THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
March 4, 2018

Sunday of the Steward

Nerses Lambronatsi (1153-1198)

How does our account stand with God? What do we owe our Master? We owe Him in both body and soul, which in the parable are respectively symbolized as wheat and oil. Concerning the harmful things the body has enacted, if we cannot change our activities all at once, at least give up a portion. Even if it is moderate, initiate repentance and change your life by practicing good works, so that you will eventually become stronger in goodness. As for the soul, Christ has given us commandments to not be angry, to not harbor resentment, to not gaze with lust, to not be arrogant, and to not make our heart a storehouse of evil things. If you cannot give them up entirely, at least desist from half of them, so the debt will only be half as large. As the body and soul move toward higher forms of goodness, the remaining debts will be erased in due time. Using the same resources that we have unrighteously managed and accumulated by way of depriving the poor, obtain friends by returning to the poor the profit we made at the expense of their suffering. This is the honest effort of repentance that God praises.

If we prove faithful in little and become friends with the poor through charity, God will entrust to us eternal treasures, the riches of God. If we prove to be unrighteous in little, stingily scraping together possessions for ourselves, that will be reflected in our relationship with God. Our knowledge of Him will be meager scrapings, because we haven’t invested it and increased it by sharing it with others, by loving our Master first and foremost. May the steward within each of us encourage us to begin a life of repentance and charity, to decrease our debts to our Master by using our resources, our body and soul, for the benefit of others and for the adornment of our eternal home that awaits us.

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

• Ephesians 4: 17-5:14 (pages 176-177) New Testament
• Luke 16: 1-31 (pages 72-73) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
• Isaiah 56: 1-57:21 (pages 732 – 733) Old Testament

REQUIEM SERVICES: : Hokehankist today will be for:

• – YURI OVSEPYAN requested by Inna Ovsepyan and Elena Petrossian.

“Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.”(1 Kings 8:28b). Let us be as servants before God today as we pray for our sisters and brothers: Annabelle Alexanian, Alice Charles, Pearl Jamgochian, & Albert Santerian. We especially ask you to pray for the victims, families and students of the tragic school shooting in South Florida who are suffering in countless ways. May God be a strong presence in their lives.

Coffee Hour: is sponsored today by Inna Ovsepyan and Elena Petrossian in memory of YURI OVSEPYAN. All are welcome.

NEXT SUNDAY will be our Annual Mitchink Luncheon (see flyer) followed by a very Special Program as we hear from The Honorable Adrienne Krikorian, founder of Mer Hooys – House of Hope. This facility in Yerevan was created for the express purpose of providing opportunities for at-risk girls in Armenia, many of whom come from severely impoverished families and either have been, or are in imminent danger of being, placed in government-run facilities, boarding schools or crisis facilities. Mer Hooys provides qualified girls with a comfortable and safe home, a family environment, psychological support, family reunification services, and education support, including training in languages, social skills, community relations, arts, religion, health and life skills, and job skills. Along with the program will be an opportunity to make a donation and go home with a work of art created by talented Armenian artists while at the same time making it possible for this indispensable facility to continue in its mission.

PALM SUNDAY BANQUET: Sunday, March 25, 2018, is ACYOA DAY. Immediately following Church Services, ACYOA is sponsoring a Banquet. Donations: Adults $20.00 – Children ages 7 to 12 yrs. $8.00 – Children 6 and under Free. No tickets will be sold at the door. For reservations, please send in your check by the Deadline: March 18, 2018.

ELEVATOR FUND UPDATE: The good news is that the installation of our elevator is complete and up and running. In the short time since it’s completion, we have seen how it has helped our Choir members, seniors, parents with toddlers and infants in strollers being able to access the Sanctuary and Choir Loft with ease. If you have not already contributed to this much needed addition to our parish home, and whether you currently use the elevator or not, think of all the people who will benefit from its use in the years to come. A donation in any amount is welcomed. Please contact Merle Santerian, at 215-947-3777, or send your check to the church office with “Elevator Fund” in the lower left hand corner ” Memo” section of your check. Thank you and God bless you! Fr. Hakob, Parish Council and Elevator Committee

??QUESTION BOX?? If you have ever had a question or been puzzled about some aspect of our faith or our church, this is the opportunity to get some answers. We have provided a “question box” which will be placed in the narthex during Liturgy and in the lobby during Fellowship. Simply take a blank card and write your question (no signature required); feel free to ask as many questions as you wish. Answers will be provided at our March 16 Friday Night Lenten Program, “Everything You Wanted to Know About Our Faith But Were Afraid to Ask.”

FRIDAY NIGHT LENTEN PROGRAM: The fourth program in our six-part Lenten series will take place next Friday, March 9 with a presentation on “The Three Levels of Spirituality of St. Nersess Shnorhali” by the newly-appointed Diocesan Director of Ministries, the Very Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan. Fr. Mesrop has a distinguished background as a scholar, pastor and church leader. A native of Armenia, he was ordained to the priesthood in 2003 and subsequently served as professor of Christian Ethics at Etchmiadzin’s Kevorkian Theological Seminary and as deputy-chancellor of the Mother See. He has also served pastorally and in various administrative positions in Belgium, France, and Switzerland. Before joining the Diocesan staff last fall, he pastored Holy Shoghagat Church in Belleville, IL from 2015-2017. This will be Hayr Mesrob first visit to Holy Trinity—please join us as we welcome him to our parish. The evening will begin with worship at 6:30 followed by a Pot Luck dinner. We ask our faithful to bring along a Lenten dish to contribute to our meal.

Merle Santerian is seeking parishioners to help her by taking over, preparing and serving at the Sunday Fellowship Hour once a month. A husband and wife team would be nice, or any two parishioners who wish to do it together. Merle would prepare a schedule for those who are interested, where once a month they would run a regular Sunday Fellowship Coffee Hour. Please contact Merle at Coffee Hour, or by cell phone, 215-205-1507; home phone, 215-947-3777, to let her know you are interested and willing to take on this job. She will be happy to fill you in on what the job involves.

FAR UPDATE: For seven years, Asya Galstyan, 77, has visited Fund for Armenian Relief’s Gyumri Atinizyan Senior Center every weekday morning to receive her main meal of the day. With a sole income of $79 a month, Asya tries to save on everything. For years, she had been working at the yarn factory in Gyumri, but like many pensioners in Armenia, Asya lost her retirement in the Soviet collapse. Last year, Asya received a free eye examination thanks to a joint effort between Ayo! and the Armenian Eye Care Project (AECP). She is grateful to FAR’s donors for extending her a helping hand. “Our cook is a master, and those who distribute the food are nice and kind, too,” she said. FAR’s Atinizyan Center serves meals five days a week to 160 elderly. To read more, go to http://farusa.org/2018/02/26/far-soup-kitchens-gyumri-woman-depends-upon-soup-kitchen-for-her-daily-meal/ To support programs like the soup kitchens, go to https://secure.qgiv.com/for/armenianrelief

Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday, March 11, 2018, so please remember to turn your clock forward one hour before you go to bed on Saturday night (3/10/18). Remember: Spring forward, Fall back!

Anniversary Celebration – This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the consecration of our beloved St. Vartan Cathedral in New York. Plans are underway to charter a bus for those interested in attending Badarak on Sunday, May 6, at the Cathedral. Departure would be from our church parking by 7:30 am on that day and returning about 7 pm. Cost per person, round trip will be approximately $35.00. Complimentary refreshments will be served after Badarak. If you are interested in being a part of this celebration, please contact Jeanette Der Hagopian at 215-672-4188 or choirboss@hotmail.com. Seats are limited. In order to reserve the size bus that we need, we ask for your response no later than March 4, 2018. UNLESS WE HEAR FROM YOU, NO BUS WILL BE RESERVED.

Armenian Sisters Academy
Open House
March 15, 2018 9:00 -11:30 a.m. Join us for a look into the lives of ASA students. The open house will include a tour with our student ambassadors, followed by open discussion with faculty, staff, and parents. RSVP to lsanterian@asaphila.org or 610-687-4100

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

March
Mar 2 Lenten Program: V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan
Mar 9 Lenten Program: V. Rev. Fr. Mesrop Parsamyan
Mar 11 Mitchink Luncheon
Mar 16 Lenten Program: Ani Peckjian
Mar 23 Lenten Program: Holy Jeopardy
Mar 25 Palm Sunday: ACYOA Day/ Palm Sunday Banquet

A GENTLE REMINDER – We wish to remind our parishioners that, by order of the Fire Department, no parking is allowed in the Fire Lane, which is the area next to the lawn and the building in the parking lot. In addition, we have noticed cars who have no handicapped placard or identifying license plate parked in the handicapped spaces, especially behind the building, We ask for your courtesy in respecting the rules and leaving the handicapped spaces for those who truly need them.

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.

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.