E-NEWSLETTER...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ 6 The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 52..(Volume 4), 29 December. 2013

ACYF CHRISTMAS CAROLS SERVICE IN ST YEGHICHE

A procession of altar servers from the main entrance of St Yeghiche Church, escorting the Primate into the beautiful cathedral, signaled the beginning of the fourth annual Christmas Carol Service in London. As soon as the members of the procession assumed their place in the church chancel, all joined in by singing “O Come All Ye Faithful.” This was followed by the Lord’s prayer in Armenian which ushered Armenian the Armenian section of the service commemorating St Stephen the first deacon and martyr, whose Feast Armenians celebrate on 25 December. A special hymn was sung for St Stephen while altar servers, crowned with traditional crowns recalling the biblical symbol for martyrdom, incensed the church. This section of the evening was followed by an anthology of traditional English and Armenian Christmas Carols sung by the congregation with Deacon Artur accompanying on the organ. Biblical readings about the birth of Jesus were inserted in between the carols. The evening included musical interludes and performances by Deacon Artur Bobikyan on the organ, Alek and Andre Yeghiazarian on the violin and Mezzo Soprano Anais Heghoyan. At the end of the beautiful evening, HG Bp Vahan offered a brief reflection on Advent and the anticipation of Theophany. God bless you ACYF London for a beautiful and inspiring evening.

PRIMATE’S PASTORAL VISIT TO MANCHESTER

HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, lead a pastoral visit to the Holy Trinity Armenian Church and the Armenian community in Manchester, 18-20 December 2013. On Thursday evening, 18 December, Srpazan Hayr attended a Christmas Piano Recital at St Ann’s Church by Deacon Artur Bobikyan. The Recital was followed by a wine reception courtesy of the Pastor and Parish Council of the St Ann’s Church. Friday morning was the opportunity to visit Armenian families in the Area. Around noontime Bp Vahan visited John and Margaret Ekserjian,lifelong members of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester.Following a lively discussion on Mr Ekserjian’s service on the Trust of the Church, Bp Vahan offered the traditional Armenian house blessing service. The same afternoon the Bishop visited Souren Arutunyan’shousehold, meeting the family members and blessing their house. In the evening it was the much anticipated annual “Christmas Carol Service” in Holy Trinity Church, which included singing along of Christmas carols in English and Armenian, chanting of psalmodies and scripture readings as well as solos by Mezzo Soprano Anais Heghoyan and an impressive Christmas programme by the Sunday School. A reception was followed in the church hall. Present at the event were members of the Church Trust and Wardens, as well as London and Manchester ACYF members.

CELEBRATING THEOPHANY AROUND UK AND IRELAND

HR Orthodox Diocese in London

Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Fr Garegin Hambardzumyan Mr VIkenHaladjian, Chairman Parish Council Reception For Choir members and Altar Servers

ACYF in Armenian Monastery San Lazzaro. Venice

The Last Supper Painted by Stefano di Giovanni

Sunday Morning Service – No Badarak

St Yeghiche Church: 5 January at 11:30am - Morning Service/No Badarak St Sarkis Church: 5 January at 11:30am - Morning Service/ No Badarak Holy Trinity: 5 January at 11:30am - Morning Service/ No Badarak

Eve of Nativity Service and Badarak

St Yeghiche Church: 5 January at 5:00pm - Revd Fr ShnorkBaghdasarian St Sarkis Church: 5 January at 5:00pm - HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian Holy Trinity: 5 January at 4:00pm, V Revd Fr Garegin Hambartsumyan

Feast of Nativity – Morning Service, Badarak and blessing of water

St Yeghiche Church: 6 January at 10:30pm - HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian

St Sarkis Church: 6 January at 10:30pm - Revd Fr ShnorkBaghdasarian

Blessing of Water – Morning Service

Dublin Parish, Ireland: 12 January at 12:30pm - HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian

Click here for more

ST YEGHICHE PARISH COUNCIL HONORS DEACONS & CHOIR F

The Parish Council of the St Yeghiche Church in London had organized a reception in the Church on Sunday, 22 December. Following Badarak celebration which was celebrated by V Revd Fr Garegin Hambatzumyan, Visiting Pastor, and presided over by the Primate, HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, members of the choir, altar servers and volunteers were invited to the glass room for a short programme. Mr VikenHaladjian, on behalf of the Pastor and the Parish Council members, first welcomed all and expressed his thanks to all volunteers including altar servers and members of the choir for their dedication to serve the Armenian Church in St Yeghiche. This was followed by the distribution of Christmas gifts, by the Parish Council as well as by Mr and Mrs Rafi Manoukian, which were handed over to each of the volunteers, altar servers and choir members present by the Primate. A wine reception followed which gave those present an opportunity to mingle and exchange greetings for the New Year and the Feast of Theophany. At the end of the reception, HG Bp Vahan thanked the volunteers as well as the Parish Council and Pastor for their challenging task in establishing a growing and vibrant community in the newly formed Parish and for recognizing the importance of the volunteer work done by the choir members and the altar servers.

PASTORAL MINISTRY OUTREACH

One of the many beautiful traditions that our people have maintained through the centuries is the priest’s visits to the houses of Armenian families within his parish to pray with the family and bless the house. This is coordinated by the family’s request. However, during major feast days such as Christmas and Easter, it was expected that the priest visits the homes of Armenians in his parish, blessing them and sharing the good-news of the birth or resurrection of Christ. Here at the Primate’s Office we have been emphasising the importance of maintaining and resurrecting these beautiful traditions. If you, or someone you know, would like to coordinate a house blessing on the occasion of the New Year and Theophany, please contact the Primate’s Office or the offices or Parish Council members of any of our churches in the UK. For communities in Mission Parishes please contact the Parish Council chairman. Meanwhile, pastoral visitations are not limited to major feast days. Our clergy visit families regularly or whenever the need may arise. Recently, for example, Reverend Fr ShnorkBagdasarian, Pastor of St Sarkis Church, London, visited Mrs. HasmikAidiniantz for a blessing service on the occasion of MrsAidiniantz 102nd birthday!Click here to read Fr Shnork’s reflection.Happy Birthday MrsHasmikAidiniantz and many happy returns!

EXPLORING BADARAK: CONTINUING EDUCATION MINISTRY F

As part of the ongoing Continuing Education Ministry of the Primate’s Office HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian will be offering a course on the theology and spirituality of our Divine Liturgy, Badarak, on Monday evenings in February-March. The course will offer an introduction to the biblical foundations of the Badarak and how this beautiful liturgy started from the pages of the Bible. Participants will then be guided through a page by page explanation of what is said and why as well as what we do and why. The exact time and location of the course will be announced. Those interested to sign up for the course are requested to contact the Primate’s Office via e-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk, or telephone: 0208 127 8364. The course will be offered free of charge and all are welcome to join in. Registered members will receive handouts of the notes discussed during each session. This will be a great opportunity to explore this central liturgical celebration of our people and ask all the questions you always wanted to ask such as why go to Badarak every Sunday why is the Badarak one-and-a-half hour long, or do we have to receive communion every Sunday?

.FINAL DAYS OF THE ANNUAL ADVENT APPEAL: PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CHURCH The 2nd Annual Advent Appeal was launched in November of this year to raise funds for the various ministries of the Armenian Church in the UK, which are directly under the supervision of the Primate. This is the only annual fundraising that the Primate’s Office conducts to support the Armenian Church. The Advent season of the Armenian Church ends with the Eve of Theophany (Armenian Christmas) Badarak on the 5th of January. We appeal to our faithful to be partners in the Armenian Church mission by raising funds for church projects including the Armenian Street Festival, Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF), Continuing Educational Programmes, lectures and the weekly Bible Study sessions, pilgrimages, Mission Parish Outreach, pastoral visitations, the publication of the E-Newsletter and the weekly Sunday Bulletin and many other ministries. Please make your donation payable to the “Armenian Church Trust UK” and post it to The Primate’s Office, c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG. Gift Aid forms are available online or from the Primate’s Office. You can also make your donation online by clicking here. For more info please contact the Primate’s Office at: 0208 127 8364. Thank you in advance for your generosity and partnership with the Armenian Church. .

FORMATION OF ST YEGHICHE WOMEN’S GUILD

St Yeghiche Armenian Church Parish Council is in the process of setting up a Women’s Guild in support of church activities and programmes, including the organisation of social events, receptions, bazaar (Donavajar) and other church events including fundraiser. Those interested in take part and be members of the newly to be formed Women’s Guild please contact Parish Council member MrsArshalouysBabayan by calling 020 85792129

SHOP ONLINE SUPPORTING THE ARMENIAN CHURCH

The charity website: easyfundraising.org.uk allows us to shop online while a percentage of what we spend is donated to The Armenian Church Trust. Purchase anything you like for the same price, while the shop donates a percentage of the cost of your purchase to the Armenian Church of UK. Many major online retailers are accessible via the site. Please go to the website: http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/armenianchurch before shopping and click on “support us now.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 NATIVITY: By a directive of the Primate, there will be no celebration of Badarak on the morning of the 5 January. That day in the evening there will be the Eve-of-Nativity Badarak celebration in the Armenian Churches in London and Manchester. Instead, on Sunday morning Armenian churches will conduct the traditional morning service, according to the Armenian Church canons.

 WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: The Bible Study session will resume after the Feast of Theophany, 6 January. The date will be announced.  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

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