E-NEWSLETTER...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 45 (Volume 4), 13 November 2013

HH KAREKIN II – ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE WCC

is the supreme legislative body of the WCC, and meets every seven years to review programmes and determine the overall policies, as well as to elect presidents

and appoint a Central Committee.

The 10th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) which met in Busan, South Korea,

30 October to 8 November 2013, elected HH Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All

Armenians President of the WCC.The Assembly

The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches which

confess the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour according to the scriptures, and therefore seek to fulfill

together their common calling to the glory of the one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The WCC brings

together churches and Christian fellowships in more than 110 countries throughout the world, representing

over 500 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican,

Baptist, Lutheran, as well as other churches. At the end of 2012, there were 345 member churches. While

the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most member

churches are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific.

REJOICE! NEWLY FORMED ST YEGHICHE PARISH

Sunday, 3 November 2013, was a momentous day in the recent history of the Armenian people and church in the United Kingdom. Armenians came to the St Yeghiche Armenian Church to form the St Yeghiche Assembly that gave birth to the Parish of the St Yeghiche Church in London. By the blessings of HH Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and the kind agreement of Mr and Mrs Vatche and Tamar Manoukian, benefactors of the Church, the assembly was convened under the presidency of HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate. The Assembly started with Bp Vahan’s prayer and welcome remarks, followed by the remarks of the Chairman of the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC), Mr Ara Palamoudian, reviewing the history of ACCC’s management of the St Yegthiche Church and the ACCC decision to devolve the management of the Church from the functions of the ACCC, which after the Assembly became the Armenian Community Council (ACC). After a lengthy discussion the Assembly adopted the bylaws, elected its chancery (Chairman and secretary), which conducted the rest of the meeting. On the agenda were the election of the Balloting Committee, Parish Council and the Auditing Committee. The Primate concluded the Founding Assembly with congratulatory remarks to the elected Parish Council members and the other officers of the Parish. Congratulations to all and God bless.

HG Bp Vahan Presiding over the Assembly

JOINT BIBLE STUDY AT SYRIAN ORTHODOX CATHEDRAL

By the invitation of the His Eminence Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawood, Primate of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a joint Bible Study session was organized in the diocesan center of the Syrian Orthodox Church in London on Thursday, 7 November. The session was conducted by HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian. His Grace began the session by general comments on reading and interpreting the Bible in the Orthodox Church traditions. A question and answer period followed. The group then continued reading St Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. Following the study session the group was invited to a tea fellowship. Present at the study session was HE Abp Athanasius. Participating in the discussion were members of the Armenian and Syrian Bible Study groups as well as the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) and the Church Youth of the Syrian Orthodox Church. Please note that there will be NO BIBLE STUDY session this Thursday, 14 November. The joint group will meet again next Thursday 21 November, in the Syrian Orthodox Diocesan center (7-11 Armstrong Road, London W3 7JL). Join us and bring a friend along with you.

ARMENIAN CHURCH PARISH ASSEMBLY IN DUBLIN THIS SUNDAY

A celebration of Badarak is scheduled for this Sunday 17th November, by the Parish Council of the Armenian Church in Dublin to take place in Taney Parish Church (Dundrum, Dublin 14) at 12:30PM, as part of the church services prior to the convening of the third Annual Parish Assembly of the Armenian Church in Dublin, Ireland. The Assembly will meet, following church services, in the Church Hall at 3:00pm, with registration starting at 2:30pm. If you live in or near Dublin or will be in Dublin on that day join us for Badarak and the Assembly. HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, will preside over the Parish Assembly which will discuss and receive the annual reports by the Parish Council Chairman and Treasurer and a report of the annual activities. The Assemblywill be a great opportunity for Armenians in Dublin and its surroundings to meet other Armenians in the area and learn about the Armenian Church activities and programmes and participate in planning and executing these programmes. For more information about the Assembly please contact the Chairman, Aida at: alundon@eircom.net. To learn about Armenians in Dublin and Ireland in general, click here.

Badarak in Dublin

PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND – DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY

The Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church is happy to announce the organization of the “2014 Armenian Church Pilgrimage to the Holy Land”, Friday 6-Saturday 14 June, 2014. The programme of the Pilgrimage will include visits to Armenian, Biblical and Christian sites in Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, and Galilee, including River Jordan and the Dead Sea. There will also be fellowship hours, sing-along gatherings, brief biblical reflections and prayer sessions.The cost of the Pilgrimage is: £1,200 for shared-room accommodations, and £1,450 for private room. The amount covers the expenses for British Airways airfare, transfer to and from the airport in Israel, luxury hotels, tour guide, daily breakfast and dinner, airconditioned bus transportation, boat sail and cable-car ride. To secure your place in the 2014 Pilgrimage, for the price indicated above, please send your deposit of £500, payable to “The Armenian Church Trust UK” to The Primate’s Office, 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG. For further information please call the Primate’s Office0208 127 8364, or e-mail: pilgrimage2014@armenianchurch.co.uk. Click here to read the flyer online.Your deposit must be received in thePrimate's Office by Friday, 15 November. Please note British Airways prices may go up after this deadline.

ACYF in Armenian Monastery San Lazzaro. Venice

Mount Tabor Church

BACH’S CHRISTMAS ORATORIO – AGBU AND TCA

Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachts-Oratorium) - Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and The Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) cordially invite our faithful and friends to Bach's "Christmas" Oratorio (Weihnachts-Oratorium) on Sunday the 15th of December at 7.30pm in the beautiful Cathedral of St. Yeghiche Armenian Church in South Kensington. Soloists include Anaïs Heghoyan, ArisNadirian, Jassy Husk and AlexandrosTsilogiannis. The soloists will be accompanied by a full Baroque Orchestra the London Early Opera. The programme of the Oratorio will include highlights from stories 1, 2 and 3 from the Oratorio and will be sung in English. The Oratorio programme will last approximately 1hr and 20 mins. Tickets are £15 and are available by calling Anais: 07931 377 539, Sossi: 07815 633 628 or Mariana: 07951 363 620.

SUPPORT OUR MINISTRY: “THE GENEROUS WILL THEMSELVES BE BLESSED”PRV 22:9

.

The Primate’s Office is happy to announce the creation of an online interface which will allow our faithful and friends to support our church ministry by their financial donation through the internet. Click here to be transferred to the donation website. Your donation,no matter how great or small, will effectively help our Church maintain our programmes and create new ones to promote the Gospel as understood and lived by the Armenian people for centuries and to support the mission of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The amount donated will be used by the Armenian Church Trust UK (ACTUK), a trust registered as a charity in the Charity Commission for England and Wales (registration number: 1141610). ACTUK is the financial arm of the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland. All funds raised by ACTUK are used exclusively to finance the various programmes and activities of the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland such as the educational programmes, the annual pilgrimages, Street Festival, Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF), pastoral ministry and the operation of the Primate’s Office. An audited financial report of ACTUK’s income and expenses is discussed publically in the Annual Church Assemblies. Click here for more information.

CLASSICAL CONCERT: ANI.BATIKIAN.(VIOLIN) AND ROLAND ROBERTS (PIANO)

Armenian violinist AniBatikian and UK pianist Roland Roberts will take us on a colourful classical journey, with works by Mozart, Dvorak, Aram Khachaturian, Bartok, Baghdasaryan and Pablo de Sarasate. Please join us on Thursday 14 November at 19:00, in the EBRD Auditorium EBRD One Exchange Square London EC2A 2JN. The concert will last approximately 60 minutes with no interval. Admission is free, but prior email registration via EBRDevents@ebrd.com is essential. Please note that all guests are required to bring a form of ID withyou .Click here for the flyer online.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: There will be no Bible Study session this Thursday, 14 November. The Bible Study group will resume its weekly

meetings next Thursday 21 November at 7:00PM in the Syrian Orthodox Church: 7-11 Armstrong Road, LondonW3 7JL.

 KOMITAS CHOIR: A professional Armenian Choir is being established in London by London Tekeyan Trust to enhance Armenian

musical culture not only in the Armenian Communities in UK but also internationally.Those interested to join the Choir are

requested to contact SipanHagopian @ 07428788644, e-mail: info@tekeyantrust.com.. A Chorus Endowment has been created also to

finance the operation of the KOMITAS Choir. Supporters are invited to be Patrons of the Choir. For more information please contact

Me VartanOuzounian @ 07940522606, e-mail: vouzounian@tekeyantrust.com.

 Volunteers are needed for the “2014 Reunion Committee” of the K. Tahta Armenian Community Sunday School. Those interested are

requested to e-mail:armenianschool@hotmail.co.uk

 PRIMATE’S OFFICE: 9am-2pm, Monday through Friday. Tel 0208 127 8364, E-Mail: primatesofice@armenianchurch.co.uk

The Primate’s Office c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk