Seta's Armenian Blog: Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and Ireland Armenian Church News

Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and Ireland

Armenian Church News

Restoring the Mother Cathedral for many generations to come

The extensive restoration of the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin was discussed at a special gathering on 25th October at St Yeghiche Church, featuring Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, the chair of the renovation and fundraising committee. Soprano Sevan Habib, accompanied by Jacqueline Karanfilian on the organ, performed a selection of beautiful and heart-warming Armenian songs, which added solemnity to the occasion.
“’Etchmiadzin’ literally means ‘the only Begotten descended’”, point out the evening’s MC Shakeh Major Tchilingirian in her introductory remarks, and said, “as such, the Etchmiadzin Mother Cathedral is the holiest place for the Armenian nation, because it is the very spot where Christ instructed St. Gregory the Illuminator to build the first Armenian church.” She underlined that “beyond the physical edifice, Etchmiadzin is a symbol of the Armenian Christian values that we have upheld as a nation for centuries.”
The main message of the evening was participation of every Armenian around the world -- to take part in the restoration of this most significant Armenian holy place through their donations.
The Primate Bishop Hovakim Manoukian in his opening remarks emphasised that more than the amount of a donation, what is more meaningful is the commitment that members of the British Armenian community make to take part in this historically significant restoration project. He said, “we are all called to secure the physical structure of the Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin for the coming centuries and to pass on our legacy to generation to come.”
Archbishop Hovan Derderian, the Primate of the Western Diocese in the United States, who is leading the fundraising efforts, provided details about the restoration project, about which a short documentary film was shown. He explained the international efforts throughout the dioceses of the Armenian church to make sure that all Armenians take part in this national project. Archbishop Hovan pointed out that the fundraising is carried out by an independent committee and all accounts will be audited professionally and presented to the public. He said the names of all donors from around the world are being centrally recorded and will be published in a special book about this historic renovation.
The Cathedral of Echmiadzin, the birthplace of Armenian Christianity, has been undergoing extensive and much-needed major renovations for the last few years. The Cathedral was built in the early 4th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the 1700 years of its long history, the Mother Cathedral of the Armenians has attracted countless pilgrims and visitors from around the world and continues to attract thousands of visitors every year.
At the conclusion of the evening, Bishop Hovakim thanked Abp Hovnan Derderian for coming from LA to London and extended His gratitude to Mr Viken Haladjian for helping to organise this event, Sévan Habib and Jacqueline Karanfilian for the concert of the spiritual songs and Shakeh Major Tchilingirian, the MC of the day. He thanked all those who attended, donated and committed to help.
Donations large or small can be made securely through the Friends of Etchmiadzin, a UK registered charity, via the following account number: Acc No: 27895718, Sort code: 50-30-10, BIC: NWBK GB 2L, IBAN: GB20 NWBK 5030 1027 8957 18 or by sending your cheques/donations payable to: “Friends of Etchmiadzin” to the Bishop’s House, 27 Haven Green, London W5 2NZ. Reference your donation as “Renovation”.

All donations will be acknowledged in a special book, which will be published by the international committee when the renovations are concluded.

Please click here to watch the film

K Tahta Armenian Community Sunday School's celebration of the Feast of Holy Translators

K Tahta Armenian Community Sunday School celebrated the Feast of Holy Translators
(Սրբ Թարգմանչաց տօն) on 20th October. The creation of the Armenian alphabet in 405AD was a significant historical event, a vital turning point in the Armenian history as the small nation gained a distinct diversity that still holds strong today. Children in all year groups participated in the event, as senior students researched and presented the role and significance of the Holy Translators for ‎ the preservation of the Armenian identity in religion, culture, traditions, and literature. Also, the younger pupils recited Armenian authors' poems and songs.
His Grace Bishop Manukyan attended the event and was warmly welcomed by the school community. At the end of the event the Primate extended His blessings to the teachers and students of the school. He also offered for the school to hold their traditional celebrations of Holy Translators and Vartanants at St. Yeghiche Church in London.

The Primate celebrated Holy Badarak and preached at St Sarkis Church on the 20th October

The Primate celebrated Holy Badarak and preached at St Sarkis Church in London. While preaching, The Primate reminded us of The Golden Rule of Christianity which is found in Matthew 7:12, “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” he invited the faithful to remain so in the face of testing times at the hands of others and always acting as if you expect the same is the key to a harmonious life. In addition, The Primate continued delivering the message of The Gospel by explaining its teaching that we must overcome pride and envy which we all to often surrender to in everyday life in order to achieve Salvation.

Armenian Church Trust UK AGM

ACT UK is the main centralised charity for the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland,serving the interest of the Armenian communities to advance the Christian faith throughout the British Isles and Republic of Ireland.

Besides this,The Central ethos of ACT UK as a charity is to provide absolute transparency to the generous benefactors who make it possible.

As such The Annual General meeting(AGM) is a chance to see how the funds are being used to help the Armenian Community develop.

Please do join us for the AGM on December 2nd, at 7:30 pm at the Bishop's House (27 Haven Green, W5 2NZ)

Children's club

The children's club met on the 12th of October at the Bishop's House. Led by Anna Henden, and assisted by Vanhouni Petrosyan, the classes focus on teaching children the Armenian language through dancing, interactive games and other fun activities to keep the Children occupied during the weekend. The club will recommence on Saturday November 9th, at 2pm, those wishing to bring their children, please inform the primates office by contacting us via email at: info@armenianchurch.org.uk.There is a small £1 donation for those in attendance.

ART Welbing for women

There are many clubs in the Armenian Community for Adults to participate in also.The Club Art wellbeing women, for example met at Bishop’s House on Saturday 12th October. The sessions are focused on art therapy sessions for females led by artist Anna Virabyan.Feel free to attend the The next session which will take place at Bishop’s House at 1PM and kindly note there is a small donation fee of £3 per person.In the absence of linguistics, The session provides the opportunity for expression and empowerment through the different avenues of painting and art in general. Those who wish to attend please contact the Primates office via email at:info@armenianchurch.org.uk

Journey through the Bible

The Primate is launching weekly Bible studies in English (every Thursday, 7:30 pm) for the faithful of the community, who are in search of a deeper understanding of their faith and Christian fellowship. These are not academic discussions, but a journey of understanding together through the Bible. Currently, The Gospel of John is the focus where we explore his “ High Christology” as well as the countless lessons that can be drawn from his expansive teachings.

Pilgrimage to Holy Land and Jerusalem

Travel dates: 16th to 24th January 2020
(Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Dead See and other early Christian sites)

The visit will include Armenian Christmas mass (Սուրբ Ծննդյան Պատարագ) in Bethlehem on January 19th as celebrated in Old Calendar.

The cost per person:
Double room sharing £1350 . Single supplement £250.

Please kindly note that there will be a lot of walking.
Those who are interested in taking can make their deposits of £250 to ACT UK accounts until the deadline of 1st November.
ACT UK account number: 20573160 sort code: 30-94-65, REF: Jerusalem

Please contact Ms Hrachik Sarian via email: info@armenianchurch.org.uk or Tel: 07949810704 for all inquiries related to the Pilgrimage

Programme

Armenian Bibles & the book Sacred Armenia

Within the coming weeks, ACT UK will purchase a quantity of Bibles in Armenian to continue to distribute to the faithful Bibles during the Baptisms and Weddings in all the Churches in UK and Ireland.

Also,We are currently in the process of publishing a brilliant book called “The book Sacred Armenia.” The book is based on the diary of a pilgrim illustrated by photos, which together demonstrate the rich, historical, and spiritual Christian culture and heritage of Armenia as a Biblical country.

As with many Church activities, we rely on the assistance of our community to further its success. As such if you would like to donate or think you can be of any assistance in aiding these projects please kindly contact: info@armenianchurch.org.uk or Call: 07949810704.

Publicizing your business in our newsletter
"The Armenian Church News" has thousands of subscribers across the UK and abroad and acts as a platform to inform all members of the Armenian community of all the happenings surrounding Armenia and The Church as well. It is also an opportunity for Armenian organisations and businesses to make the readers aware of their presence.

If you think more people in the community should know about your organisation and that it also meets the guidelines of the Diocese, please contact us. We look forward from hearing from you. For more information on suitability and fees /donations, : info@armenianchurch.org.uk or Tell: 07949810704.

Christian travels

Urartu travel invites diaspora Armenians to join us on various trips to Armenia and discover Christian Armenia and roots in other countries.
Those who are interested to join, they are welcome to contact us through info@armenianchurch.org.uk.

Please read here more:

Crosses for men, women and children are available from the Primate’s office.
Please call 07949810704 or email info@armenianchurch.org.uk

The objective of this e-newsletter is to inform the wider public and its constituency members about activities under the auspices of the Primate such as ACT UK, ACYO, Ladies Committee, Parishes, Worldwide Armenian Church,
and Armenian organisations
upcoming events in the community.