Armenian Church of Atlanta October 2007

In This Issue • Oct Divine Liturgy • Feast of the Holy Solemn Divine Liturgy Translators

• About Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Feast of the Holy Translators Jerimiah 33:14-22, Hebrews 10:32-36, • ACOA Delegates To greet Vehapar at St. Luke 10:21-24 Sarkis in Charlotte ………………………….

• ANC’s Call for Sunday October 14, 2007 Action for HR 106 11:00 am at Hye Doon • Armenian Assembly Call for Action for Celebrant HR 106 Very Rev. Fr. Zaven Yazichyan • Oct 27 ACYOA (from St. Thomas Seminary Inaugural Party at St. Paul – Minnesota) • November 10 Lecture by AAOA 9820 Coleman Road • Farewell Friends Roswell, GA 30075 • Baby Divine Liturgy Calendar: announcement November 18, 2007 • Sunday School December 9, 2007 Corner January 6, 2008

• September 30 picnic Feast of the Holy Translators This October feast honors the lives and accomplishments of the saints who founded the , translated the Bible into Armenian, and started a movement of writing and translating important works into Armenian. This 5th century and beyond period is called Armenian's "Golden Age."

At the apex of this group of Holy Translators is St. Mesrob. Students of Sts. Mesrob and Sahag include Yeghishe, who served St. Vartan as secretary and wrote a history of the Battle of Vartanantz. He also wrote many biblical commentaries. Another important student was Movses of Khoren also known as the father of Armenian history. He wrote a number of histories and poems. A student of Movses was Tavit the Invincible, renowned for his genius in philosophy. He translated works of Plato and Aristotle. The 10th and 12th century giants, St. and St. Nersess Shnorhali are also counted among this group of holy men.

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 www.armenianchurchoratlanta.org

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ACOA Delegates to Travel FAQ: How much do you know about the Mother to Charlotte to Welcome See of Holy Etchmiadzin? His Holiness Karekin II on His Holiness Karekin II has been greeted with his Pastoral Journey love and enthusiasm, by children and adult faithful alike, since his arrival in the U.S. on October 3, 2007.

The following is a short background on the Catholicate of All Armenians, also referred to as the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

The Catholicate is located in the simple complex of Holy Etchmiadzin, thirteen miles to the west of ’s capital, Yerevan. It includes the Mother Cathedral, the headquarters and residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the

Gevorkian Seminary, printing press, guesthouse, and the residences of the This month our Diocese is blessed with monastic brotherhood. It is the spiritual center of the Armenian Church. The the pontifical visit of His Holiness word “Etchmiadzin” means descent of the Only-Begotten Son of God. Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians. There are At the beginning of the fourth century, shortly after the conversion of Armenia a number of opportunities for the to Christianity, St. Gregory the Illuminator had a vision in which Jesus Christ faithful flock of all ages to hear his the only-begotten Son of God descended and struck the earth with a golden Holiness’ inspiring messages and to hammer. This signified the location where the mother cathedral would be receive blessings from the Spiritual built and the chief bishops or catholicoi would lead the Armenian Church. Shepherd of the Armenian people. Beginning in the year 470 due to political circumstances the headquarters of One of these events will take place at the Armenian Church was moved to various locations determined by the St. Sarkis Armenian Church in head of government. After one thousand years of displacement and Charlotte, S. Carolina on October 12 & movement it returned back to its original place in Holy Etchmiadzin. From the 13. Delegates from the Armenian year 1441 to the present the Catholicate of All Armenians has remained in Church of Atlanta will be traveling to Holy Etchmiadzin. Charlotte to greet their Pontiff and to receive his blessings. The following are the duties and prerogatives of the Catholicos of All (http://www.stsarkis.net/home/) Armenians:

The complete schedule for the 1. Exercise jurisdiction over the patriarchates of Jerusalem and Pontifical visit and contact information Constantinople and all dioceses throughout the world, except those subject can be found at www.pontificalvisit.org to the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia along with regular updates of his visit 2. Once every seven years bless the Holy Myron, which is distributed and pictures and videos of the events. throughout the world to anoint new churches, altars, crosses, holy pictures, priests when they are ordained and the newly baptized 3. Consecrate bishops to serve as primates of Armenian Church dioceses throughout the world 4. Preside at meetings of the Supreme Spiritual Council, which assists him in administering his responsibilities 5. Convene meetings of the patriarchs, archbishops and bishops for consultation 6. Give frequent directives to the primates concerning doctrinal, administrative, ecumenical and Armenian issues of an international scale.

Source: “Frequently Asked Questions about the Armenian Church” by Very Rev. Fr. Krikor Maksoudian

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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Turkey's Lobbyists are Turning Up the Heat Armenian Genocide Legislation

Your Representative needs to hear from you immediately. Time is running out!

Turkey's multi-million dollar lobbyists are working overtime to pressure Speaker Pelosi and our Congressional supporters to remove the Armenian Genocide Resolution from Foreign Affairs Committee consideration on October 10th at 1:30pm. Here is the latest: It was announced yesterday that Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), who succeeded Turkey's mouthpiece, former Congressman Dick Gephardt, withdrew his support for the Resolution.

• Turkey's lobbyists distributed 440 copies of the now infamous letter by eight former U.S. Secretaries of State, expressing opposition to H.Res.106 -- the Armenian Genocide Resolution. Take a few minutes out of your busy schedules and go to the website www.anca.org , enter your zip code to find out who you should call. Please call between 9am and 5 pm. Instructions on what to say are listed on the website.

Please take 2 minutes right now to make a quick and easy phone call urging your Representative to support this resolution and to oppose any amendments to this human rights legislation.

Armenian Assembly of America Urges You to Write to Your Representative Today

ARAMAC ACTION ALERT: Only 3 Days Left to Make Your Voice Heard on H. Res. 106 House Foreign Affairs Committee to Vote on H. Res. 106 Next Wednesday, October 10, 2007 at 1:30 PM EST

Don’t like to make phone calls? Write to your representative. This alternate communication channel is provided to you by the Armenian Assembly of the America allowing you to have your voice heard.

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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A COA Presents Guest Speakers on Armenian Affairs at Hye Doon

These are critical times for all Armenians with the • Pending vote for the Genocide Resolution in the US Congress • Turkey-Armenia relations • The still unresolved Artsakh (Nagorno Karabagh) status • Azerbaijan's military build up • and the current situation of the Armenians of Turkey after Hrant Dink's assassination

In order to keep informed about the latest issues concerning the Armenian communities worldwide, we will be inviting speakers from groups outside Atlanta such as AAOA, ANC and APAC. These groups are active in promoting Armenian issues in our nation's Capitol, and will enlighten our community with their ongoing efforts in addressing the issues that concern us all. First of these series of lectures is presented to you by:

Mr. Taniel Koushakjian from the Armenian Assembly of America, a non-political and independent organization, will present a lecture on current issues concerning American- Armenians, Armenians in the Homeland & the Armenians of the Diaspora on Saturday November 10th at 1:00 pm at Hye Doon (exact time subject to change based on Mr. Koushakjian’s travel schedule).

If time allows, we expect a vigorous question and answer session following the lecture. We hope to see all interested parties at this event.

Atlanta Chapter

ACYOA Inaugural Meeting and Party Saturday, October 27 at Hye Doon

7:30 – 10:00 pm.

You are invited to join us for an informational meeting about the new ACYOA Chapter in Atlanta Everyone, ages 15 to 35, is cordially invited to meet members of the ACYOA Atlanta chapter. Learn how to become a member. You will have a chance to exchange ideas and propose activities for the year. Party will follow this short meeting.

For more information please contact Violet Mirzoyan Email: [email protected] Cell: 678-860-5623

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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Community News

It’s A Girl……………….

Congratulations to Armen and Narine Asatryan on the birth of their daughter Tatevik Sophie Asatryan who was born on August 27, 2007 at 4:10 PM.. Tatevik weighed in at 6 lbs and 12.3 oz (3kg) and at 20 inches (50cm) height. We congratulate the entire Asatryan and Grigorian Families on the arrival of their bundle of joy.

Farewell Friends ……………..

We bid farewell to Tigran & Tatevik Shahbazian who resided in the Atlanta area for over a year. Last month, after Tigran accepted a job with Amazon.com as a Technical Product & Program Manager they moved to Seattle area. We wish them the best of luck in Seattle. They will be missed. The picture on the left shows them at their private farewell party at Hye Doon which was held for them by their friends. We wish Shahbazian Family success in their new home and hope that they will come and visit us soon

A rmen & Joseph Jewelers New Showroom Opens on Sugarloaf Parkway

Joseph Gheblikian is celebrating the opening of Armen and Joseph Jewelers’ new showroom located on 6525 Sugarloaf Parkway, in Duluth. This beautiful showroom delivers a variety of custom and designer jewelry. It also houses a showroom filled with beautiful Lalique and Baccarat crystals. Visit this new showroom and see Armen & Joseph’s beautiful and unique selection.

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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Armenian Language Class Offered at Sunday School

Maria Terzian, Violet Mirzoyan and I are excited about our new program at the Armenian Church of Atlanta Sunday School and would love to have your child participate and learn about the Armenian Culture, Traditions and the . It is crucial for our families that our traditions and language is passed down to our children.

Choose to enroll your child in this class. The fee is $10.00 which covers the cost of purchasing an Armenian Language book and supplies so that they can learn to read and write Armenian. The Class will be held on the same day and time as the Sunday Service, 11:00am to 12:30pm.

Encourage your child to read, write and speak Armenian from an early age. They might not see the importance of this class now, but they will be grateful once they are older. I speak from first hand experience. I know that it is a lot harder to learn a new language when you are older.

We are looking forward to seeing your children in our class on Sundays

Lara Keyfer Stuart, ACOA Sunday School Director

September 30 picnic at East Roswell Park

Our Fall Picnic was a huge success!! Thanks to 130+ attendees and all of the community members who donated food, helped set up, grill and clean up. A special thank you goes out to all members of the Women’s Guild who worked so hard in preparing for this event. The following individuals deserve recognition for their help in making the picnic a great success: Food donations: Thanks to the entire Khodaverdian Family, Maria Terzian, Shoghig Terzian, Anita and Vahik Ismailian, Mari Avedissian, Talar Torossian, Vahram Kasarciyan, Murat Corluoglu, Vera Nercessian , Joyce Keyfer, Nairi Bournazian, Nadin Kassabian, Sevtap & Sahin Corluoglu, Daren Djirikian, Luna Akyan, Talin Major, Anush Mirzoyan & Agnes Corluoglu for providing the wonderful food that was served to the guests. Smores: Thanks to Lara Stuart for providing the supplies and making Smores with the children. Grilling: Thanks to Sahin Corluoglu, Murat Karabiyik, Vahagn Khodaverdian and Manuk Torossian for grilling the delicious Kabobs. DJ: Thanks to Yegya Aba for providing the music. Dancing: Tanks to Violet and Vahagn Mirzoyan, Armenuhi & Aramayis Arakelyan for performing the beautiful Armenian dances. And last but not least, once again the picnic would not have been a success without Murat Corluoglu’s tireless efforts and bar. Thanks again for everyone’s continued help and support. Please stay tuned for more details on our next picnic.

Sincerely yours, Talar Torossian - ACOA Women’s Guild Chairperson

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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Pictures from the September 30 picnic at East Roswell Park

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org

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Armenian Church of Atlanta

9820 Coleman Rd. Roswell, GA. 30075 404-697-5756 www.ArmenianChurchOfAtlanta.org

DIRECTIONS TO HYE DOON AT 9820 COLEMAN ROAD, ROSWELL, GA. 30075 • From GA-400 take Exit 7B-HOLCOMB BRIDGE ROAD; continue Westbound to Roswell City Hall • Directions to. • Turn Left (Westbound) onto WARSAW ROAD; name later changes to NORCROSS STREET • Turn LEFT onto • Turn LEFT (Southbound) onto ALPHARETTA STREET (City Hall located at this intersection) • Turn LEFT onto Stay in RIGHT lane to get onto MAGNOLIA STREET (Westbound) •

Armenian Church of Atlanta October 2007 In This Issue: ♦ Pontifical Visit of His Holiness Solemn Divine Liturgy Karekin II ♦ ACOA Delegates To greet Vehapar at St. Sarkis in Feast of the Holy Translators Charlotte …………………………. ♦ ANC’s Call for Action for HR 106 Sunday October 14, 2007 ♦ Armenian Assembly Call for 11:00 am at Hye Doon Action for HR 106 ♦ Oct 27 ACYOA Inaugural Party Celebrant ♦ November 10 Lecture by AAOA Very Rev. Fr. Zaven Yazichyan ♦ Farewell Friends ♦ Baby announcement 9820 Coleman Road ♦ Sunday School Corner Roswell, GA 30075 ♦ September 30 picnic w/Pictures

9820 Coleman Road, Roswell GA 30075 www.armenianchurchofatlanta.org