Volume 2, Issue 35 27 December 2016 Armenian Church News Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland Christmas Carols in St. Yeghiche Church Organised by the Armenian Church Youth Organisation In this issue: Christmas Carols in St. Yeghiche Church Christmas Carols in Holy Trinity Church, Manchester International Youth Meeting in London Christmas is one of the happiest celebrations in people’s lives, when families come together and remember the birth of Our Lord Jesus. The Armenian Church Advent Homily by celebrates the holy birth (Sourp Dznount) of Jesus Christ on 6th January. In Archbishop Kevin Armenian tradition, this feast day commemorates not only the birth of Christ, but McDonald also His baptism by John the Baptist. The latter is remembered through the th Why do Armenians "Blessing of Water" ceremony, which follows the Divine Liturgy on 6 January. celebrate Christmas Living in London, the Armenian Community chose to wish a Merry Christmas to on 6th January? all other Christians celebrating the birth of Jesus in December through a Christmas Carol service. This year the annual ACYO Christmas Carols Service took place in St. Yeghiche Church on the evening of Tuesday, 20th December. Anais Heghoyan, chairman of the Armenian Church Youth Organization London chapter, welcomed the guests and gave a summary of their annual activities and invited everyone to join in Diocese of the Armenian future activities in 2017. Church of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland The guests participated by reading and singing together, every one of them receiving a programme in order to follow the service. Once again, Anais His Grace Bishop Hovakim enchanted both clergy and faithful with her voice by singing ‘In the bleak Manukyan, Primate midwinter’. The entire evening was filled with angelic organ songs, performed by Deacon Artur Bobikyan. Diocesan Office Tel. 0208 127 8364 primatesoffice@ Armenian Church News Our always welcome guest clergy and Brothers in Christ from the Syriac Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican Church celebrated and prayed with us in one voice by telling the story of the birth of Our Lord. Everyone sang the carol “Silent Night” in the darkness whilst holding lit flickering candles. Children from the Kevork Tahta Sunday School and the Armenian language Saturday School sang traditional Armenian carols, and delighted the audience with their enthusiasm. At the end, Gaghant Baba (Santa Claus) came to bring presents for all the kind children. Christmas should be celebrated with family and friends. Smiling and singing we were grateful for Our Lord. His Grace, Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, gave his reflections on this festive occasion: “Dearly beloved, thank you for joining us this evening. May God bless you all and your loved ones. 2016 has passed very quickly and we have once again entered the festive season of Advent. I wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year or should I say “I wish you a Happy New Year and a Merry Christmas” as we Armenians celebrate Christmas after the new year on the 6th of January. In fact, the Armenian Church is the only Church in the world which has remained faithful to the tradition of the ancient eastern Church celebrating Christmas on the 6th of January. There are many traditions in celebrating Christmas. I was speaking with one of the members of our Church last year and she told me that they celebrate Christmas either at home or in restaurant, but for the “Sourb Dznound,” which is the Armenian word for Christmas, they come to Church. Now, that is the definition of a good Armenian! On the one hand, it shows that our people respect and are well adapted in both Eastern and Western cultures and traditions. On the other hand, it shows the strong attachment of our people to their own culture, language, spirituality and their resilience to preserve these values. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we live in a multicultural society which should be valued and safeguarded. However, we should also remember that these societies came about not only because some people were looking for fortune or economic growth and a better life but also because people are being uprooted and forced to leave their homes. 2 Armenian Church News While it is our primary task to embrace these people as Christians, not least because of our own Armenian history, we should also pray for peace and stability in the world. Today we sang “Glory to God in the highest of Heaven; Glory to God; on earth be peace.” In Armenian, we sing “Փառք ի բարձունս Աստուծոյ, յերկիր խաղաղութիւն եւ ի մարդիկ հաճութիւն.” These are the words from the Christian liturgical tradition common to the Churches both in the East and the West. We know that Jesus is the king of peace. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Mathew 5:9) The king of peace invites us today to be a peacemaker. The word peace in Hebrew is shalom, often used as a greeting word or a departing word in much the same way we would utter “hello” or “goodbye,” it is a broad term related to health, prosperity, harmony, and wholeness. It means perfect welfare, serenity, freedom from trouble, and liberation from anything which hinders peace. When the word “Shalom” is used, people are wishing one another full presence, peace, and prosperity of all the blessedness of God. The famous Aaronic benediction of Numbers 6:24-26 brings out this idea very clearly: “The LORD bless you and protect you; the LORD make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the LORD look with favour on you and give you peace” (Num. 6:24-25). It is important to remember that peace in the Bible is always rooted in justice and righteousness. Where justice prevails and righteousness rules, there you will also have peace. But without those two virtues, ever lasting peace is not possible. The word “make” in the term “peacemakers” comes from the Greek verb that means “to do” or “to make.” It is a word bursting with energy. It mandates action and initiative. Someone has to drag the conflicting parties to the table and give them a reason to put down their arms. Jesus did not say “Blessed are the peace wishers or the peace hopers or the peace dreamers or the peace lovers or the peace talkers.” Peace must be made. Peace never happens by chance. A peacemaker is never passive. They always take the initiative. They are up and about. When these two words are taken together, “peace” and “maker,” it describes one who actively follows peace. The peacemaker pursues more than the absence of conflict; they don’t avoid strife (in fact, sometimes, peace-making will create strife); they aren’t only seeking to appease the conflicting parties; they aren’t trying to accommodate everyone. Instead, they are pursuing all the beauty and blessedness of God upon another. As we celebrate today and enjoy this evening, hundreds of thousands of children are suffering and deprived of homes and shelter. We pray to God and ask for peace in the 3 Armenian Church News Middle East. We pray for Aleppo and people in Syria and Iraq. We pray for all those who are in need of shelter. At the same time, we should also remember that we are invited to transform our prayers into the works and action through our continued efforts and charity to support all those who are desperate and in need of peace. In conclusion, I would like to thank you all who helped us to organise this event. First of all, I would like to thank the Armenian Church Youth Organisation; particularly Anais Heghoyan and Selineh Sarian for their hard work, the Armenian Sunday and Saturday schools, teachers and children of the schools, St. Yeghiche Parish Council, Araxie Heghoyan, Hripsime Martyrosyan and Sylvia Lucas for organising the reception, and our benefactors and especially Mr. & Mrs. Vatche and Tamar Manoukian family for the use of this wonderful Church and to you all for coming and supporting this event. God bless you all.” To view a video of the event, please follow this link: https://youtu.be/yEKb7lUgI6E Christmas Carols in Holy Trinity, Manchester Organised by ACYO (Manchester Chapter) On the evening of Sunday, 18th December the annual Christmas Carol service was held in Holy Trinity Armenian Church in Manchester, organised by the ACYO Manchester Chapter. Traditional carol songs were sung by the children of the Armenian Sunday School and congregation of Manchester as well as Biblical readings depicting the birth of Jesus in English and as well as eastern, western and classical Armenian. Children performed the scene of the visit of wise men. The jovial feelings were uplifted by the visit of Santa. 4 The service was concluded by the blessings of the Primate as well as a group picture. Armenian Church News Armenian Church Youth Organisation News International Youth Meeting in London On 15th December 2016, The Armenian Church Youth Organisation (HEHEM) held its meeting at St. Yeghiche Church in London hosted by ACYO (London Chapter). There were 40 participants, comprising clergy and youth, attending the meeting from the USA, UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and Romania, representing the majority of the Armenian Churches in Europe. Prior to the meeting, the clergy held a special meeting on the evening of 14th December reflecting on the agenda and exchanging views on the future programmes. Rev. Fr. Tovma Khachatryan, pastor of the Armenian Churches in Italy, was unanimously elected as a coordinator of ACYO EUROPE to continue for a two-year period.