Armenian Church E-Newsletter, Issue 53

21 DECEMBER 2012

ISSUE 53 VOLUME 3

E-NEWSLETTER H- J:RJIK THE OFFICIAL ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE OF THE DIOCESE OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

ACYF ADVENT CAROLS IN ST. SARKIS

The voices of the faithful who filled the St. Sarkis Church last Saturday, 15 December, with no standing place, were enhanced by the inspiring light of the candles held in their hands, as they sang the beautiful Armenian and English carols of Advent and Christmas. It was the third annual Christmas Carol Candlelight Service of the Armenian Church YouthFellowship (ACYF). In addition to the

traditional Armenian prayers of Vespers, the inspiring hymns of Hisnak (Advent) as well as the moving traditional carols in English, this year’s service had a distinct and unique feature. Members of the ACYF presented the story of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus through scripture readings in several different languages including Classical and Modern Armenian. “It is one way to emphasize and celebrate the universality of our faith. Christianity has no language barriers. Mezzo-Soprano Anais Heghoyan, Tenor Sipan Hakopyan and Revd Fr. Garegin Hambardzumyan enriched the evening reflection through the various hymns and carols sung solo at different parts of the service. As always the climax of the carol-singing was the dimming of the lights in the church and lighting the candles distributed to the faithful beforehand, while singing the final carols. It was in that candle-lit sanctuary, towards the end of the service, that His Grace Bishop Vahan delivered his brief reflection in which he invited all to focus on the message of peace and reconciliation, by allowing the will of God to shape our life and destiny. “God’s ways are soft and gentle, but their consequences are eternally victorious” said His Grace. “A baby born in a manger rescues and changes the destiny of the entire creation! God sends each one of us a star inviting us in our life journey to follow His path of salvation. The question is: are wise as the Magi of the East and the shepherds of Bethlehem to listen to His invitation and follow His will, or are we like the stubborn Herod and his counselors, who because of their self-centered interests, blinded their eyes and closed their ears to the eternally-life-renewing message of the Nativity? Merry Christmas!” A wine reception at the church hall followed the candlelight service, courtesy of the ACYF. Click here to watch a video clip of this event prepared by the Information Center.

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



THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG

21 December 2012

Issue 53 Volume 3

H.E. AMBASSADOR KATHERINE LEACH IN LONDON

ST. SARKIS PARISH BROCHURE

His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian has appointed the Revd Fr Garegin Hambardzumyan as the visiting priest of the St. Yeghiche Church. Fr. Hambardzumyan will be leading the faithful in the offering of the Sunday Divine Liturgy and the various sacraments celebrated at St. Yeghiche Church. Revd Hambrdzumyan is a member of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin and a Ph.D. candidate in Biblical Studies at Sheffield University, currently continuing his research in Oxford University.

His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, and the volunteer staff of the Primate’s Office wish you and your family and loved ones a Merry Christmas, happy New Year and a Blessed Nativity. See you in Church on the 5 and/or 6 of January 2013!

THIS WEEK’S VIDEO CLIP

“ACYF ADVENT CANDLELIGHT SERVICE AT ST. SARKIS CHURCH”

Last Tuesday, 19th December, 2012 leaders of the Armenian community representing the

Armenian churches, schools and organisations, joined the Primate, HG Bishop Vahan

Hovhanessian, in welcoming Her Excellency Ms Katherine Leach, Ambassador of the United

Kingdom to the Republic of Armenia. Present at the reception were also Mr. Jonathan Aves and

Mr. Ara Margaryan, the Charge d’Affaires of the Armenian Embassy in London. His Grace

welcomed all at the reception hall in Tara Hotel, followed by offering a special prayer for the shoul

of Mrs. Karine Kazinian, the late Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia. He then invited Mrs.

Leach to address the gathered leaders of the Armenian community. In her remarks Mrs. Leach

thanked the Primate and reflected upon the achievements of the late Ambassador Kazinian, and

elaborated on the strong relations between the two Ambassadors and the Embassies. She then focused on the achievements in the

relations between the two countries since the independence of Armenia and several of the forthcoming potential collaborations

between Armenia and the UK. Mr. Ara Margarian thanked His Grace Bp Hovhanessian for coordinating the reception and

Ambassador Leach for her time and her comments. This was followed by a period of Question and Answer and then fellowship where

the discussion continued on a more informal level. To view the year-end message online of the UK Ambassador, where the Armenian

Festival organised by the Primate’s Office is featured, click here.

As part of the mission of our Parish to encourage the faithful to participate in the beautiful rituals and spiritual life of the Church, and

to increase our Parish membership, the Parish Council is in the process of preparing a Parish brochure. The brochure will explain the

various sacraments of the Church and ways in which the faithful can practise their faith in the Church. These include: baptism,

marriage, Holy Communion in the Divine Liturgy, ministry to the sick, the choir, the deaconate, the priesthood and joining the Parish

itself. In order to showcase our Parish life and the Church building of which we are so proud of, the Parish Council would like to

invite all parishioners to send us photographs of your favourite Parish memories. We hope to select from these photos a few to use in

the brochure in order to provide it with a 'family' touch. We would be grateful if you could send the photographs in .jpg format to the

Parish email address: stsarkisparish@armenianchurch.co.uk. Please also indicate in the email that you consent to the photographs

being published in the Parish brochure, which is a legal requirement for us.

Wishing you the best in the Advent season.

- St Sarkis Parish Council

REVD FR GAREGIN HAMBARDZUMYAN AT ST. YEGHICHE CHURCH

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Click here to watch the video clip (English) prepared by the Information Centre of the Primate’s Office

21 December 2012

Issue 53, Volume 3

AS WE APPROACH THE NEW YEAR - THE CHURCH NEEDS YOU

As we approach the end of the year, His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, published an appeal to the Armenian community in Great Britain and Ireland seeking their support of the Primate’s Office and its various programmes. During the past two years and a half, the Primate’s Office has developed many new programmes and promoted several ongoing others, with the objective of strengthening the sacred mission of the Armenian Church and the bonds of the Armenian community in United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Among these programmes we mention the annual pilgrimages, Armenian Street Festivals, the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF), the Mission Parish Outreach (MPO), the Deacons’ Training Programme, the Continuing Education Ministry (CEM), the weekly online E-Newsletter, Sunday Bulletin, website and others. Two years after the programmes mentioned above were launched, and some of which have already entered their third year of operation, it has become a serious financial burden for the Primate’s Office to maintain them, without a budget for a hired office assistant. No Armenian church trust or council, in the UK contributes to the above-mentioned programmes. You can read the full text of the Appeal on the official website of the Armenian Church, by clicking here. You can donate online by clicking here, or send your donation payable to “Armenian Church Trust UK” to the mailing address of the Primate’s Office, c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG. During this blessed and beautiful season of Advent, please remember the Armenian Church and pray for her. Our Primate and thousands of Armenian children, teenagers, young adults, and seniors who have benefitted from our Church programmes will be grateful to you.

AGBU NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER-DANCE

The AGBU would like to welcome you to join us for a New Year's Eve Dinner Dance and Live Entertainment at the Holiday Inn, Brentford Lock. With an exclusive live performance by Eurovision star Hayko and guest appearance from comedian Grigor Aghakhanyan. Tickets cost £80 including drink reception and three course meal with wine. To reserve and purchase tickets please contact Noushig on 01494538319 or Armen on 07932024631. Click here to see flyer with full details.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER–ARMENIAN RELIEF SOCIETY, HOMENETMEN AND HAMAZKAYIN

On behalf of the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, and Hamazkayin, we would like to welcome you to join us for an evening of dinner and music by Yorgantz and DJ Alex to welcome in the New Year! Information about booking tickets can be found on the flyer. Further inquiries can be sent to Janet Mardirossian. Click here to download the flyer.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER – TEKEYAN AND NOR SEROUNT

Have you recently visited the video page of the Information Centre of the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland? If not, please click here.

For the first time Tekeyan Cultural Association & Nor Serount Cultural Association, jointly are organizing New Year’s Eve Dinner and

Dance at London’s Tara hotel. The three-course meal Dinner will be served to the tables and there is going to be an excellent entertaining

programme of music and dancing. There will be raffle as well, and part of the income will be dedicated to the Syrian Armenians who are

under tremendous problems due to current state in Syria. The location of the Tara hotel and ticket prices make this an excellent New Year’s

Eve party, particularly for the younger members of our community. Tickets for adults are £60 and for Students £50. For tickets please

contact: Rosette Ouzounian 07957 268 534; Sossi Yerissian 07815 633 628 and Silva Yeghiazarian 020 8864 9216. Those families who are

prepared to come with their children, please contact any of the names on the flyer, and they will be able to take the matter with the hotel and

arrange a special rate or even arrange a children room with a nanny there. We very much appreciate your support to our associations and look

forward for an enjoyable evening. Book your table through contacting any person on the flyer or by emailing us. For further information,

please click here to download our flyer. - TCA Executive Committee

21 December 2012

Issue 53 Volume 3

SCRIPTURE READINGS According to the Armenian Church Lectionary

Sunday 23 December

Isaiah 40:18-31 Hebrews 4:16-5:10 Luke 18:9-14

Monday 24 December

2 Samuel 5:1-10 1 Kings 2:1-4 1 Kings 2:10-11 Ezekiel 34:23-27 James 1:1-12 Matthew 22:41-46

Tuesday 25 December – Christmas

Acts 6:8-8:2 John 12:24-26

Wednesday 26 December

Hebrews 5:11-6:8 Luke 18:18-27

Thursday 27 December

Wisdom 9:13-10:2 Isaiah 28:16-19 2 Peter 1:12-19 2 Timothy 4:1-8 John 21:15-22

Friday 28 December

Hebrews 6:9-7:10 Luke 19:1-10

Saturday 29 December

Wisdom 7:21-24 Jeremiah 16:16-21 Acts 12:1-11 James 1:1-10 1 John 1:1-7 John 21:20-25

THEOPHANY AND GODFATHER OF SERVICE

The birth of Jesus is interpreted theologically as Divine revelation. Through Jesus, God came to live with His people. So, it is not merely the birthday of the greatest hero in the history of humanity that we celebrate; rather God’s revealing of Himself through the person of Jesus Christ. That is why in Armenian we call the Feast “Asdvadzahaydnootyoon” or “Theophany.” It is in this theological interpretive approach, that Armenians combine the event of the birth of Jesus with that of His Baptism which took place thirty years later. This is mainly because, Jesus’ baptism is an event of Divine revelation as well. On the day of the Baptism of Jesus, God revealed Himself, as the Holy Spirit rested upon Jesus, and the voice of God was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). For centuries, Armenians have celebrated these two biblical events together. At the end of the Divine Liturgy celebrating the Birth of Jesus, the service of the Blessing of Water is conducted in commemoration of the Baptism of Jesus. Water is blessed by the celebrant, while the choir and deacons sing hymns of the baptism of Jesus, and a young boy holds a big cross acting as the Godfather of the service. If your son or grandson, ages 12 and older, is interested to participate in the service as the Godfather of Baptism, please contact he office of the church where you will be attending on the 6th of January. For St. Yeghiche Church, please contact the Primate’ Office.

BADARAK BASICS, PRAYER AND TALK IN BIRMINGHAM

Revd Garegin Hambardzumyan visited the Armenian Church community in Birmingham last Sunday, 16th December. Following a brief afternoon prayer, Fr. Garegin led the faithful of Birmingham in a discussion session of Badarak Basics elaborating on the meanings of incense and incensing during Badarak. Following the discussion, and during the fellowship hour, Fr. Garegin offered a talk on the subject of Saints and sainthood in the Armenian Church.

it up from church office; and £12 to have it posted (please send address).

BIBLE STUDY GROUP – YEAR END BREAKS

Last Thursday, 20th December, was the final Bible Study session of the year. The

group, under the leadership of Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, finished reading and

discussing the Book of Revelation. A light reception followed in Gulbenkian Hall,

where the participants in the Bible Study group mingled with each other and the

Primate and discussed the choice of the next biblical book to read. Per the suggestion

of several of the members, it was agreed that Bishop Vahan offers a course of

introduction to the Bible: what is the Old Testament, when were its books written, who

wrote them, what is its relationship to the New Testament, what are the books of the

New Testament and who wrote them and when? What is the best way of reading the

Bible? These and other questions will be dealt with Bishop Vahan as he offers the

A beautifully packaged CD including a selection of inspiring religious and popular

Christmas Carols, played by the world-renowned pianist Artur Bobikyan. The organist

at Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester, Bobikyan has prepared this CD with

his own piano interpretation of carols. To obtain your copy please call St. Sarkis

Office 0207 937 9049, or e-mail: office@stsarkislondon.org. Donations: £10 to pick

course when the Bible Study group resumes its sessions in January 2013.

CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTION