December 2020
There is a distinguishing difference of meaning between Jesus and Christ. His given name was Jesus; his honorific title was "Christ." In his little human body called Jesus was born the vast Christ Consciousness, the omniscient Intelligence of God omnipresent in every part and particle of creation. This Consciousness is the "only begotten Son of God," so designated because it is the sole perfect reflection in creation of the Transcendental Absolute, Spirit or God the Father.

It was of that Infinite Consciousness, replete with the love and bliss of God, that Saint John spoke when he said: "As many as received him [the Christ Consciousness], to them gave he power to become the sons of God." Thus according to Jesus' own teaching as recorded by his most highly advanced apostle, John, all souls who become united with Christ Consciousness by intuitive Self-realization are rightly called sons of God.

Paramahansa Yogananda
The Second Coming of Christ, p. xxi
Greetings!

We hope you and your family are doing well, and we are looking forward to the time when we can meditate and have fellowship together. In the meantime, since the DC Center is closed, we have several online meditations planed this Christmas season. You may have received an email directly from SRF announcing a monastic-led retreat on “The Real Celebration of Christmas” which will be held on Saturday, December 5, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time and a YSS monastic-led retreat on "Introspection" will be held on Sunday, December 6, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Indian Standard Time.

The retreats will include group practice of the SRF/YSS Energization Exercises, periods of silent meditation, chanting, an inspirational lecture by an SRF/YSS monastic, scriptural study, and a special DVD program or satsanga.

Please view the details and further information for both retreats using the button below.

In addition to the above retreats, we received the following announcement from SRF Mother Center:

We are happy to announce details on our annual celebration of the Christmas holidays and our Guru’s birthday. In consideration of the continuing coronavirus restrictions, in-person visits to the Mother Center and our Temples will not be possible this year. However, we will be offering a full slate of special events online, where members and friends can join in virtually to celebrate this spiritually potent time of year. Please note the list of activities below along with their dates, times and how they can be accessed for viewing. 

Christmas Satsanga with our beloved president, Brother Chidananda 

Saturday, December 12, 2020 
9 a.m.-10 a.m. PST* 
This will be a live-streamed inspirational talk from the Mother Center. 
It will be available on the SRF YouTube channel for all to participate. 

*Note that this talk will remain available for viewing afterwards so as to best fit your schedule and time zone. 


Online All-Day Christmas Meditation Led by SRF monastics 

Saturday, December 19, 2020 
8 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST* 

This will be a live-streamed meditation in accordance with our Guru’s tradition of dedicating a period for long deep communion with Christ prior to outward festivities of the season. This will be 8 hours in length. The meditation event can be viewed via the SRF website: www.yogananda.org. 

In additional to the live stream which will be held in the English language, there will also be Christmas meditations available in Italian, German, Portuguese and Spanish. 
*This meditation will continue to be available for viewing through December 24th (Christmas Eve). 

New Year’s Eve Meditation led by an SRF monastic 

Thursday, December 31, 2020 
This will be a one hour meditation and available via the SRF YouTube channel. It can be viewed at any time that best fits your schedule on New Year’s Eve. 

Master’s Birthday Commemoration with our beloved president Brother Chidananda 

Tuesday, January 5, 2021 
9 a.m. -10 a.m. PST* 
This will be a live one hour service in celebration of our Guru Paramahansa Yogananda’s birth. It may be viewed on the SRF YouTube Channel. 
*Note that this talk will remain available for viewing afterwards so as to best suit your schedule and time zone.

Master’s Birthday Commemorative Meditation led by the SRF Nuns 

Saturday, January 9 
8 a.m. – 2 p.m. PST* 
This will be a six-hour meditation event, deepening our relationship with the Guru. It can be viewed via the SRF website: www.yogananda.org. 

*This meditation will continue to be available for viewing through Monday, January 11th. 
If you have any additional questions about these events, please watch for further information on the SRF Website, or in upcoming SRF Newsletters. We hope you will all join us in participating in these very special events and receive the many blessings of this holy season! 

In divine friendship, 
Center Department 
SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP

Please note that if you visit the SRF online Meditation calendar, the above events and service will be listed in our Eastern time zone. https://srfonlinemeditation.org/calendar/

Thank you for all you are doing to support Paramahansa Yogananda’ s work, and the Washington DC Center during this challenging time. We are also grateful for your support through your sincere prayers and personal efforts to persevere in your daily spiritual life. 


In Master’s Service,
 
Wayne T. Lavallee
Coordinator
Staying Connected

We encourage all to stay remotely connected to the worldwide SRF family:
Suggestion Box

Due to the fact we no longer are physically present at the DC Center we thought we would add a feature called the “Suggestion Box” in which we invite your suggestions or comments. Much like the suggestion box at the DC Center, if you have a constructive idea or suggestion for our Center please send it by replying to this email. We can then review them monthly at our Council meetings. Someone will reply to each suggestion after each monthly Council meeting.
Caring Friends Team

The Caring Friends Team provides support and outreach to members who are experiencing illness, hardships, and personal crisis. For more information please contact Stacey Hawkins at 301-395-9541, callingcardevents@comcast.net.
Online Donations Available

You can make online donations to the Washington DC Center of SRF by clicking on the yellow Donate button below. You will have the option of designating whether the donation is for the General Fund or the Building Fund. Please note that donations made using this button are not tax deductible.

While services are suspended, you can also make donations to the Center by check, mailed to: Washington DC Center, 4911 Niagara Road, College Park, MD 20740. If you wish your donation to go toward the Building Fund, please note this in the memo field.

Tax deductible Building Fund donations may be made online here, or by making the check payable to Self-Realization Fellowship, noting Washington DC Building Fund in the memo field, and mailing it to the Center. Full details concerning donations are explained on the Center's website Donate page.
Donations made using the above yellow Donate button are not tax deductible. For other donation options use the Donate Website button below, including tax deductible building fund donations.
Washington DC Center of Self-Realization Fellowship
4911 Niagara Road College Park MD 20740
washington.dc.srf@gmail.com
DCcentersrf.org