Chinmaya Mission Houston - Announcements for September 24, 2023

Please scroll towards the end to see details of the Bala Vihar and Adult Satsanga timings and details.

CMH Student Council Seeking New Members

We invite CMH Bala Vihar High School students to apply for the Student Council. The Student Council supports Bala Vihar activities, the CMH Seva team for Sivratri gardening, and Sivalaya activities, as needed. Also organizes youth events such as annual food drive and the annual lock-in. Learn more about the Student Council from our current members in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GSYhWjcMEE

We will be selecting around 12 new members. Following is the selection process:

CMH Bala Vihar High School Students to write an essay on “Why I like Chinmaya Mission Houston? Activities I am involved in at CMH”. Please specify for how many years you have been attending the Mission. Sharing your seva and team-building ideas is encouraged.

Please apply and submit the essay by copying and pasting in the form link below:

https://chykhouston.wufoo.com/forms/z1x6oo8o01ffloc/

Should you have any questions please reach out to us by email at CMHSTUDENTCOUNCIL@GMAIL.COM
Deadline for submitting the essay is September 25, 2023
Selections will be informed to students by September 29, 2023.
First meeting to be held on October 1st.

Bala Vihar Open House Sun. Oct. 1, 2023

Please mark your calendars for Bala Vihar Open House on Sunday, Oct. 1.

Open House is a perfect opportunity for all parents to:

1. Meet with their children’s teachers.

2. Get to know the current year curriculum for their grade.

3. Get to know other children and their families.

4. Get involved with Bala Vihar activities as a room parent.

We will share more details next week.

New Study Group Every Wednesday Starting October 4, 2023

Text*: Atmabodh by Sri Adi Sankaracarya, Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda

Subject**: The Knowledge of Self, (Essence of Vedanta Philosophy)

Timings: Wednesdays, 7:20 pm – 8:50 pm, via ZOOM, Starting October 4, 2023

SG Leader: Anand Gupta

Sign-up: At Welcome Desk

* Available from the Book Store.

** An introductory text for people new to vedantic philosophy.

CMH Navaratri Garba Sat. Oct. 07, 2023

CMH Navaratri Garba celebration each year, is one of the most cherished and loved festivals, enjoyed by adults and children alike. This popular festival is filled with music, dance, devotion, food, and is a lot of fun. You do not want to miss this one!

The celebration will be held at the Gujarati Samaj of Houston on Saturday, October 7, 2023.

For further details and to purchase your tickets please click here

Sumyakasi Sivalaya: Kumbhabhisekam and Jyotirlinga Yatra –

Fri Nov 24 to Sun Nov 26, 2023

Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya invites you to participate, with friends and family, in the first grand Kumbhabhisekam ceremony since its inauguration. Kumbhabhisekam is performed to reinvite and reinvigorate the divine energies of the deities and also spiritually energize the participants and the community around.

In addition to Kumbhabhisekam, also get the divine experience of visiting all 12 Jyotirlinga Mandirs right here in Houston. Temple team is preparing to install beautiful replicas of all twelve Mandirs here in our Sivalaya courtyard. At the conclusion of the rituals and Homas we will perform Abhisekam to the Temple Gopuram, which is the Siva Linga on top of our Sivalaya.

We look forward to your participation and your sponsorship for this major event.

For more details please click here

You can also find the program and sponsorship details at the Saumyakasi Sivalaya Kumbhabisekam

Bala Vihar & Adult Satsangas

Satsanga Timings:

8:35 AM – 10:15 AM Satsanga I for adults & Bala Vihar grades Pre-KG to 12

10:30 AM – 11:15 AM Language classes, Bhajana/Orchestra/Slokathon and Adult Chanting

11:20 AM – 1:00 PM Satsanga II for adults & Bala Vihar grades Pre-KG to 10

We have a lot of new members and thus the need to reiterate the importance of adhering to CMH housekeeping rules by which we govern ourselves.

Punctuality is an integral part of CMH culture, and we are grateful for your understanding and appreciation of the same. Please give yourself enough time to park and be seated in Smrti Hall/ Sarasvati Nilayam by 8:35 AM (1st Session attendees) and by 11:20 AM (2nd Session attendees). We may have to close the doors before the start of Arati.

Additional Housekeeping Instructions

● All members must remain seated until the end of their respective Sessions and should not get up and walk out while the Satsanga or Announcements are going on.

● Turn your cell phones off (or keep it on silent mode) during the Bhajans and Satsanga in Smrti Hall.

● Chewing gum is not allowed in the premises.

● Shorts are not allowed for boys, girls, men or women. Boys and girls should wear Indian clothes or pants and CMH T-shirts.

● It is mandatory for at least one parent to be in attendance when children are attending Bala Vihar.

● Parents of Pre-K children are requested to sit in the “reserved” area in the back, next to the Sound Booth.

● After the Bala Vihar classes, children in Grades Pre K to 3 must be picked up immediately from their respective classrooms by parents.

To view the Balamandira map please click here

CORD USA Winter ServiceVisit 2023 Registration for Chaperones

The Winter Service visit 2023 is scheduled from December 16 to 31, 2023 to CORD Deuladiha and Lathikata, in the state of Odisha, India. Please read the following documents completely before proceeding to the application form.

Service Visit FAQs and Chaperone Guidelines

https://cordusa.org/servicevisit/chaperoneguidelines.pdf

As a chaperone, we require a recommendation from your center coordinator. Please make sure you type all email addresses correctly as we are not responsible for typos in your application. Note that submitting your application before the closing date is a requirement, but it does not guarantee selection. You will receive an acknowledgment email upon successful submission of the application form, confirming that we have received your application. The decisions made by the National Service Visit Coordination Team are final, and the number of available spots for both chaperones and students is fixed.

Winter Service Visit 2023 chaperones apply today!

https://cordusa.org/servicevisitchaperone2023/

Ganesh Bhajans from Bhajan Jyot Book

You may recall that Smt. Jyoti Desai released a collection of bhajans to accompany the Bhajan Jyot book she published some time back. We are pleased to share the news that Jyotiben has now released selected Ganesh bhajans from her book. We are sure you will revel in devotion as you listen to these melodious bhajans. Please find below the pertinent links:

· Ganesh Bhajans

· Krishna Bhajans

· Guru Bhajans

· Bhajan Jyot