E-NEWSLETTER - ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND

HH - J:RJIK

AArmenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland

VV. Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate

113 May 2011, Issue 19, Vol 2

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND

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LONDON’S ARMENIAN STREET FESTIVAL- ALL STEAM AHEAD:

Last Wednesday, 4 May, several ladies representing the various Women’s Guilds and Ladies’ Committees of the Armenian Churches and organizations in the UK, met to discuss the preparation and serving of food during the first Armenian Street Festival in London. The meeting formed the food sub-committee of the Festival and concluded to have three food stations: one for grills, another one for appetizers and a third one for sweets. There will also be a separate station for soft drinks, water, wine, beer, and Armenian cognac. Two stations have been designated for purchasing tickets for food, and a simple menu will be designed to include 2 or 3 options to choose from. This will hopefully simplify and expedite the food distribution process. Meanwhile, other subcommittees have been formed since the initial meeting which took place on Tuesday, 26th April. These include sub-committees for entertainment, children programmes, stall-holders, raffles, and setup and clean up. Volunteers are needed to help any and all of these subcommittees. Please mark your calendar for Sunday, 12 June, and volunteer as little as half an hour of your time to help us make this a successful Armenian Festival and celebration. If available and interested to help, please contact Violetta at the Primate’s Office: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk.

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ARMENIAN DAY IN HOUSE CHAPEL - MIRFIELD:

An Armenian Evensong will be offered on Tuesday, 17th May in House Chapel in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, WF14 0BN, as part of a daylong programme for an Armenian Day. The programme is coordinated by Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan, member of the brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin and currently a student at the University of Sheffield. Bilingual booklets will be provided to help

participants follow the service. This rest of the programme will be as follows:

 2:30pm Lesson of the Armenian Language (30 minutes of learning of the basic expressions in Armenian) Tutorial Room 1

 6:00pm - Armenian Evensong in House Chapel

 6:40pm - Dinner- comprising of dishes from the delicious Armenian Cuisine

 7:10 - Coffee, tea and refreshments

 9:45pm - “12 Sacraments of Armenia” movie screening (about 60 minutes), Tutorial Room 1

Several Armenian books will be placed in the Common Room at coffee time. All are welcome.

Primate Lectures in Oxford

The Spring Conference of the Living Stones of the Holy Land Trust was held on Saturday, 7th May at the Catholic Chaplaincy in Oxford. The title of the conference was “Middle East in Crisis. Where is Church Leadership?” The Very Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, joined a panel of Christian leaders who debated the various issues and provided an insight into any future impact the changes may have on Christian communities. The other panelists were Dr Kenneth Cragg, World-renowned commentator on Christian-Muslim relationships and Middle Eastern Christianity, whose paper offered the introduction to the theme of the day. Anthony O’ Mahony, Director of Centre for Eastern Christianity, Heythrop College, London, presented his paper titled, “The Changing role of the Patriarchate” while Mariam Tadros, MA Pastoral Theology, discussed the “Role of women and families in the Church Leadership.” Fr. Vahan was introduced by Mr. Aziz Adbul-Nour, member of the board of the Living Stones. Fr. Vahan’s paper, “Some realities of church leadership in the Middle East” concluded the morning session of the conference. Following lunch, the keynote speaker, Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, Former Bishop of Rochester, President of Oxtrad, offered his paper, “The present contexts for Leadership in Middle Eastern Christianity.” The day ended with a period of Q&A with all the panelists present, moderated by Colin South of the Living Stones Trust. A selection of the recently published books in the field of the conference were exhibited in a hall adjacent to the conference hall. A video of the lectures and proceedings of the conference will be made available online.

Pilgrimage to Nagoirno-Karabkh

On 22nd July 2011, the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART) will take 50 volunteers and supporters on a 8-day, 120 kilometre walk from Lachin to Ganzasar through the magnificent mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh. The word Karabakh means “Black Garden” and Nagorno means “mountainous” which gives a fair indication of the terrain of this fascinating country. Parliamentarian Baroness Caroline Cox, chief executive of HART, will lead the pilgrimage. She has visited Nagorno-Karabakh 70 times during the past 20 years. The participants will be camping along the way and will be joined by local Armenians. This pilgrimage is designed to introduce HART’s volunteers and supporters to Nagorno-Karabakh. The group will visit many of the ancient churches and historical sites, as well as HART’s various projects including the Nagorno-Karabakh rehabilitation centre, which has become a centre of excellence for the entire region. There are a very

limited number of places available for the trip, with some accommodation and transport available for those who do not wish to walk the entire route. If you are interested, please contact lydia.tanner@hart-uk.org as soon as possible. Places will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Meanwhile, we are happy to inform our readers that there are still a small number of spaces available for the HART reception in the Speaker’s House at the Palace of Westminster on 15th June. Baroness Caroline Cox will be providing an overview of HART’s work and Dr Sasa, HART’s partner from the Indo-Burma border, will be sharing his remarkable story. Tickets cost £45 each. Please contact naz.akhatar@hart-uk.org to book a ticket.

Symbol of Artsakh “We and our mountains”.

Armenian Church Youth Fellowship Updates

Members of the executive committee of the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) met with the Primate in the Vicarage on Sunday, 1st May, following Badarak to discuss upcoming events and programmes prepared by the ACYF. On the agenda was the upcoming weekend trip to Paris to meet with the Armenian Church Youth of France and have an audience with His Eminence Abp. Norvan Zakarian, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of France. The agenda included also discussion of a possible second pilgrimage to the Armenian Monastery of San Lazzaro for a service project; the ACYF participation in the international Armenian Church Youth conference in Etchmiadzin; the contribution of the ACYF to the first annual Armenian Street Festival, 12 June, and the creation and support of chapters in the other church communities in the UK and Ireland including Manchester, Cardiff and Dublin. The ACYF calls on all Armenians of ages 13 to 40 to be part of this new movement of young Armenian men and women, by participating in and supporting the various ACYF programs and by becoming a registered member of the ACYF. No membership fees are required. All you need to do is fill out the ACYF Membership Form available online. You can read more about the ACYF by visiting their Facebook page or following them on the Tweitter. For further information and enquiries please send your questions and comments to: ACYF@armenianchurch.co.uk.

Ecumenical Service in Manchester

St Chrysostom Anglican Church in Manchester held an Ecumenical Evening of music dedicated to the

Virgin Mary, on Monday, 9th May. The Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester represented the Armenian Church in the evening, participating in the programme together with the Evangelical, Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim communities. One of the highlights of the programme was the collection of organ pieces played by Deacon Artur Bobikyan, choir director of the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester and chairman of the Manchester ACYF. At this ecumenical service titled, “Belligerently beautiful, Queen of all fat women, Defender of the unloved,” the participating churches contributed to the programme by offering readings, images and Music in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary: the voice for the liberation of the poor and marginalized.

Readings from the Holy Bible, the Qur’an, poems, images and music spanned the centuries; songs, recitations and music from the early to the medieval church, and the 17th century to our contemporary world, tracing the devotion to and challenge of Mary throughout history. The participants were amazed at the musical performance of organist and Deacon Artur Bobikyan from Holy Trinity Armenian Orthodox Church and were pleased to welcome friends from his church. The Virgin Mary honoured as Queen of Heaven but more so perhaps as woman, mother, humble servant of God and example to all people of down to earth, very human, devoted motherly love and care. “Through the intercession of the holy Mother-of-God, O Lord, accept our petitions and save us” (Ancient Armenian petition).

A group of Armenians from Holy Trinity Church participating in the Ecumenical Service

An Intensive Course in Classical Armenian (Krapar)

The Continuing Education Ministry (CEM) of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland announces the offering of an introductory course in the Classical Armenian

language. Using handouts and PowerPoint projection, Fr. Garegin Hambartzumian, instructor, will demonstrate how one can learn the basics of this beautiful language and be able to understand it in 8 sessions. Fr. Garegin, a member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, is currently pursuing his theological studies at Sheffield University in the UK, The course will include reading actual paragraphs from the liturgy and Bible as well as from manuscript fragments. The sessions will meet on four consecutive Saturdays and Sundays, May 14/15, 21/22, 28/29, and June 4/5 from 18:00--20:00 at Gulbenkian Hall. You do not have to know conversational Armenian to sign up for this course. The session will be instructed in English and Armenian. The course will be offered free of charge courtesy of the Continuing Education Ministry. To sign up for the course or for further information, please contact the Primate’s Office at: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk. The course begins this Saturday, 14 May, 2011.

Deacons’ Training Programme - Updates The Deacons’ Training Programme (DTP) of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland, launched last April under the personal supervision of the Primate, is expanding its sessions. Based on practical needs and the request of the participants in the programme, the training sessions have been moved to Mondays at 6:00pm. The training sessions will take place in St. Sarkis Church, Kensington, London. The sessions have also been expanded to 2 hours each encompassing two sections: a practical section during which participants will learn how to prepare for the liturgy and participate in it, lighting candles, incensing, opening and closing the curtain and supervising the celebration of the liturgy. The second section will be the oral section when participants will go over the various songs and hymns sung during the Armenian Church liturgy. Each participant will receive a copy of the Deacons’ Training Manual, published by the Worship and Liturgical Services programme of the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church in UK and Ireland. New members are always welcome to join the programme. You do not have to know Armenian or to have a singing voice to join the Programme. The church of our fathers and mothers needs you today. Make an effort to come and see what this programme is about. It may change your life forever! For further information please contact the Primate’s Office at: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk.

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS

(According to the Armenian Church Lectionary)

Sunday 15/5

Acts 13:16-43 1 Peter 5:1-14 John 5:19-30

Monday 16/5

Acts 13:44-14:6 2 Peter 1:1-11 John 5:31-47

Tuesday 17/5

Acts 14:7-17 2 Peter 1:12-19 John 6:1-14

Wednesday 18/5

(Not a Fasting day)

Acts 14:18-27 2 Peter 1:20-2:8 John 6:15-21

Thursday 19/5

Acts 15:1-29 2 Peter 2:9-22 John 6:22-38

Friday 20/5

(Not a fasting Day)

Acts 15:30-16:5 2 Peter 3:1-9 John 6:39-71

Saturday 21/5

Acts 16:6-40 2 Peter 3:10-18 John 7:1-13

Annual Oriental Orthodox Festival This year’s annual Oriental Orthodox Festival and Liturgy will take place on Saturday, 14th May, 10:00 am, at St Michaels Eritrean Orthodox Church (78 Edmund Street, Edmund Street, Camberwell, SE5 7NR). The Council of Oriental Orthodox Churches in the UK organises this Festival, which includes a con- celebrated liturgy in which clergy of member churches of the Oriental Orthodox community participate. A buffet lunch follows, made up of contributions brought by all of the participants at the festival. The festival is an important opportunity for the various communities of the Oriental Orthodox communion in the UK to meet together and express our unity in the Orthodox Church. As is customary, please arrange that food be brought to share with others during the buffet lunch.

Personalized Bible Verse!

A very interesting website creates a beautiful combination between your date of birth and a biblical verse, presenting it as a personalized verse for the person whose birthday is on that specific date. Try it by clicking on the following link: http://www.birthverse.com/mybirthverse.cfm

HOUSE BLESSIING FOR EASTER House blessing is a 10-minute service which includes short prayers, singing of a hymn, and the chanting of a Gospel passage. The host family does not need to prepare much for the visiting clergy other than a glass of water, some salt and bread. According to the Bible these three elements symbolize life and survival. By blessing these three elements the priest blesses the entire house and all those who live in that house. To arrange a house blessing please contact your parish priest or a member of the Pastoral Committee/Church Committee/Board of Wardens of the church. If you live in or near Cardiff or Dublin, please contact your MPC chairman. If you live in Birmingham please contact Deacon Artur Bobikyan: bobikemes@yahoo.co.uk. You can also contact the Primate’s Office at: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk, or call 020 8127 8364. Help us preserve this beautiful ancestral Armenian tradition and keep it alive in our lives and the lives of our children.

REACHING OUT ONLINE:

You can read all about the news and upcoming events in the Armenian Church in UK and Ireland by visiting the official website: www.armenianchurch.co.uk. Meanwhile, if someone you know wishes to receive the E-Newsletter, or if you want us to send the E-Newsletter to a relative or a friend, kindly forward the person’s e-mail to: information@armenianchurch.co.uk.

Are you a member of the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship? If not, please join us by filling out the following “Membership Form” available through the

link below: CLICK HERE

BIBLE STUDY SESSIONS:

The Bible Study groups, a programme of the Continuing Education Ministry (CEM), meet during the week according to the following schedule: The group in Armenian meets on Tuesdays at 7:00pm, while the group in English meets on Wednesdays at 7:30pm. Both groups meet in the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall. These sessions are great opportunities for people who have not yet read the Bible or those who want to read it in a group. The next study group in Armenian will meet this Tuesday at 7:00pm, while the study group will resume this Wednesday at 7:30pm. If you have not tried our “exciting” study groups, please give us a chance and join us this week. All are welcome!

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK AND IRELAND

The Primate’s Office: 25 Cheniston Gardens, Kensington, London W8 6TG, UK Website: www.armenianchurch.co.uk • E-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk Phone: 020 8127 8364 • Fax: 087 2111 5548

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