Armenian Church E-Newsletter, Issue 20‏ Hayots Yegeghetsi18/05/2013 To: hyeenewsletter@yahoo.com E-NEWSLETTER...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ

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The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 20 (Volume 4), 18May 2013

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH CONSECRATED IN ARMENIA

On Tuesday, May 14, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians,

consecrated “Soorp Hovhanes Mgrdeech (St John the Baptist), as the newest Church in Armenia. The

magnificent house of worship was built thanks to the generous donation of Armenian benefactor Mr Gagik

Tsarookyan. Assisting His Holiness in the consecration were several Archbishops, including the Primates of

France, Eastern Diocese of America, Western Diocese of America and Abp Arakel Karamyan, Primate of

the Kotayk diocese, the region where the church is located. Present at the consecration ceremonies were His

Excellency Mr Serge Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia and His Excellency Mr Alexander

Lukashenko, President of Belarus.Following the consecration ceremonies, Archbishop Karamyan,

celebrated the inaugural Divine Liturgy on the altar of the new Soorp Hovhanes Mgrdeech Church. The

architect of the splendid new church, which took seven years to build, is Mr Artak Ghoulyan.

Congratulations to all and thanks to the benefactor, Mr Tsarookyan, and all those who support the

Armenian Church with their benevolence. Click here to watch the videoclip of the consecration.

CELEBRATING ASCENSION DANCING AROUND THE CHURCH

Last Sunday, 12 May, 2013, the Parish Council of the St Sarkis Church has organised a special celebration of the Feast of the Ascension of Christ (Hampartsum,Hambarcum), and thank God the weather cooperated! At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the faithful were greeted with traditional Armenian music as they gathered in the front yard. Shakeh Major Tchilingirian welcomed all commenting on the typical Armenian patterns of circle-dance. The faithful werethen invited to join in the circle dance with simple steps. Within a few minutes a long circle of Armenian dancers of all ages, led by Shakeh, encircled the beautiful building of St Sarkis Church. After several turns around the church on a beautiful and sunny day, the dancers entered the Nevard Gulbenkian Hall to continue the festivities with more dancing and light lunch, courtesy of the Ladies’ Committee of St Sarkis Church. Nextfollowed the group-singing of Hampartsum Yayla, a traditional Armenian song associated with the Feast of Ascension which was sung by several singers of the London Armenian Opera group who were present in the Hall. HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, was invited for his concluding remarks, in which he thanked the Parish Council, Hratch and ShakehTchilingirian, the Ladies’ Committee, the London Armenian Opera group, and all the faithful for such an inspiring and traditional celebration of “Ascension.”

WHAT IS THE FOOD COMMITTEE “COOKING” FOR ASF 2013

HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, will attend a meeting of the members of the Food Committee of the 2013Armenian Street Festival on Tuesday, 22 May, 2013 in the Vicarage. Chairing the meeting will be Dick Bedrosian, the General Coordinator of the Festival. The committee will discuss the setup and design of the food marquee, the general layout and pattern of the serving of food, the menu, the possibility of leasing out to restaurants and outside food producers the preparation and sale of certain food items on the agenda. The Food Committee of the Festival was formed at the first meeting of His Grace the Primate with the representatives of all Armenian organisations invited to a general discussion on 9 April of this year. All who can contribute to the discussion of the Food Committee are welcome to join the meeting. If you are interested to attend the meeting, please contact the Primate’s Office at: 0208 127 8364, or E-mail: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk. More importantly, please mark your calendar and join us on the day of the Festival, Sunday, 14 July 2013: 12:00-18:00. Click here for the festival video announcement.

Baroness Cox visiting the Festival stalls

THIS SUNDAY – PENTECOST: THE BIRTHDAY OF THE CHURCH

Armenian icon of Pentecost, Matenadaran,MS 772 Aghtamar, 1391 AD

The coming Sunday, 19 May, according to the Armenian Church calendar is the Feast of Pentecost

(Hokekaloust, Hogegalusd), which is the celebration of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles and the

Virgin Mary. According to the Holy Bible, Acts 2:2-4, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, the Apostles

were gathered in prayer with the Virgin Mary when the Spirit of God descended upon them “like tongues of

fire which came to rest upon them” (Acts 2:3). It is because of the 50-day period between the Resurrection

and this miraculous outpouring of the Spirit of God, that this event is referred to with the Greek word for

fifty: “Pentecost.” As promised by the Lord during His Ministry before His arrest and crucifixion, the descent

of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles on this day, strengthened them and opened their eyes and minds to

understanding the gospel of Christ and gave them the courage to go out and preach the gospel to the entire

world. It is because of this, that Pentecost is celebrated also as the birthday of the universal Church. It was the

courageous preaching of the Apostles fired by the miracle of Pentecost that founded churches around the

world, including Armenia.Happy birthday Church!

GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES (MAT 28:19) ORDINATION OF ACOLYTES

The Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland is happy to announce the Service of the Ordination of Acolytes on Friday evening, 7 June 2013, in St Sarkis Church at 7:00pm. The three candidates for ordination to the sacred Armenian Church Order of Acolyte (Tubeer,Dupir): Tigran Mkrtchyan, Koko Sabounjian and Arbi Valian, have been serving at the altar of the Armenian Church for the past two years, and regularly attending the Deacons’ Training Programme supervised by Bp Vahan. The Candidates have passed the written test administered on Saturday, 6 April. In addition to the written test, candidates are required to demonstrate living according to, and promoting, the Christian values as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ. We congratulate our candidates and pray that the Lord may strengthen their steps and make them worthy of the honor of ordination. Please join us in prayer on this blessed occasion. Mark your calendar and join us on Friday, 7 June, at 7:00pm. Weprayandhopetoseeallthreecandidatesordainedthatevening.

“VARTAN OF NAZARETH” ARMENIAN MISSIONARY AND PIONEER @ ST SARKIS

St Sarkis Church Parish Council invites our faithful and friends to a Book Launch & Lecture on Tuesday, 11 June, 7:30pm, at Nvart Gulbenkian Hall. A talk and a book presentation will be offered by author Malcolm Billings and John Vartan. “Vartan of Nazareth” is the little-known story of an Armenian medical pioneer and missionary who founded a hospital in Nazareth 150 years ago. This book traces the remarkable life of Pacradooni Kaloost Vartan, the son of a poor Armenian tailor in Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul). Born in 1835, the young Vartan left school to join the British Army as an interpreter in the Crimea and, having witnessed the rigours of battlefield medicine, he was drawn to a career as a surgeon and physician. The book recounts the story of his time in Edinburgh as a missionary medical student, his marriage to Mary Anne, a daughter of the Manse and, with the ink hardly dry on the marriage certificate, the young couple's departure for Palestine. Wine and light refreshments will be provided.

JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT: PRIMATE’S OFFICE AND THE ACCC:

His Grace Bishop Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, attended a regular meeting of the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC) on Thursday, 2 May 2013, to discuss the procedure of the establishment of a Parish at St Yeghiche Church. During the meeting it was agreed that public forums be scheduled to discuss the transitional procedure and the purpose and vision of the establishment of the St Yeghiche Parish. This will be followed by the founding assembly of the St Yeghiche Parish. For further information please contact the Primate’s Office: primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk, or the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC): info@accc.org.uk. To read the ACCC's Official Announcement please click here.

LODGING FOR INTERNATIONAL ARMENIAN STUDENTS

Coordinators of HOST, a charity which links international students at UK universities with friendly and hospitable volunteer hosts, is hoping that the Armenian community can help them make contact with Armenian international students at UK universities. HOST invites international students to spend a weekend in the homes of the host families. This helps the students feel welcome, and gives them opportunity to experience the British way of life, away from university campus. Dr Paul Manook of the Armenian Church in Dublin, Ireland, has informed the Primate’s Office that a backer has expressed an interest in supporting “HOST visits” for Armenian international students. If you know such Armenian students please contact: susie@hostuk.org. For more info, click here.

ARMANIA: A JOURNEY THROUGH ARMENIAN FOLKSONG

Shakespeare’s Globe is scheduling of a concert in celebration of the work of great Armenian poets and composers from medieval times to the present day. Bringing together musicians and artists from the UK and Armenia, this concert explores the powerful influence Shakespeare has had through the centuries in Armenia and promises to be a magical, rich and lively evening. The concert at the Globe Theatre, West End, will take place on Sunday 13 and Monday 14 April 2014. Participating in the concert under the capable direction of Seta White, are renowned musicians and performers such as Levon Chilingirian and Alexander Chaushian as well as the Dudukner Ensemble from Armenia. Armania is being run in association with the Armenian Institute.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 Click here to readthe joint statement issued on the Genocide by HH Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and HH Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia.

 The weekly Bible lectures presented by HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, will resume this Thursday, 23 May, 2013 at 7:00pm in Gulbenkian Hall. All are welcome.

 Pledges in support of the Armenian Church Ministry: Did you know you can make online pledges to support the ministry and various programmes sponsored and offered by the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church? You can make your own pledge and be a sponsor of the Armenian Church ministry by clicking here. To learn more about the Armenian Church Trust UK, the financial arm of the Primate’s Office of the Armenian Church of UK and Ireland, visit the website: https://www.charitycheckout.co.uk.

 This Sunday, 18 May, Dorians Rock Band will represent Armenia in the “Eurovision 2013” Song Contest. Click here for voting info!

THE PRIMATE’S OFFICE

c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk