You might have seen the great initiative from the National Basketball Association that has stars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James doing more than dunk a basketball...but lend a helping hand in their local communities. 

This year, for the first time, the Coptic Orthodox Youth Basketball League decided to do the same! The "COYBL CARES" campaign launched this season. Partnering with FTFT!, players and coaches from New York and New Jersey are putting down the basketball to hit the streets and show the love of Jesus Christ to those who need it most! Players, coaches and servants are going out and serving pizza to men and women who are homeless in New York City! God is blessing the efforts of these young men by showing weekly fruit! Tears of repentance are a familiar sight...hearts are changed, spirits are lifted, and GOD IS GLORIFIED! 

A diocese-wide service initiative will be started from today. Each church will place a box in the church to collect canned food, clothes and toiletries.

Contact the FTFT! Delegates from your individual church for details.
Then, on September 26th we will go out as o1ne unit and distribute the items we collected to local shelters and soup kitchens in our communities. (each church will go to a shelter nearest to it)

We will then all meet afterwards for prayer and fellowship and share the joy we experienced in this day!

we will be meeting at 5 pm in Archanel Michael and St. Mena's Church in Staten Island, NY.

The most important things for now are the following:
1) place a large donation box somewhere in your church
2) announce to your church to bring in the desired items (canned food, clothes, toiletries) encourage sunday school children to donate items so they can learn the joy of giving and service!

*if you would like to participate in this service day and your church is too far away to join us for our post-service meeting, PLEASE feel free to just go ahead and serve! We encourage you to spend the next two months collecting those items with your church and go out and distribute them on september 26th(or another day if you need to)

The Time to serve...I was just thinking that there has to be a season for everything. In our church we know this to be true because our own church had a season for martyrdom, a season for growth, a season for expansion into other countries and now I feel it is the season of Service! So as the feast Pentecost has at last come; I challenge everyone to ask themselves, "How Can I serve?"  Then Pray, Pray and Pray and talk to your father of confession. When you are ready contact any member of FTFT and lets get the ball rolling Together!Peace and Love