بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Dear FVAMC Community Member – Assalamu Alaikum,
I hope that you are doing well and that your family is safe and healthy. As we bid goodbye to 2020 and welcome a new year, I want to wish you a blessed and prosperous 2021!
This has been an undoubtedly challenging year for all of us, and one that many of us are grateful to leave behind. From a raging pandemic and a disruptive lockdown, to racial inequity and civil unrest, our lives have been changed forever. But in spite of these challenges, Alhamdulillah, FVAMC continued to forge ahead. Here are some of the positive changes that happened during the year:
- With the Grace of Allah, we made our last interest-free mortgage payment to the Episcopal Church in CT in October, which completes the $1.1m purchase transaction of the facility and transfers ownership to FVAMC. This is a feat that many of us – including me – did not even dream of when we first toured the facility, back in January 2013! Alhamdulliah! This is indeed of the bounty of our Lord.
- To fulfill our commitment to invest in human resources as soon as we paid off the building, we appointed Imam Safwan Shaikh as our first full-time Religious Director and Youth Leader. Imam Safwan had previously served FVAMC in this capacity, but on a part-time basis. We are blessed to have him in this role. Please see Imam Safwan’s letter to the community.
- In October, we celebrated the achievement of the first class of twenty five Ijaza students who have memorized Juzu Amma (Sura 78-114) of the Quran after eighteen months of intensive study of the Quran and Aqeeda. We look forward to celebrating these students again next year as they memorize more of the Quran, In Sha Allah.
- After a very brief break, we resumed all of our educational programs virtually. This included FVAMC Academy, Ijaza Program, Friday sermon, daily reflections and nightly Taraweeh prayers during Ramadan. While many of our educational programs remain virtual, we opened the facility for Jumma service, taking into account the State’s guidelines for the limited capacity and social distancing.
- During the closure, we were able to make significant and much needed renovations, many of which addressed safety issues. The transformation brought about by these renovations is stunning and we can hardly wait for normal times to return so that you can all enjoy them!
- A number of families fell on hard times in the first few months of the closure. Alhamdulliah, community members sprung to help with food drives and financial donations that made their way to the most needy in our community. Jazakum Allah Khair.
We welcome the New Year with a renewed sense of hope and optimism. Our goals for 2021 are to continue to expand our programs – now that we have a full-time Imam; renovate and expand the bathrooms to include dedicated wudu spaces; overhaul the steeple and adorn it with a crescent moon on top, and draft plans and conduct surveys for renovating and expanding the parking lot, In Sha Allah. And while we successfully paid of the building, we will still kindly need your support in order to make all of these much-needed renovations.
Finally, please click here to view a copy of our statement of cash flow showing our revenue and expenditure for 2020. We thank you, our members for your continued support, both financially and with your Duaa. We thank our teachers, staff, and volunteers for their service and dedication. Last, but not least, I am privileged to serve on the Board of Trustees alongside a great group of individual whose wisdom and dedication has made FVAMC what it is today. May Allah Subhanahau Wa Tala bless your families and grant you all that which is best in this life and the hereafter.
Full speed ahead FVAMC!
