THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
October 8, 2017

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EXALTATION

72 Disciples of Christ

Besides the 12 Apostles, Jesus also had 72 disciples, whom he sent to “preach the Good News to all nations”. Unfortunately, those disciples’ names are not mentioned in the Gospels. In the New Testament the word “disciple” is used of the followers of the Jesus Christ. Christ sent out his apostles and disciples “like lambs among wolves” two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go, saying them: “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me…” (The Gospel according to Luke 10:16). There are hardly any differences between the 12 apostles and the 72 disciples, they have the same power and authority and the same mission (The Gospel according to Luke 10:9; 9:1). However, the names of all 72 disciples, like the names of the 40 innocent children martyred in Bethlehem, are known to God only and are written in the sacred book of the Heavenly Kingdom.

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

2Corinthians 13:5-13 (page 170) New Testament
Mark 11:27-33 (page 44) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 17: 7-14 (page 696) Old Testament

REQUIEM SERVICES: Karasoonk (40th Day memorial Service) today will be for:

REV. FR. ARNAK KASPARIAN on the 40th Day of his eternal life requested by the Diocese.
HARRY ANDONIAN on the 40th Day of his eternal life requested by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan.

Hokehankist today will be for:

FATHER THOMAS GARABEDIAN, Pastor of St. Mark’s Armenian Catholic Church
All the victims who perished in the Las Vegas Massacre

Our Prayers Are Powerful. Let us emulate St. Paul, who said, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Eph 1:16). Pray especially for Annabelle (Lee) Alexanian, Albert Santerian and Richard Kazigian. Please pray for all the people who have suffered great loss in countless ways as a result of the recent hurricanes in Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico, that they may be able to rebuild their lives. Pray for the families whose lives were forever changed when their loved ones were killed in the massacre in Las Vegas. Pray also for the hundreds who were injured in various degrees …that they may heal, both physically and emotionally, and that they may feel the presence of Almighty God. He hears the prayers of the righteous.

COFFEE HOUR: is sponsored today by the Knights and Daughters of Vartan in loving memory of HARRY ANDONIAN on the 40th day of His eternal life. All are welcome.

SAVE THE DATE: Join us on October 15 when Holy Trinity will be hosting the Philadelphia Intercommunal Cultural Event with a special performance by the Areni Choir. Doors open at 2 pm and refreshments will be served. There is no charge for this wonderful event

Growing Up Armenian: Lucy Aghazarian, Anita Hovsepian and Suzanne Sherenian will facilitate a conversation about the blessings and challenges of being a child (or grandchild) of immigrants. Examining the works of well-known Armenians, participants will reflect on how others have dealt with their dual identity, as well as share their own experiences. The discussion will take place at Holy Trinity on Friday evening, October 20 at 7:00. See flyer in narthex or lobby for more information.

Outreach Volunteers Needed – An in-service day has been scheduled for Saturday, November 11 @ 10 am, to prepare and package meals for Aid for Friends, the organization that provides meals to the elderly and isolated shut-ins in the Delaware Valley. (See flyer on the Narthex table for more details.) Contact Jeanette Der Hagopian (choirboss@hotmail.com or 215-206-0440) by November 1 so that we know how many “cooks” we’ll have! We hope you will reserve this date on your calendar to join us in being part of a rewarding experience.

Operation Christmas Child has begun and we invite you to be a part of this amazing outreach by filling shoeboxes for underprivileged children all over the world, including Armenia. Many of you have participated in the past and we hope you will again. Parents and grandparents: take your children to the dollar store so that they can be a part of the process. Wrap a shoebox with Christmas wrap or buy a plastic shoebox to fill with goodies to delight the children. Look for the flyers around the church that will give ideas about how to “Pack A Shoebox” and many other details. Filled boxes must be returned to church no later than Sunday, November 12. For any questions, contact Gail (215-443-0606 or glulejian@aol.com) OR Jeanette (215-206-0440 or choirboss@hotmail.com).

FAR UPDATE: The Petrosyans lived in their dilapidated house, a single-story building with a leaky roof and a dirt floor, in the border town of Nerkin Karmiraghbyur for 23 years until FAR came to help through its Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Program (BCPP). BCPP contributes to the stabilization of vulnerable families in Tavush Province and its 16 surrounding communities through various initiatives to combat poverty, including housing assistance. To read more about the Petrosyans, go to FAR’s blog: http://farusa.org/2017/09/27/bcpp-one-family-learns-the-true-meaning-home-sweet-home/ To support families like the Petroyans, go to FAR’s website: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/armenianrelief/

ATTIC TREASURES: Deadline for attic treasures, Sunday, October 15. No items will be accepted after that date.
If you’re cleaning out your closets, we would greatly appreciate donations of your CLEAN & UNDAMAGED gently used items to be sold at the Attic Treasures table during the Harvest Bazaar. No toys, clothing or books (except cookbooks). Desired items are jewelry, women’s accessories, housewares, small furnishings, and more, more, more. Attic treasures can be left in the 1st room on the right down the Sunday School hall. Call Ayshe Chakmaklian for more info. at 610-828-2411. If you need a New Jersey pick up call Grace Meranshian at 856-217-9333.

GIFT AUCTION: We are in need of donations for the Harvest Bazaar Gift Auction and are asking for your help. We will again feature our Raffle ticket items valued at over $100 and our silent auction for special items. Our goal is to obtain new gifts each in value of $100 or more but we are happy to accept gifts of various values that we can combine in our baskets. Gifts can be geared toward younger children like Star Wars, Spiderman, Pokemon, or other trending items for kids. For teenagers (movie theater basket) or adults (golf, tennis, restaurants, massage/beauty or home). Gift baskets and gift certificates are most appreciated. We also will have letters you can take to various businesses to see if they would provide a $20 to $30 gift certificate for free. If you own a business and are willing to donate, please let us know. Wine or liquor are popular items that we can combine with other items. For the special items we would look for large value items (over $200), liquor, jewelry, oriental rugs for home, car (new or used) and vacation houses. Most importantly, if anyone could lend us their beach house for a weekend or week that could generate a lot of funds. Please call Linda Boornazian at 301-717-2401 or send an email to lboornaz@hotmail.com for more details. Thank you in advance for all your generosity and support.

THE NICENE CREED/ HAVADAMK – This is the Profession of our Faith which is recited every Sunday moments after the Gospel is read from the altar. Sometimes it is sung, but more often it is recited by the Deacons and/or the Choir. We invite you to affirm your own “Profession of Faith” by reciting along with us. God longs for all of us to express our faith and devotion to Him.

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)
October

Oct 15 Inter-communal Program
Oct 20 Growing Up Armenian in the Diaspora
Oct 27-29 Harvest Bazaar
Nov 5 The Divine Liturgy: A Simultaneous Translation
Nov 5 Breakfast sponsored by our Church School
Dec 3 – Stewardship Sunday
Dec 10 Honoring Our Pastor
Dec 17 Lunch with Santa
Dec 31 Pomegranate Sunday

COUNTRY STORE: The Country Store is open every Sunday after church services. Some new delicacies have been added to the products they carry: Armenian coffee, halvah and apricot bastegh. Stop in and treat yourself to these new and delectable items. The last Sunday for sales before the bazaar will be October 15.

THE KISS OF PEACE: After the gifts of the Eucharist are brought to the Altar Table, the deacon proclaims, “Greet one another with a holy kiss.” The person giving the greetings says, Kristos ee mech mer Haydnetsav – Christ is revealed amongst us. The recipient would respond, Orhnial eh Haydnootiunun Kristosee – Blessed is the revelation of Christ.

Anyone who wishes to request any Requiem Services MUST inform the office by 1:30pm Wednesday the week before. If you also want to sponsor the Fellowship Hour you MUST call Merle Santerian at 215-947-3777.

Would you like to:

receive this Bulletin on Friday via email?
request a Hokehankist, house blessing or hall rental information?
find in-depth information on our faith, our parish and our activities?
sign up for an event online?
If the answer to any of these questions is YES, please visit our parish website at www.holytrinity-pa.org

WE ASK THAT EVERYONE KINDLY TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES and all other such electronic devices prior to entering the sanctuary out of respect for the sanctity of our services.