Armenian Church News Hurch News

Volume 4, Issue 11 13 April 2018

Armenian Church News Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland

In this issue: VISIThurch OF THE UK ARMENIAN News DELEGATION TO THE VISIT OF THE UK ARMENIAN INAUGURATION OF THE PRESIDENT DELEGATION TO *** THE INAUGURATION OF Liturgy in Holy Etchmiadzin | Meeting with His Holiness | Meeting with THE PRESIDENT the Diaspora Minister SENIORS TEA AND CELEBRATION OF Delegation of 29 people, representing the Diocese EASTER AT of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and BISHOP'S HOUSE Ireland, Armenian Community Council in the United APPOINTMENT OF Kingdom and other organisations, attended the THE NEW CLERGY solemn inauguration ceremony of the 4th president AT ST. YEGHICHE of the Republic of Armenia, which took place on CHURCH April 9. During the ceremony the newly elected LITURGY IN president Dr Armen Sarkissian, made the BIRMINGHAM presidential oath on the 7th century Gospel and on SPIRITUALITY - the mother example of the constitution to serve at best interest of the Armenian people. The FREQUENTLY- primate and the delegation members congratulate His Excellency Dr Sarkissian wishing him ASKED QUESTIONS success and God's blessings. For detailed information please see the site of the president of ON THE BADARAK Armenia. ARMENIAN STREET FESTIVAL 2018 Prior to the ceremony, UK Armenian NEW delegation led by His Grace visited to the PROGRAMMES AT Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and THE BISHOP’S participated in Divine Liturgy at the HOUSE cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin along with ANNOUNCEMENTS the faithful and benefactors of the Mother UPCOMING EVENTS See of Holy Etchmiadzin and UK Armenian Church. Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Some of the members of the delegation led Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland by primate met with the acting minister of diaspora Mrs Hranoush Hagopian on 10th His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, of April. Primate During the meeting ideas were exchanged Diocesan Office to strengthen the cooperation between motherland and U.K. Armenian community. A wide Tel. 0208 998 9210 spectrum of questions was discussed including of organising pan-Armenian projects such as Armenian Festivals, meetings of professionals, etc. At the end of the meeting there were primatesoffice@armenia discussions with the heads of different departments of the ministry. ndiocese.org.uk

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On the same day the representatives had a special audience with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. Primate introduced to His Holiness the members of the delegation. A progress report was made by the primate on the new diocesan constitution, as well as details about the new diocesan centre.

His Holiness also extended His Blessings to the participants. There was a friendly discussion and participants were able to ask various questions to His Holiness.

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SENIORS TEA AND CELEBRATION OF EASTER AT BISHOP'S HOUSE

On 5th of April, the Primate hosted the first event of the Coffee with Bishop programme, which is going to become a tradition, where the believers have a chance to visit to the Bishop’s house, enjoy tea and coffee and socialise with the clergy.

This time 2 dozen seniors visited with the bishop’s house, and the young ladies from ACYO and Homenetmen London helped entertaining the visitors. The clergy Fr Nersess and Fr Shnork played Easter eggs with the elderly. It was a special day also as we together celebrated Ms Annie Kyurkchian’s birthday. The Primate also thanks the Centre for Armenian Information and Advice for cooperation as well as the young ladies from ACYO and Homenetmen.

The next Coffee with Bishop event will happen on 15 April, 16:00pm. Everyone is welcome.

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APPOINTMENT OF THE NEW CLERGY AT ST. YEGHICHE CHURCH

By the order of His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Rev Fr Nshan Alaverdyan has been appointed as a pastor of St. Yeghiche church. On 15 April he will celebrate his first official divine liturgy, to which everyone is welcome to join. He will also be responsible for the Christian Catechesis.

T. Nshan Alaverdyan (the name of the basin Gevorg) was born in 1981, on January 17, in the village of Varser in the Sevan region. In 1987-1998 he studied with R. R. Petrosyan Secondary School and at the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin in 1998-2007. He served in the National Army in 2004-2006. On December 25 2003, Bishop Sion Adamyan ordained him a deacon. Since 2007, he has served with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and was the Deacon of the secretary of the Echmiadzin Foreign Language Department. In February- April 2011 he served in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Communication Department. In 2011-2014 he served as a visiting deacon in the spiritual pastor of the penitentiary institutions. On September 21 2014, Bishop Haykazun Najarian ordained him a priest. He was appointed as a spiritual shepherd of a newly-reconstructed Nor Nork 1st Chuch of Araratian Patriarchal Diocese, in parallelly continuing his prison visits. On February 20, 2018, Fr Nshan was called to serve in the Armenian Diocese of Great Britain and Ireland. On April 12 He was appointed pastor of St. Yeghiche Church by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan. He’s married, has two children.

You can watch a talk with Fr Nshan here.

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LITURGY IN BIRMINGHAM

On April 7 on the feast of annunciation of Mary Mother of God Very Revd. Father Jirayr Tashjian celebrated Divine Liturgy at St. Peter's Church in Wasllow for the Armenian Mission Parish in Birmingham with the blessings of the Primate His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan. Yurik Martirosyan, Artur Tumanyan and conductor Krikor Najarian assisted the priest in Divine Liturgy. Besides preaching on the meaning of that important day, Father Jirayr shared with the congregation the good news of Christ' resurrection as it is the tradition of Orthodox Churches to proclaim the Jesus's resurrection for 40 days until the feast of ascension.

At the end of the liturgy a festive luncheon was organised by local congregation.

The feast of Annunciation is one of the Dominical feasts of the Armenian Church. It is based on the Gospel episode of annunciation of Gabriel to Mary about her conception at the house of Elizabeth the Mother of John the Baptist. The feast is celebrated by the Armenian Church on April 7th. It has fixed date. The Western and Byzantine Churches celebrate it on March 25.

April 7th is also Mother's Day in Armenia. On this occasion we do congratulate our mothers and sisters.

«Վեցերորդ ամսին Գաբրիել հրեշտակն Աստծու կողմից ուղարկվեց Գալիլիայի մի քաղաքը, որի անունը Նազարեթ էր, մի կույսի մոտ, որ նշանված էր Հովսեփ անունով մի մարդու հետ՝ Դավթի տնից: Եվ այդ կույսի անունը Մարիամ էր» (Ղուկ. Ա 26-27):

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SPIRITUALITY - FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS ON THE BADARAK: THE DIVINE LITURGY OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH

The next feature on Badarak, using V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan’s excellent book, published by St. Vartan Press in 2009.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE BADARAK?

One could list many parts of the Badarak that are theologically rich or spiritually moving; rituals that are particularly impressive; elements of the ceremony that are historically significant or inspirational on a personal level. Anyone who participates regularly in the Badarak will surely have his or her own idea of the most important part of the service. From the perspective of the overall intent of the Divine Liturgy, however, based on the importance that Jesus gave the Eucharist when he instituted it at his last supper, and based, furthermore, on the objectives and vision of those who assisted in compiling the service, there are two moments in the Badarak that are most important: Holy Communion and the reading of the Gospel. In both of these mysteries or “sacraments” of the Divine Liturgy, God comes to be with us. In Holy Communion God comes to be with us by means of the Body and Blood of his Son, Jesus Christ. As for the reading of the Holy Gospel, our church fathers insist that we are not simply hearing ancient words of wisdom, but are encountering the very Word of God, Jesus Christ, who comes to be with His church and with each one of us. In this way, through the Divine Liturgy, we become truly filled with the loving presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; with his divine power, and with his transforming grace.

DO THE BREAD AND WINE REALLY TURN INTO THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST?

According to the faith and teachings of the Armenian Church and all other ancient, apostolic churches (Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and some others), what we receive in Holy Communion is not mere bread and wine, but truly the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is the unshakeable conviction of the Armenian Church tradition, clearly reflected in the prayers and hymns of our Badarak. The vast body of theological, spiritual, and philosophical writings of the great Armenian saints and intellectuals throughout history is unanimous on this point.

This article of faith derives from the Bible. On the night before he died, Jesus took bread into his hands and said, “This is my body.” Over the cup of wine he said, “This is my blood.” He then distributed these to his disciples, commanding them to “Do this in remembrance of me.” In the Gospel according to John, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” [John 6:35]. Those listening to him assumed that Jesus was speaking metaphorically or symbolically and not literally. But Jesus insisted, saying “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” [John 6: 51]. At this point, the people were so confused that they began to “dispute among themselves saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” [John 6: 52]. Jesus responded not by backing down or qualifying his words, but by asserting even more strongly that his words were to be understood literally:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever” [John 6:53- 58]. John the Evangelist concludes this remarkable episode by admitting that many of the disciples could not accept this, and “no longer went about with him” [John 6:66].

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The church’s teaching on Holy Communion really is a “hard saying” [John 6:60]. But it is precisely the shocking reality that the living, divine, life-giving Son of God is present among us and offers himself to us regularly in the Badarak that makes Christianity more than just one religion among many. If Jesus’ words in the Gospels are merely poetic figures of speech; if Holy Communion is simply a pious ritual, then Jesus Christ is really no more than an admirable moral guide and martyr, not unlike so many others in history. Then Christianity is just another spiritual-moral ideology with a few unique features.

If this is the case, then as Armenians we must ask: Was it simply to adhere to a new spiritual movement that the Armenian people, early in the fourth-century, abandoned their former religion, jettisoning with it their entire ancestral culture? Was it merely to adopt a more current creed that the Armenian leadership took the revolutionary step to declare faith in Jesus Christ as the national religion? What about the millions of Armenian martyrs? Did they spill their blood merely in defense of a first-century moral-philosophical system? I think not. The faith that shaped and sustained the Armenian people and nation throughout the centuries must be worthy of the radical steps they took to receive it and live it out. At the heart of that faith is a profound recognition, through faith, that in the central enterprise of the church, the Badarak, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, offers himself to us frail mortals in Holy Communion as the ultimate life-giving gift of almighty God. Nothing short of this graphic truth could explain the Armenians’ uncompromising, sacrificial allegiance to Jesus Christ throughout history.

But how can modern Armenians today believe the “hard saying” of Jesus? How can we, with our scientific sophistication, understand how a piece of bread and a few teaspoons of ordinary red wine can become the means for almighty God to enter and to sanctify our lives? Clearly science and its potent tools for helping us understand the world around are of no help here. In the chalice science sees chemical compounds, bread and wine. Christians see the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Is there a contradiction? Not really. In the end, we humans have no way to “know” or to “prove” that the little particle of Holy Communion—which certainly looks like bread and wine, and tastes like bread and wine—is truly Jesus Christ. Our only recourse is to trust in Jesus’ own words, his promise, recorded in the Gospels, to be fully, really present for us in Holy Communion. If we believe anything, it is that the almighty God, creator of the universe, “of things visible and invisible,” must have ways that are beyond our human comprehension. Moreover, this God, who loves us and knows us deeply and completely, will not lie to us.

So we put our faith in the promises made by Jesus Christ as day by day we grow more to know and to trust Jesus, who is himself the Word of God [John 1:1]. This is exactly the sense of the prayer before Communion in our Badarak. “Be with me always according to your unfailing promise that, ‘Whoever eats my Body and drinks my Blood dwells in me and I in him’ [John 6:56]. You said it, loving Lord. Uphold the words of your divine and irrevocable commandments. For you are the God of mercy and of compassion and of love toward mankind, the giver of all good things.”

In the end, as we struggle to live out our Christian lives worthily, in a manner pleasing to God, Armenian Christians put their faith not in rituals, dogmas, or traditions, but in God alone and in his Word, Jesus Christ. It is in Him alone that all the rest falls into place.

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AKHTAMAR ARMENIAN PERFORMANCE GROUP

Akhtamar Armenian Performance Group was formed in 1999 and registered as a charity since 2003 as an independent non- profit organisation, with a mission to promote Armenian dance and music to the whole community through dance classes and performances.

A generation on, with a vibrant membership of 50+ children and young adults, Akhtamar continues at the artistic heart of the London Armenian community, and indeed, as the only Armenian dance performance group across the UK.

Over the years, Akhtamar has gathered fans and followers from both the Armenian and non- Armenian communities and has become a point of contact for anyone interested in Armenian dance in the UK.

Arsen Zakaryan and Karine Avetisyan have given themselves tirelessly since 2003 to the improvement, growth and advancement of the group and continue to bend and stretch this community’s dedicated dancing enthusiasts into shape.

The group regularly takes part in various dance festivals around the UK, promoting Armenian dance and culture. These activities help to raise the profile of Armenian dance outside the community.

Akhtamar is proud to take part annually in Armenian Street Festival established in 2010 and other notable events within the Armenian community.

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HOUSE BLESSING (ՏՆՕՐՀՆԵՔ)

One of the traditions of the Armenian Church is the Home Blessing Service. It symbolises the visit of Resurrected Christ the Upper House and blessing of the disciples (John 20:19). Priests and bishops visit the homes of the faithful on the occasions of Christmas (Theophany) and Easter (Holy Resurrection) to bring the good news of our Lord’s Nativity and Resurrection to bless them and their homes through a special Service. During the Service the priest prays to God and asks Him to keep the home, its inhabitants and the children in good health, so that they live a devout life, glorify the name of Almighty God and strengthen the Holy Church. Those faithful who want a priest to visit and bless their home are welcome to contact their respective parishes or the Primate’s Office.

PRAYER OF THE MONTH During this holy season of Easter, we pray for our home country, as we expect a lot of changes.

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ARMENIAN STREET FESTIVAL 2018

The Armenian Street Festival has outgrown its present location at Iverna Gardens, Kensington.

With the blessing of the Bishop's office and the hard work of its employees and many volunteers, we have applied to the London Borough of Ealing to use the North Acton Playing Fields.

This venue has been used by our community Football team AYA FC for league matches in the past.

The date we have set is 15TH OF JULY.

This date is also hosting the final of the World Cup and the Wimbledon men's final. So we are trying to make provision to stage these events on a BIG SCREEN.

The Bishop's office is also making hopeful approaches to Baroness Cox, patron of the British Heart Foundation to stage a charity mini marathon on the same day.

As well as the above, there will be a football match AYA FC V THE SAMURAI of the Japanese community who are also staging an event similar to ours on the same day.

Other activities such as races, tennis tournament, children's activities, face painting, are also being planned. And, don't forget our food and cultural stalls and live music.

So please watch this space and wish the best for our applications.

The Bishop’s office and the organisers are also looking for a sponsor to organise broadcasts and liverstreams from the Armenian Street Festival and other events and lectures. Please contact the Primate’s Office if you’d like to help us to bring our events to the wider community.

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NEW PROGRAMMES AT THE BISHOP’S HOUSE

Diocese of the Armenian Church of United Kingdom and Ireland and His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate, are launching a series of brand new programmes at the Bishop’s House, open to everyone. Find out more information, upcoming dates and details on the website.

• Armenian Christian Faith Lecture Series

These lecture series will introduce the faith, theology, liturgy, sacraments and, generally, the spiritual heritage of the Armenian Church to the members of the community and wider interested audiences.

• Spiritual Journey through the Bible: «Ուր երկու կամ երեք հոգի հաւաքուած լինեն իմ անունով, այնտեղ եմ ես, նրանց մէջ»

The Primate, together with Bosik Gharapetian, is launching a new program of weekly Bible studies (every Wednesday) for the faithful of the community, who are in search of deeper understanding of their faith and Christian fellowship. These are not academic discussions, but a journey together through the Bible.

• Discussion Group|Contemporary Social & Ethical Issues

Curated and led by Dr Hratch Tchilingirian | Discussion of contemporary social and ethical issues, which are of concern for young professionals and members of the larger Armenian community. These evening gatherings will take place once a month, consisting of a 20-minute presentation on a given topic, followed by 50-60 minutes of open discussion.

• Հայ Գիրքի Ակումբ Արմէն Սարուհանեանի ղեկավարութեամբ | Ամսական հանդիպումներ համայնքի ընթերցասէր անդամներուն համար (book club), որոնք կը փափաքին կարդալ եւ միասնաբար քննարկել Հայ գրականութեան նմուշներ, Հայ Եկեղեցւոյ ու մշակոյթին առընչուած գործեր եւ այլ հետաքրքրական նիւթեր:

• Armenian ConneXtions

Monthly after work informal gatherings for young professionals at the Bishop’s House to network and catch up with friends and the latest developments in the Armenian world

• Mr & Mrs Club

Monthly evening gathering for couples to network and catch up with friends and the latest developments in Armenia and around the world.

• Coffee with the Bishop

Informal visit and coffee meeting with Bishop Hovakim at the Bishop’s House to catch up on the latest news in the community, in Armenia and the Diaspora.

All events are held at the “Bishop’s House” | 27 Haven Green | London W5 2NZ (Nearest tube: Ealing Broadway)

For more information, please contact: Tel 0208 998 9210 | [email protected]

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Crosses for men, women and children are available from the Primate’s office.

Please call 0208 998 9210 or email [email protected]

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UPCOMING EVENTS

15 April 2018, 19:00pm Who is Jesus Christ? | BIBLE STUDIES at The Bishop’s House

19 April 2018, 19:00pm SOURCES OF FAITH OF THE ARMENIAN CHURCH | Dr Hratch Tchilingirian (Oxford University) will introduce and discuss the principle tenents of Armenian Christianity

20 April 2018, 19:00pm BOOK CLUB (led by Armen Saruhanian) | Krikor Zohrab’s short stories

25 April 2018, 19:00pm ARMENIAN CONNEXTIONS: Traces of Homeland by photographer Nuran Zorlu

27 April 2018, 19:00pm DISCUSSION OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES: Are we becoming victims of Fake News? Curated and led by Dr Hratch Tchilingirian

May 2018 (details tbc) Mother's Day Celebrations

July, 2018 Youth Gathering in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin

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The Armenian Church News publishes announcements of any Armenian organisation as it is an inclusive channel of communication.

The objectives of CAN are to inform the wider publish and its constituency members about:

• Activities of the Primate • Organisations under the auspices of the Primate: ACT UK, ACYF, Ladies Committee • Worldwide Armenian Church • Parishes • Upcoming events in the community

The announcements about the community events (up to 150 words) are published upon the request of a particular organisation.

ACN do not raise funds on behalf of any other organisation except for Armenian Church (ACT UK, ACYF, Primate’s Office, Ladies Committee, St. Yeghiche, St. Sarkis, Holy Trinity, Dublin, Birmingham, Oxford).

Editorial: The main objective of the diocesan e-newsletter is to serve and reach out to Armenians throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The community members and organisations are welcome to send their announcements for the e-newsletter, including information not only about public events but also about important family events such as christening, matrimony or passing away. ***

Disclaimer: considering that there are many names in the coverage of events, it is possible that some of them are misspelled or incorrect. We apologise in advance for any misspelling.

A Message from the Primate Office

His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan wishes to inform you that at the bottom of our weekly e-newsletter you will find the contacts of our Churches and Parishes in the UK and Ireland. Details are also available on the websites of the respective Churches and Parishes. Please do not hesitate to contact any of these addresses if you need any help regarding Church services. You will receive a reply either from the Parish Council Chair or from the priest.

If you encounter any kind of problems regarding communication with the above, please contact the Primacy (Առաջնորդարան) directly at the following address:

Bishop Hovakim Manukyan The Primates Office 27 Haven Green, London W5 2NZ Tel: 0208 998 9210 e-mail: [email protected] Website | Facebook

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Worship Services in the Armenian Churches

Services are held in the Armenian Churches in London every Sunday starting at 11:00 am. In Manchester, there is a service on the 1st Sunday of the month. For further details, please contact the parish nearest to you:

Holy Trinity Armenian Church St. Sarkis Church St. Yeghiche Church 229 Upper Brook Street Iverna Gardens 13b Cranley Gardens Manchester, M13 0FY Kensington, London, W8 6TP Kensington, London SW7 3BB Tel: 0161 273 1074 Tel: 020 7937 0152 Tel: 020 7373 8133 www.armenianchurchmanchester.org www.stsarkisparish.co.uk www.styeghiche.org.uk st 1 SUNDAY OF THE MONTH

Other Parishes of our Diocese: Dublin - www.armenians.ie Birmingham – St. Peter Church, 208 High St, Walsall, WS3 3LA.

We invite those who have questions or wish to gain deeper understanding of the faith, moral discernment, teachings and traditions of the Armenian Church to contact the Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in United Kingdom and Ireland:

His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan The Primate’s Office 27 Haven Green, London W5 2NZ

Tel: 0208 998 9210

Email: [email protected]

Registered office address: Kemp House 152-160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX Website | Facebook