The official online publication of the Primate’s Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain and Ireland Issue 51..(Volume 4), 21 December. 2013

E-NEWSLETTER...............Է-ԹԵՐԹԻԿ 6

HRH PRINCE CHARLES: CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION

During the past year alone thousands of Armenians among various other Christian minorities have fled the Middle East where for millennia they have called home, as a result of the turmoil following the so called “Arab Spring.” Last Tuesday, 17 December, HRH Prince Charles, visited a number of British diocesan centers of Oriental Orthodox Churches whose patriarchates and headquarters are based in the Middle East. Accompanied by Prince Ghazi of Jordan, the Prince of Wales spoke to people from the region who have now settled in the UK and discussed the situation with the Primates of the Dioceses. Following the visit the Prince invited the heads of the churches and representatives of the communities to a reception at Clarence House with the Archbishops of Canterbury and Westminster. “We cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are, increasingly, being deliberately attacked by fundamentalist Islamist militants,” said Prince Charles in a statement addressing the guests at Clarence House, adding, “For 20 years, I have tried to build bridges between Islam and Christianity and to dispel ignorance and misunderstanding.” Present at the Prince’s visit to the Syriac Orthodox Diocesan center and the reception in Clarence House was HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate.

UK AND IRELAND ARMENIAN CHURCH CHAIRMEN MEET

Clergy and chairmen of the Armenian Church Parish Councils in the UK and Ireland met last Wednesday, 18 December with HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate. The meeting was called by the Primate to discuss matters related to the collaboration among the various parishes and to clarifying steps to be taken toward the establishment of a diocesan administrative structure. Among the subjects discussed on the agenda were the utilisation of the various tools and means available at the Primate’s Office such as the website, weekly E-Newsletter, and Sunday Bulletin, for promoting eventsand activities at the various parishes. The group also discussed ways of unifying membership dues and fees for processing and locally archiving records for sacraments and other church services performed in parishes. Another item on the agenda was the clergy salary pension plans. With the devolution of the Armenian Community an Church Council (ACCC) of its church responsibilities, the salaries of the clergy, including that of the Primate, are no longer supported by the Armenian Community Council (ACC). This leaves the funding of the clergies’ salary the responsibility of the Church Councils and Trusts. The group decided to continue meeting regularly at different parishes to continue discussing ways of developing a mutually beneficial and healthy diocesan network.

SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENTS CELEBRATE ADVENT

HG Bp Vahan, Primate, attended the New Year’s Hantes celebrated by the Sunday School students last Sunday, 15 December 2013. The Hantes started with the welcoming remarks by Headteacher,MrsRouzannaTatulian. This was followed by the distribution of Honorary Awards bestowed upon several teachers of the School by the Minister of Diaspora for the preservation of the Armenian language and contribution to education of the new generation. The Awards were recommended by the Armenian Community Council (ACC) and distributed by Mr. AraPalamoudian, Chairman, and MrVikenHaladjian, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the ACC. An exciting programme followed by the students of the Sunday School which included a beautiful medley of Armenian Advent and New Year’s songs and dances and a “surprise” visit by Father Christmas! At the conclusion of the programme, HG BP Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate, was invited to deliver his final remarks. Srpazan congratulated the students and thanked all involved in the preparation for, and presentation of, the Hantes, including the headteachers, faculty, administrators, students and parents. The inspiring day concluded with the Bishop’s blessings.

IS IT 6 JANUARY OR 25 DECEMBER? CHRISTMAS, EPIPHANY ... ?

In a few In a few days the billions of Christians around the world will celebrate Christmas, on 25 December. We Armenians, however, celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 6th of January. Living in the West and with our children growing up among British and Irish Christians we are faced with questions such as: Why different dates for Christmas? And is it “Christmas”, “Nativity” or “Theophany”.Let us review some facts:

 The Gospels do not mention the exact date of the birth of Jesus. Their focus is on the miracle of God’s love that is expressed in His birth as human being in the person of Jesus, to live among us and redeem us. “For God so loved the world...” (John 3:16).

HRH Prince Charles Visiting the Syriac Orthodox Diocese in London

Clergy and Parish Council Chairmen meeting on Wednesday, 18 December

ACYF in Armenian Monastery San Lazzaro. Venice

 In general, during the first three centuries early Christians were not very much interested in celebrating the birth dates of the saints, rather in the dates of their martyrdom.

 Earliest Church documents point to the 6th January as the date Christians....

Click here to read more

BRING YOUR FAMILY THISTUESDAY FOR CHRISTMAS CAROLING!

The members and friends of the Armenian Church Youth Fellowship (ACYF), London chapter, joyfully invite you to what promises to be yet another fabulous evening of celebrating the spirit of Christmas on Tuesday, 24 December 2013 at 7:30pm, at the magnificent St Yeghiche Armenian Church in Cranley Gardens, London. The highlight of the evening will be the joining of the congregation with the members of the choir in singing along several traditional Armenian and English Christmas carols and hymns, with the organ accompaniment. The evening will include readings of biblical passages about the story of the Nativity, the recreation of the Nativity Scene by children from our London parishes, commemoration of St Stephen’s day, prayers and psalmody. Joining the ACYF members and our altar servers will be Mezzo Soprano Anais Heghoyan and Manchester Organist Deacon Artur Bobikyan. All are welcome to join us at our fourth annual Christmas Carols Evening service in London. As always admission is free. So bring your family, children, friends and neighbors along with you and join us. For more information about the evening please click here. To contact the ACYF click here. Finally, to browse last year’s Carol service clip, click here.

ORIENTATION FOR THE 2014 PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

Thirty one pilgrims have signed up for the “2014 Pilgrimage” to the Holy Land. The pilgrims will visit the most important and holy shrines of the Holy Bible and Christianity including: Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus Christ our Lord; Nazareth, the town where He grew up with Mary and Josephand lived; the river Jordan where the Lord was baptized; Mount of Temptation; Mount Tabor where he was transfigured; Garden of Gethsemane where he was arrested; and Via Dolorosa, the road through which He carried the cross to be crucified, and many others shrines and biblical sites. The pilgrims will also visit the Armenian Patriarchate and the Armenian Churches and cultural organisations in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jaffa. In order to help the pilgrims prepare for the pilgrimage, an orientation session is scheduled on Tuesday, 18 February in the NevartGulbekian Hall, of the St Sarkis Church in London, at 7:00pm. Pilgrims will discuss the itinerary and various practical things necessary to know prior to the pilgrimage. Unfortunately, due to space limitation on British Airways, the Primate’s Office can no longer accept new registrations for the 2014 Pilgrimage.

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THEOPHANY FEAST CHURCH SCHEDULE

St Yeghiche Church: St Sarkis Church: Holy Trinity:

St Yeghiche Church: St Sarkis Church: Holy Trinity:

St Yeghiche Church: St Sarkis Church:

Dublin, Ireland:

Sunday Morning Service – No Badarak

5 January 5 January 5 January

11:30am 11:30am 11:30am

Morning Service only - No Badarak Morning Service only - No Badarak Morning Service only - No Badarak

Eve of Nativity Service and Badarak

5 January 5 January 5 January

5:00pm 5:00pm 4:00pm

Revd Fr Shnork Baghdasarian HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate V Revd Fr Garegin Baghdasarian, Visiting Pastor

Feast of Nativity – Morning Service followed by Badarakand blessing of the water

6 January 10:30pm 6 January 10:30pm

Badarakand blessing of the water

12 January 1:00pm

HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate Revd Fr Shnork Baghdasarian, Pastor

HG Bp Vahan Hovhanessian, Primate

ANNUAL ADVENT APPEAL

As we enter the final weeks of the holy season of Advent we urge our readers to support our church ministry by sending their donations, payable to: “The Armenian Church Trust” to the Primate’s Office, c/o Hye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG. Click here to download our GiftAid form. Click here to make your donation online. To read the Primate’s appeal letter, click here.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

 NATIVITY: By a directive of the Primate, there will be no celebration of Badarak on the morning of the 5 January. That day in the evening there will be the Eve-of-Nativity Badarak celebration in the Armenian Churches in London and Manchester. Instead, on Sunday morning Armenian churches will conduct the traditional morning service, according to the Armenian Church canons.

 WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY: There will be no Bible Study session this Thursday. The group will suspend its study sessions until the celebration of Nativity on 6 January. The date of the resumption of the study sessions will be announced here.

 SHOP ONLINE AND HELP THE CHURCH: You can shop online with well-known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, Tesco, eBay, and many more, while supporting the church without paying extra. Get started now by clicking here.

 THE PREMIER CHRISTIAN RADIO will visit the St Sarkis Church to record segments of the Nativity Badarak, on 5 January to be broadcasted a day or two from the date of the recording.

 VOLUNTEERS are needed for the “2014 Reunion Committee” of the K. Tahta Armenian Community Sunday School. Those interested are requested to e-mail: armenianschool@hotmail.co.uk.

The Primate’s Office c/oHye Doon, 25 Cheniston Gardens, London W8 6TG www.armenianchurch.co.uk information@armenianchurch.co.uk