Armenian Church E-Newsletter, Issue 29

14 JULY 2012 ISSUE 29 VOLUME 3

E-NEWSLETTER H- J:RJIK A WEEKLY ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE OF THE DIOCESE OF THE

ARMENIAN CHURCH OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

PRIMATE’S ADVISORY COUNCIL TO MEET AGENDA: DIOCESAN BYLAWS HIS GRACE BISHOP Vahan Hovhanessian

The Primate’s Office c/o Hye Doon 25 Cheniston Gardens Kensington, London W8 6TG

The Primate’s Office

c/o Hye Doon 25 Cheniston Gardens Kensington London, W8 6TG

Church Website

armenianchurch.co.uk

E-mail

primatesoffice@

armenianchurch.co.uk

Telephone

0208 127 8364

,

Primate has called a special meeting of

the chairmen of the Armenian Churches

in the UK and Ireland to present and

discuss the draft of the Diocesan Bylaws.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme

Patriarch and Catholicos of All

Armenians, has sent the proposed bylaws

for consideration and adoption as the

basis of the Diocese of the Armenian

Church in Great Britain and Ireland. The

chairmen and representatives of the churches have met a number of times previously as

the Primate’s Advisory Council (PAC) to discuss organisational matters of the Church.

It includes the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC), the Holy Trinity

Church Trust and the Holy Trinity Board of Wardens (Manchester), the St. Sarkis

Church Trust and the St. Sarkis Parish Council (London) and the councils of the

Armenian Church Mission Parishes in Birmingham, Cardiff and Dublin. The special

meeting will be held on 4th August in the Vicarage of the Holy Trinity Church in

Manchester, the mother church in GB and the oldest Armenian Church in Europe. The

articles of the proposed Bylaws are based on centuries-old canons and sacred traditions

of the Armenian Apostolic Church. These Bylaws follow the guidelines approved by the

hierarchs and lay representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Churches from around the

world at a special Diocesan Representative Assembly held in Holy Etchmiadzin, in

2007, under the presidency of His Holiness the Catholicos of All Armenians. The

Armenian Church of GB took part in that Assembly, represented by former Primate HG

Bp Nathan Hovhannisyan and Mr. Ara Palamoudian, ACCC Chairman. The proposed

Bylaws incorporate the faithful people into the decision making process and running of

the church by creating local Parishes and Parish Councils elected by baptised and

worshipping members of local church communities. In turn, each parish elects its

delegates to represent the congregation in the Diocesan Assembly, which supervises the

overall mission and ministry of the Armenian Church in GB and Ireland and its

programmes.

Following the meeting of the PAC in Manchester, Bp Vahan will present

the details of the Bylaws to the faithful people through pastoral visits to all Armenian

Church communities and parishes in GB and Ireland.

14 July 2012

Issue 29, Volume 3

“IT’S FULL STEAM AHEAD!”

THE VOLUNTEER STAFF OF THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE, are extremely busy as we enter the final three week-period to the day of the Armenian Street Festival, Sunday, 29th July. H.G. Bishop Vahan and the staff of the Primate’s Office are grateful for the abundance of help and support that the Armenian community has offered since the announcement of the preparations for the Festival. As announced earlier, the theme of this year’s Festival is the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Her Majesty, our Queen, and the 2012 London Olympics. Our community will be honoured on that day also to welcome His Excellency Mr. Serzh Sargssian, President of the Republic of Armenia

and the official Olympic delegation from Armenia, who wil be visiting our Festival. Already 23 stalls have been reserved by various Armenian and non-Armenian vendors. Very few stalls are still available. If interested please contact Bedros Aslanian: baslanyan@yahoo.co.uk. At this stage, and due to the last minute urgent arrangements, please DO NOT CONTACT the Primate’s Office regarding stalls. The Primate’s Office is preparing a booklet on this occasion. Many Armenian benefactors, organisations, schools and friends have already supported the Festival by sponsoring a page (£250) or half a page (£150) in the booklet.If your organization is interested in sponsoring a page please contact the Primate’s Office (0208 127 8364). This year, Food will be served outdoors to avoid the congestion caused last year in Gulbenkian Hall. A separate station will be assigned for tea, coffee and ice cream. As in the last year, this year’s Festival will also include a raffle with exciting prices and a brick-a-brack stall, in addition to a very exciting entertainment programme of live music, dancers and a DJ. A corner will be designated for the backgammon tournament. See online flyer for details. You can sign up for the tournament NOW by contacting Anais (07931 377 539). We are grateful to all those who volunteered to help us on the day of the Festival. Volunteers are needed at the following stations: Welcome, Tickets, Brick-a-brack, Children’s Corner and Setup. If you have volunteered but have not indicated your preference as to where to serve or the hours you are available to volunteer, or if have not yet contacted us, please send n e-mail to the Primate’s Office or call Socie (0208 127 8364). The sooner we get your preferences, the better we can plan the volunteer schedule. The bar (Beer, wine, soft drinks and water) will be managed by the ACYF and their friends. If interested to volunteer at the Bar, please contact the ACYF. Finally, and if you haven’t yet, please do check out our ONLINE CLIP and FACEBOOK PAGE for more information.

“FORGIVENESS AND HEALING: INTRIGUING PARALLELS” – LECTURE

THE CONTINUING EDUCATION MINISTRY (CEM) of the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland is happy to announce the offering of the lecture “Forgiveness & Healing: Intriguing Parallels between the Physical and Spiritual Effects” by George Piligian, MD, Preventive Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA. The lecture will take place on Thursday, 19th July at 7:00pm in the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall of the St. Sarkis Church. Dr. George Piligian will continue the series of lectures he started two years ago in London exploring the topic of science and Christian faith. His lecture “Forgiveness & Healing: Intriguing Parallels between the Physical and Spiritual Effects,” will shed light on the intriguing parallels between healing processes in the body and the spiritual healing of Christ. A wine reception will follow. Admission is free and all are welcome. Please mark your calendar to join us, and bring a friend with you!

UPCOMING ACYF EVENTS

THE ARMENIAN CHURCH YOUTH FELLOWSHIP (ACYF) is planning several activities in the forthcoming months, including a pilgrimage to the Armenian monastery of San Lazzaro. Interested? Send your contact info to: acyf@armenianchurch.co.uk.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SUPPORT THE ARMENIAN CHURCH TRUST – UK

(ACT-UK) WWW.ARMENIANCHURCHTRUST.ORG.UK

14 July 2012

Issue 29 Volume 3

THIRD ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

BASED ON THE VERY POSITIVE FEEDBACK that the Primate’s Office received from our faithful regarding the forthcoming Third Annual Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we are happy to announce the tentative dates of the Pilgrimage: Departure from London, Heathrow, via British Airways, Sunday, 6th January, 2013, and return to Heathrow, London on Sunday, 13th January. The earlier we can finalise the list of the pilgrims the much better price we can get on the airfare and the hotels. In order to help us best plan the pilgrimage, please e-mail the Primate’s Office and let us know of your interest, availability and number of pilgrims joining you. As in the previous years, the 2013 Pilgrimage will include visits and discussion sessions at the important shrines such as Nazareth, the Church of the Annunciation, Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, the Sepulcher, Mount Tabor, the Mount of Temptation, and the Armenian Patriarchate. Special arrangements are being made for those who are interested in the Pilgrimage but prefer flying from Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff or Dublin. As in the previous Pilgrimages, lodging will be in 4-star hotels and transportation in luxury airconditioned coaches. So, check your calendar and join us for a very inspiring and life-changing pilgrimage, January 2013. Based on the further feedback we get from our faithful we hope to publish the finalized details of the Pilgrimage in the next issue of our E-Newsletter.

ALTAR SERVERS TO START THEIR ANNUAL RETREAT

ON FRIDAY, 13TH JULY, seven members of the Deacons’ Training Programme (DTP) of the Primate’s Office, will start their first Annual Retreat at the Clear Waters Retreat House in Suffolk, UK. The participants in the retreat have been members of the Deacons’ Training Programme which was launched by the Primate almost two years ago, to prepare young Altar Servers interested in learning and participating in the Armenian Church liturgy and worship. Five of the participants will take the Tubir /Dupir (Acolyte) Qualification Test. Passing the test will make them qualified for the Minor Order of Acolyte in the Armenian Church. The retreat will include night and morning services, Bible Study sessions, video documentary and discussion as well as personal reflections and meditations. The Deacons’ Training Programme is always seeking new members, young Armenians who are proud of their faith and the Armenian Church and who want to

invest their time in a noble cause, learning and worshipping according to the centuries-old beautiful Armenian Traditions. If interested please contact he Primate’s Office (0208 127 8364). Be a hero and think outside the box: join the DTP!

PRIMATE TO CELEBRATE VARTAVAR BADARAK IN ST. SARKIS

THE PRIMJATE’S OFFICE ANNOUNCED that, by invitation of the Reverend Fr. Shnork Bagdasarian, Pastor of the St. Sarkis Church Parish, the Divine Liturgy (Badarak) of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Aylagerbootyoon/Vartavar) on Sunday, 15th July, will be celebrated by H.G. Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, who will also deliver the homily. The Transfiguration is celebrated as one of the five Major Feasts of the Armenian Church (Daghavar). Traditionally, in the Armenian Church. The Biblical story of tis Feast can be found in Luke 9:18-36.

Tell your friends and join us on Sunday, 29th July, at the Second Annual Armenian Street Festival

14 July 2012

Issue 29 Volume 3

Scripture Readings According to the Armenian Church Lectionary

Sunday – 15 July Feast of Transfiguration

Wisdom 7:25-8:4 Zechariah 14:16-21 1 John 1:1-7 Matthew 16:13-17:13

Monday – 16 July Exodus 19:9-13 2 Kings 2:9-12 1 John 5:9-12 John 1:1-17

Tuesday – 17 July

Exodus 19:16-20 1 Kings 19:11-16 Hebrews 12:18-27 Luke 9:27-36

Wednesday – 18 July 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 Matthew 17:21-18:4

Thursday – 19 July

Isaiah 6:1-10 Hebrews 11:32-40 Luke 4:14-22

Friday – 20 July 1 Corinthians 1:10-18 Matthew 18:2-9

Saturday – 21 July Wisdom 1:1-7 Jeremiah 16:16-21 1 Corinthians 12:28-13:10 Luke 9:1-6

DINNER-RECEPTION WITH

ARMENIAN OLYMPIANS

THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY AND CHURCH COUNCIL (ACCC) of Great Britain cordially invites the members of the Armenian community to a Dinner and Reception with the Armenian Olympians to take place on Saturday, July 28, 2012 at the Palm Court of the Hurlingham Club. The Guest of Honour of the Dinner & Reception, which is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm, is His Excellency Mr. Serzh Sarkissian, the President of the Republic of Armenia. Minimum donation: £100. Funds raised will be donated to the Armenian Paralympic team. For further information about the event please click here to visit the ACCC website. For further information about the venue of the dinner and reception, please Click Here to visit the website of the Hurlington Club. As announced in earlier issues of the E-Newsletter the President will also be visiting the Second Annual Street Festival to take place in Iverna Gardens and the St. Sarkis Armenian Church grounds on Sunday, 29th July, and open the festivities of the day with the cutting of ribbon ceremonies. For further information,CLICK HERE.

PRAYER REQUESTS

THE HOLY BIBLE encourages us to pray for each other—9A[7j;zhq irarou famar orphsxi bv,kouiq! Ardarin n;rgo/o[ a[;rsanqe ,at axd;zik h0 “Pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much" says the Apostle James (5:16). If you are, or someone you know is, in need of prayer, for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact the Primate’s Office by e-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk, or telephone 0208 127 8364, and convey the name of the person for whom prayer is requested, and if possible, the reason for the request. The Primate will personally remember the person in his daily prayers. We will also be happy to share the prayer request in our Sunday Church bulletin, with our worshipping faithful in the churches ONLY if the person requesting the prayer wishes to have the request published.

THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE:

Is open Monday-Friday from 11am-3pm. Phone: 0208 127 8364 or email: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk. During the weekend, please leave a message and someone will return your call. Appointments are welcome through the above mentioned contact information. For Hokehankist, please contact the local church priest or office directly.

HELP US HELP ARMENIAN GRADUATES

Armenian graduates of UK universities contact the Primate’s Office regularly seeking employment in the UK. If you or someone you know can help these bright Armenians find a job please contact the Primate’s Office by Clicking Here or telephoning: 0208 127 8364..

E-NEWSLETTER FOR YOUR RELATIVE OR FRIEND

Forward your relative’s or friend’s e-mail address to: information@armenianchurch.co.uk, and we will be happy to add him or her to our E-Newsletter growing mailing list.