ARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND - Newsletter

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HH - J:RJIK

AArmenian Church of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland

117th November 2011, Issue 46, Volume 2

The Right Revd Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate

AARMENIAN CHURCH OF UK & IRELAND

THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE

25 Cheniston Gardens Kensington London W8 6TG Tel: 020 8127 8364 Fax: 0872 111 5548

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www.armenianchurch.co.uk

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ARMENIAN CHURCH YOUTH

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PRIMATE TO CELEBRATE FIRST BADARAK AS BISHOP

This Sunday, 20th November, His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate,

will celebrate his first Badarak as Bishop. The celebration of the Badarak will take place at the St. Yeghiche Church in Cranley Gardens. Services are scheduled to start at 10:30am. Assisting the Bishop will be Revd Fr. Shnork Bagdassarian, Pastor of the St. Sarkis Church in Kensington, London and Revd Fr. Garegin Hambartsumian, from the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Theology at the University of Sheffield. Among the dignitaries confirmed to be present at the Badarak are Her Excellency Karine Kazinian, Ambassador of Armenia to the UK, and His Excellency Jonathan Aves and Her Excellency Katie Leach, Ambassadors designate of the UK to Armenia. Present at the Badarak will also be delegates representing the St. Sarkis and St. Yeghiche Armenian Churches in London, the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester, the Mission Parish Councils of Birmingham, Cardiff and Dublin as well as the Church Trusts of St. Sarkis Church in London, and the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester. All are welcome to join us at the Badarak. Please come early to reserve your seat in the church. No invitations have been issued on this occasion. The same day in the afternoon, at 3:00pm, a reception will take place in honour of the Primate’s ordination as Bishop at Copthorne Tara Hotel, Kensington, London. The programme of the day will include a 10-minute video documentary highlighting the ordination and consecration services in Armenia, which took place in Holy Etchmiadzin on Sunday, 6th November. Please note that the Primate’s Office will no longer accept reservations for the reception since the 300 seats of the Hall have already been reserved. No tickets will be sold at the entrance.

LECTURE @ SOAS – “THE ARMENIAN CHURCH: LOOSAVORCHAGAN? ORTHODOX? CATHOLIC? PROTESTANT?”

On Friday, 18th November, The Right Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Bishop of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland will be the keynote speaker at SOAS. The lecture is coordinated by the Armenian Programme at SOAS in association with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The Lecture scheduled 7:00-9:00pm, will be offered at the “Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre,” College Buildings. Chairing the lecture and the discussion to follow will be Dr Hratch Tchilingirian. For further information please contact, Krikor Moskofian, E- Mail: km48@soas.ac.uk, telephone: 020 7898 4333. For further information about the lecture CLICK HERE.

THE BISHOP’S FIRST BADARAK IN MANCHESTER

On Sunday, 4th December, 2011, His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, will be celebrating his first Badarak as Bishop in the Holy Trinity Church in Manchester. The Badarak is scheduled to commence at 11:00am. All are welcome.

Following the Badarak, as is customary in the Manchester Armenian community, a lunch will be offered. During lunch, a short video documentary will be screened highlighting the key aspects of the ordination service of Bishop Vahan which took place in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, on 6th November. For lunch reservations or more information please contact the Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester: 016127-31074 or 01625-526659 or visit the church website: http://www.armenianchurchmanchester.org/

SECOND ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO JERUSALEM

Following the very successful first pilgrimage to the Holy Land, last January, the Primate’s Office has recently been receiving several enquiries about the possibility of coordinating a second pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The Primate’s Office has made the initial contacts with the Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem and with the tourist agencies trying to coordinate a pilgrimage schedule and to estimate the cost of such a pilgrimage. At this stage, we would like to hear from our readers if there is enough interest in such a pilgrimage. The tentative dates of the pilgrimage are: departure from London Heathrow airport on Friday, 13th January and return from Tel Aviv to Heathrow on Saturday, 20th January, 2012. The estimated cost is £1500

per person which includes the following: round-trip airfare via British Airways, lodging in a 4-star hotel in Jerusalem, daily breakfast and dinner and 5 lunches as well as bus transportation with a tour guide to the holy shrines in Jerusalem, the Armenian Convent, the Tiberius region and Red see as well as celebrating the Armenian Christmas Badarak in Bethlehem. The final price of the pilgrimage may vary depending on the number of people participating. The larger the group, the less expensive the pilgrimage will be. If you are interested to join us at our second pilgrimage, please let us know at the Primate’s Office at your earliest convenience. You can contact us via e-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk, or telephone: 020 8127 8364.

JOIN OUR CHURCH YOUTH FOR AN EVENING OF CHRISTMAS CAROLS

IN ARMENIAN AND ENGLISH

The Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF) is happy to announce the second annual “Christmas Carol Evening Service” to be celebrated at St. Yeghiche Church

on Saturday, 17th December, 2011. The service will be presided over by the Rt Revd Dr Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and will include processions, readings of passages from the Holy Scripture, and carol singing by members of the St. Yeghiche and St. Sarkis (London) and Holy Trinity (Manchester) Church Choirs. While choir members will lead in the singing of the carols, as in the previous year, the faithful gathered will be encouraged to join in the singing. Booklets, including the text of the service and the lyrics of the carols, in Armenian and English, will be distributed to those attending the service. Participating in the service will be the members of the ACYF as well as several professional Armenian singers who will sing pieces from traditional Armenian Nativity or classical/European Advent solo songs. So, mark your calendar, tell your friends to join you and your family members at the second annual Armenian Church Christmas Carol Service, scheduled to commence at 7:30pm, Saturday, 17 December, 2011. All are welcome. No admission fees. Join us in celebrating the holy season of Advent, the anticipation, expectation and preparations for the miracle of miracles: the Birth of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Also, if you are a member of an Armenian organisation in London, please inform your executive committee NOT to schedule an event on the same Saturday evening, so we can all enjoy all the Armenian events of the season. Finally, come prepared to sing along.

PILGRIMS RETURN FROM AN INSPIRING PILGRIMAGE

On Tuesday, 8th November, the group of pilgrims to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin returned home after an inspiring week of prayers, liturgical

celebrations, and excursions to different Armenian Churches, monasteries and museums. The pilgrims got to attend the Badarak celebrated by H.H. Karekin II and witness the ordination ceremony of the Right Revd Dr. Vahan Hovhanessian, Bishop of the Armenian Church of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. A special page of collage of pictures taken by the pilgrims will be published in the next issue of our E-Newsletter. May the Lord accept the pilgrimage and prayers of our pilgrims.

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH TO HOST NEXT PAC MEETING IN MANCHESTER

The Board of Wardens of the Armenian Church of Holy Trinity in Manchester will be the host of the third monthly meeting of the Primate’s Advisory Council (PAC). The Council was appointed by the Primate three months ago mainly for

the purpose of advising the Primate in matters related to the administration of the Armenian Church in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Invited to the PAC were all the chairmen of the Councils, Board of Wardens, Mission Parish Councils and Church Trusts. The meeting will commence at 3:00pm in the Church Vicarage. The PAC was instrumental in planning the foundations of the celebration for the Primate’s ordination and the Primate’s first Badarak at St. Yeghiche Church.

RECEPTION FULLY BOOKED - YOUR CHEQUE IS YOUR TICKET

The Primate Office has been receiving several phone calls about the tickets for the forthcoming reception at Copthorne Tara Hotel in celebration of the Primate’s ordination and consecration as Bishop. To minimize the cost of the reception,

no tickets have been issued. The payment (cheques or cash) received by the office guarantees a seat at the reception. On the day of the reception two desks will be setup at the entrance of the Hall with the names of all the guests. Guests need to approach one of these two tables and mention their names. Please Note: as of Wednesday, 16th November, Shannon Hall has been fully booked. We regret that there will be no seats available for new guests. Neither will payments be accepted at the entrance of the Hall.

CARDIFF ARMENIAN CHURCH MPC TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS BADARAK

The Cardiff MPC is happy to announce the scheduling of the celebration of the Armenian Christmas Badarak on Saturday 14th January 11:00am, at the Ararat Baptist Church, Whitchurch, Cardiff CF14 1EQ. Following Badarak, which will be

celebrated by Hi Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, the MPC will have its annual Christmas Dinner which will continue until 18.00 hrs. Alice Kanekanian, from the Armenian Mission Parish of Cardiff, has organised some carols to be sung by the children. The ladies of Cardiff MPC are preparing their usual delicacies for this occasion. Also planned are Musical performances, Games and an appearance by Father Christmas to hand out presents to the children. All are welcome. For further information about the event and to join the Primate in the Badarak celebration and the programme to follow please contact the Armenian Church Mission Parish Council in Cardiff (MPC) by e-mailing to:

SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HIS GRACE @ ST. SARKIS CHURCH

Following the celebration of Badark at St. Sarkis last Sunday, 13th November, which was the first Badarak attended by the Primate as Bishop in

the UK, His Grace and the faithful were pleasantly surprised to be escorted to a decorated Nevart Gulbenkian Hall in celebration of the Primate’s birthday party. The decoration was not the only surprise for Bishop Vahan. The Ladyies Committee of the St. Sarkis Church, under the leadership of Mrs. Anahid Demirdjian had prepared a full meal on the occasion of His Grace’s birthday which fell on the exact same date. An impromptu programme included brief congratulatory speeches by Mrs. Anahid herself, on behalf of the St. Sarkis Lady’s Committee, Dr. Hratch Tchilingirian on behalf of the St. Sarkis Pastoral Committee, & Mr. Levon Tchilingirian, on behalf of the Church Trust. Tenor Sipan and Soprano Ayda then entertained those gathered with several beautiful & traditional Armenian songs. Thank you Anahid & St. Sarkis Ladies Committee and “many happy returns of the day, your Grace, Bishop Vahan!”

DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS

(According to the Armenian Church Lectionary)

Sunday 21/11

Song of Solomon 1:1-11 Proverbs 11:30-12:4 Isaiah 52:7-10 Zechariah 2:10-13 Malachi 3:1-2

2 Corinthians 6:16-7:1 Luke 1:39-56

Monday 22/11

Colossians 1:12-23 Luke 11:27-32

Tuesday 23/11

Colossians 1:24-2:7 Luke 11:33-42

Wednesday 24/11

Fasting day

Colossians 3:15-4:4 Luke 11:49-54

Thursday 25/11

Colossians 4:5-18 Luke 12:1-12

Friday 26/11

Fasting day

Wisdom 10:9-12 Malachi 2:5-7 1 Peter 5:1-7 John 10:11-16

Saturday 27/11

Isaiah 36:1-9 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Luke 12:13-31

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ASAZOUA?Q!

««Հայուն շինարար եւ ստեղծագործ ձեռքը քարէն խաչքար քանդակեց. գմբէթասլաց տաճար կանգնեց, կաշիէն մագաղաթ շինեց, մագաղաթէն գիրք ստեղծեց !

THE SCHEDULE OF HIS GRACE

BISHOP VAHAN HOVHANESSIAN, PRIMATE

The Primate is always grateful and wishes to thank all who send him invitations to preside over or participate in various events in the community. However, please

try and inform the Primate’s Office about your organisation’s event in advance so His Grace can arrange his schedule accordingly. Inviting the Primate three days before the event, does not leave him much time to rearrange his calendar. Recently such invitations were received, which the Primate—to his dismay—had to decline out of respect and courtesy to the other organisations who had invited him months in advance on the same date. Such situations leave those in the community attending the event confused about the absence of the Primate. Unfortunately, in some cases, the organisations do not explain to the public their late invitation or the reason for the Primate’s absence. Such situations lead to false and unsubstantiated rumors. So, please, help us all celebrate our events as one people with our Bishop, by organizing and coordinating our calendars together and in advance. In the future, the Primate’s Office may have to publicise the date of the invitation letter and the stamp on the envelope which confirms the date of the receipt of the invitation by the Primate’s Office.

HELP THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE

Please help us continue publishing the E-Newsletter & offering the various educational, cultural & social programmes planned and funded by the Primate’s Office by financially supporting the Armenian Church Trust UK. C L I C K H E R E

BIBLE STUDY GROUPS

The Continuing Education Ministry (CEM) of the Primate’s Office is happy to announce that the Bible Study groups continue their meetings at Nevart Gulbenlkain Hall: the Armenian group meets on Tuesdays, at 6:30 while the English Study group meets on Fridays at 6:45PM.

PLEASE NOTE: The Bible Study session in English will not meet this Friday, 18th November. This is because of the keynote lecture that Bishop Vahan is invited to deliver at SOAS on Friday evening.

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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