The meditation with kirtan this evening will be four hours long, beginning at 5 and ending at 9  to prepare for the All-Day Christmas Meditation next Saturday.

Please sign Christmas cards for the monastics on the table outside the Chapel.

We are also collecting donations to purchase gifts for the monastics through December23.  If you write a check, please note “Monks Gifts” on the memo line, or put your donation in an envelopemarked “Monks Gifts” and put in the collection basket.

Mother Center has announced that there will be a Holiday satsanga with Brother Chidananda livestreamed on December 12 at 6 p.m., with an update on the Lessons.

The All-Day Christmas Meditation will be on Saturday, December 15, beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. There will be a half-hour break at 1.  The meditation will NOT begin with Energization Exercises. It’s customary to bring a fruit and donation in an envelope as offerings to show our loyalty and devotion to these teachings and our line of gurus. Please arrive early to ensure that everyone is seated prior to the start. No one will be admitted to the chapel after the opening prayer.  We recommend that participants eat lightly before the meditation and dress warmly in layers, as all the windows will be open. For additional information, please review the SRF Christmas Meditation Guidelines and suggestions provided by Bro. Bhumananda. Hard copies of these guidelines and suggestions are posted on the back bulletin board.

Today we have our Christmas program and brunch following the service.  Please stay to share in a visit from Santa for our Sunday School children, and enjoy  soloists and our EMC Choir singing Christmas carols.  When the service ends, choir members will be leaving the Chapel to meet in the Junior Boys Room, and then will be seated in the last two rows of the Chapel during the Program.  This will open up a few seats in the rest of the Chapel.

A note from the Encinitas Ashram:  “In order to allow our Encinitas Ashram Center personnel to participate in Christmas observances, the Encinitas Retreat and Meditation Gardens will be closed on Saturday, December 22,^d and Tuesday, December 25.”

Anda note regarding our Managing Council… It was our Guru’s wish that devotees share in the responsibility ofmaintaining SRF groups and centers. Annual elections allow qualified devotees to take turns serving in variouscapacities on the Managing Council.  Our annual elections will be held Sunday, January 13, after the service.  Any members who are interested in serving on the Managing Council, or want to learn more, please contact Wendy Tenenberg.

These weekly announcements can be found on the back bulletin.

The topic this morning is How To Find Lasting Joy.