The Church serves its congregation with any of their needs (spiritual, financial, etc...) The Church started with a very small congregation of about 10 families who prayed their Coptic Orthodox liturgy in a small, rented hall. His Holiness Pope Shenouda III sent Fr. Bishoy Ghobrial from St Mark Church in California once a month. During holidays, the Pope sent Priests from different Churches in Egy
pt to support the service. The congregation grew to around 20 families, so they were able to purchase a land in 1998. The congregation was able to complete the Church building and hold the very first liturgy in October 2004, which was prayed by Fr. Bishop Dioskoros from Egypt was sent to our Church for a long period of time to serve the congregation and help with services until he asked Pope Shenouda III to send a permanent Priest to the Church as it continued to grow. Our Priest Fr. Danial Eissa became our permanent Priest assigned by his Holiness Pope Shenouda III in August 2007, and he has been serving our congregation since then. Our Church grew immensely as we have now reached 145 families, averaging 435 members. To support the growth, the Church is using its current location to build a bigger Church to accommodate the families it serves. Causes and Services:
St Mary’s Church in Las Vegas leads the congregation by giving them a helping hand designed to empower individuals to becoming self-sustainable active members of society. We as an organization are committed to providing our congregation with the tools, support, and counseling, necessary to becoming productive and self-sustaining community members in society. The Church serves its congregation with any of their financial, spiritual, counseling and guidance, or social needs. Spiritual Services:
Weekly liturgy on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and monthly liturgy for servants on the first Saturday of the month. Bi-weekly Bible studies for the congregation. Weekly Youth meeting – The meeting does not only help the youth to grow spiritually, but also provides counseling and guidance. The meeting also includes teaching the Coptic language. Social and entertainment services:
Weekly social gathering after the Sunday liturgy where the Church provides a meal to the congregation. Summer Camp for the youth during their school breaks. Holidays parties for the congregation (Christmas, Resurrection feast, All Saints Day, etc…) celebrating in the Church’s building, with gifts and activities for kids. All social and entertainment services are provided from the Church and supported by donations only. The Church also serves the homeless once a month, with the agreement from the city. In our Coptic Faith, we believe those who are less fortunate are the brethren of the Lord. The service we provide is the most basic need of a human being.
