will hold a Commemoration Service in honor of the Mahasamadhi of Sri Yukteswar.
Anyone who is well enough acquainted with the SRF teachings to understand the significance of the Guru-disciple relationship is welcome to attend. These are great spiritual occasions on which the blessings of an illumined master are stronger than on other days of the year. Devotees who attend these ceremonies with the right attitude will reap spiritual benefits and find their high resolutions strengthened.
On Friday April 10, we will hold a Good Friday Service from 7 to 9 pm. The above events will be held at the Pilgrim Chapel.
We would also like to remind you that on Easter Sunday (April 12) our Service will be held from 9 to 10 am rather than the usual time.
Day Retreat
This year’s spring day retreat will be held on Saturday May 2nd in the Clubhouse at Unity Village. The day includes time for conducted meditations, readings, chanting and free time. More information will be sent closer to the date. Volunteers are still needed to help organize this event. Please speak to Wendy MacDonald Savoy if you would like to help.
Building Fund
We would like to inform you that we have received a generous matching donation toward our building fund. Starting immediately donations to our building fund will be matched 50 cents on every dollar to a maximum of $10,000 over three years. To make a donation to the building fund please mark your checks “building fund” in the memo line. Building funds will be used toward the purchase of a building or full-time rental location. We respectfully ask that you not simply redirect your regular donations for this purpose as the goal of this donation is not only to grow our building fund but to increase our overall monthly donations. Further details will be available soon on the Web site, or you may speak with group Treasurer Randy Wolf.
Long Meditations
Four-hour meditations have been scheduled for the following dates:
Saturday, February 14, at the Savoy residence
Saturday, March 14, at the Leach residence
Saturday, April 11, at the Savoy residence
Saturday, May 16, at the Leach residence
Saturday, June 13, at the Savoy residence
Meditation begins at 10:30 am. You are welcome to arrive at 10 am to practice the Energization Exercises. If you are not yet ready for a four hour meditation, you may leave during a period of chanting. Chanting is held every 45 minutes to 1 hour. For more information please speak to Brenda Leach (irispoppy101p@gmail.com) or Wendy MacDonald Savoy (wmacdonald12@hotmail.com).
New Film – Jesus in India
A new film highlighting the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda about Jesus Christ has been released. Jesus in India, a groundbreaking new film by Paul Davids, explores the "missing years" of Jesus. Journeying across three continents to uncover evidence of Jesus' sojourn in India, the film features probing conversations with world-renowned scholars, religious leaders, and historians, including an interview with Brother Chidananda, a Self-Realization Fellowship monk and minister. More information can be found at http://jesus-in-india-the-movie.com/
We have several upcoming Commemoration Services. On Thursday March 5 from 7 to 9 pm we will hold a Commemoration Service in honor of the Mahasamadhi of Paramahansa Yogananda. On Monday March 9 from 7 to 9 pm we will hold a Commemoration Service in honor of the Mahasamadhi of Sri Yukteswar.
Anyone who is well enough acquainted with the SRF teachings to understand the significance of the Guru-disciple relationship is welcome to attend. These are great spiritual occasions on which the blessings of an illumined master are stronger than on other days of the year. Devotees who attend these ceremonies with the right attitude will reap spiritual benefits and find their high resolutions strengthened.
On Friday April 10, we will hold a Good Friday Service from 7 to 9 pm. The above events will be held at the Pilgrim Chapel.
We would also like to remind you that on Easter Sunday (April 12) our Service will be held from 9 to 10 am rather than the usual time.
Day Retreat
This year’s spring day retreat will be held on Saturday May 2nd in the Clubhouse at Unity Village. The day includes time for conducted meditations, readings, chanting and free time. More information will be sent closer to the date. Volunteers are still needed to help organize this event. Please speak to Wendy MacDonald Savoy if you would like to help.
| “The value of silence cannot be understood except through experience. Daily activities usually keep our attention engaged in outward perceptions, meaningless talk, and the resulting endless thoughts. Silence focuses the mind on inner stillness and intuitive communion with God. Your retreat will give you an opportunity to free yourself from the compulsion of making useless conversation with others, so that you may talk silently and inwardly with God.”….Paramahansa Yogananda |
Building Fund
We would like to inform you that we have received a generous matching donation toward our building fund. Starting immediately donations to our building fund will be matched 50 cents on every dollar to a maximum of $10,000 over three years. To make a donation to the building fund please mark your checks “building fund” in the memo line. Building funds will be used toward the purchase of a building or full-time rental location. We respectfully ask that you not simply redirect your regular donations for this purpose as the goal of this donation is not only to grow our building fund but to increase our overall monthly donations. Further details will be available soon on the Web site, or you may speak with group Treasurer Randy Wolf.
Long Meditations
Four-hour meditations have been scheduled for the following dates:
Saturday, February 14, at the Savoy residence
Saturday, March 14, at the Leach residence
Saturday, April 11, at the Savoy residence
Saturday, May 16, at the Leach residence
Saturday, June 13, at the Savoy residence
Meditation begins at 10:30 am. You are welcome to arrive at 10 am to practice the Energization Exercises. If you are not yet ready for a four hour meditation, you may leave during a period of chanting. Chanting is held every 45 minutes to 1 hour. For more information please speak to Brenda Leach (irispoppy101p@gmail.com) or Wendy MacDonald Savoy (wmacdonald12@hotmail.com).
New Film – Jesus in India
A new film highlighting the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda about Jesus Christ has been released. Jesus in India, a groundbreaking new film by Paul Davids, explores the "missing years" of Jesus. Journeying across three continents to uncover evidence of Jesus' sojourn in India, the film features probing conversations with world-renowned scholars, religious leaders, and historians, including an interview with Brother Chidananda, a Self-Realization Fellowship monk and minister. More information can be found at http://jesus-in-india-the-movie.com/
Cancellation of Services Due to Inclement Weather
The Managing Council would like to remind you of our policy for cancellation due to bad weather. Canceling Service is always a difficult decision to make and it is only done when we feel that the weather is such that it is unsafe to travel to the Chapel.
Whenever possible even during inclement weather we will open the Chapel for Sunday Service as long as we have a Managing Council Member or other volunteer devotee who feels they can safely get to the Chapel. We wish to emphasize however that no one should feel that they must get to the Chapel if they are not comfortable with driving conditions. If you are scheduled to serve and you are not comfortable with driving you should notify a member of Managing Council who will ensure that your duties are covered for you. NO ONE SHOULD FEEL COMPELLED TO ATTEND DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER whether they are serving or not. Please use your best judgment in your decision to attend regardless of whether we officially cancel. While the Managing Council wants to ensure we hold Service whenever possible, it is also of utmost importance that no one be put at risk because they feel an obligation to attend.
Due to the increasing size of our group, we have found that it no longer is practical to notify all members by phone in the event of a cancellation. Instead, should it be necessary to cancel Service, a notice will be placed on the group’s voice mail at 816-799-5544 no later than 6:30 am on Sunday morning. In addition we will place a notice on KCTV Channel 5 and on the Web site www.kcmeditation.com. Please check one of these sources if you believe service may be cancelled due to inclement weather.
Should a Thursday night meditation need to be cancelled, the same procedure will be followed by 5:30 pm.
Children’s Scholarship Fund
This year, the Kansas City Meditation Group will again be offering a scholarship program for parents who are sending their children to the SRF Summer Youth Program held in the San Bernardino Mountains in California. The boys program will be held June 20 to 27, and the girls program will be held June 27 to July 4. For more information on the program go to www.srf-yogananda.org/yp.
Parents who plan to send their children to camp and would like to participate in the scholarship program are asked to speak to Michelle Wolf no later than February 29, 2008. Once we know how many children will be attending, we will set our fundraising goal for the year.
If you would like to donate toward the scholarship program, please mark you check “children’s scholarship program.”
We will wrap up our fundraising efforts either when we get to goal or on April 30, whichever comes first. If we go over our goal, the funds will be donated to the SRF How-to-Live Youth Program in Los Angeles so that other children across the country may benefit from them. As per Mother Center’s guidance, we will not carry funds over to the following year. If you have any questions about the program, please speak to Michelle Wolf.
An informational meeting about the scholarship program and SRF Summer Youth Program will be held soon for parents and interested members.
| “The ideal of right
education for youth had always been very close to my heart. I saw
clearly the arid results of ordinary instruction, aimed at the
development of body and intellect only. Moral and spiritual values,
without whose appreciation no man can approach happiness, were yet
lacking in the formal curriculum." Paramahansa Yogananda |
|
| We are affiliated with Self-Realization Fellowship in Los Angeles, California. Our Guru is Paramahansa Yogananda. The purpose of Self-Realization Fellowship is to disseminate a knowledge of definite scientific techniques for attaining direct personal experience of God. The Fellowship is dedicated to promoting a greater understanding and harmony among the world's various religions by teaching the fundamental principle of religion: how to commune personally with God. |
| Paramahansa Yogananda has defined Self-realization as follows: "Self-realization is the knowing—in body, mind, and soul—that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God’s omnipresence is our omnipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be. All we have to do is improve our knowing. |
Meditations and services are at Pilgrim
Chapel.
3801 Gillham Rd., Kansas City, Missouri
3801 Gillham Rd., Kansas City, Missouri
Email at coordinator@kcmeditation.com
KC Meditation Group 816.799.5544
Mailing Address: PO Box 7053, Kansas City MO 64113
http://kcmeditation.com
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