THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
September 2, 2018

Fourth Sunday After the Assumption

Broken to be Distributed

The Gospel reads, “And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples to set before the people.” Does this sound familiar? Later in Mark’s Gospel we read very similar words (14:22): “And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them.” Of course, these are the words describing the Last Supper. They are the words the priest prays every week during Badarak just before he elevates the bread and the wine: “Taking the bread in his holy, divine, immortal, spotless and creative hands, he blessed it, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his chosen, holy disciples, who were seated.” Blessed, broken, and distributed to those who were seated. The connection between the Lord’s Supper (Holy Badarak) and Jesus feeding the five-thousand is without question, but is there any significance of the bread being broken before it’s distributed?

The disciples were right. They were concerned about the people being hungry as the hour was getting late, but their faith was small. The idea they brought to Jesus for his approval was their first offering, which turned out to be extremely inadequate when compared to the vision and compassion of Jesus. Testing their compassion, he tells his disciples, “You give them something to eat!” Not at all what they were expecting when they brought their first idea to Jesus. The disciples come up with their second inadequate offering: the five loaves of bread and two fish, clearly not enough to feed five-thousand hungry people who skipped dinner a few hours ago. Jesus, not at all troubled by this, instead wanting to teach his disciples compassion and stewardship, transforms both inadequate offerings into something abundant. But before Jesus gives the bread to the disciples to distribute, he breaks it.

Just before the account of the Lord’s Supper (14:3-9), at which Jesus breaks the bread before it is distributed, we read about an encounter a woman had with Jesus at Bethany: “And while [Jesus] was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.” In order for the ointment to be used or distributed, to fulfill its purpose, the box had to be broken. That’s when the fragrance filled the air. In the epistle reading for this Sunday (II Corinthians 2:12-3:3), we find the following passage:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

By Dn. Eric Vozzy

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

2Corinthians 2: 12:3:3 (pages 163-164) New Testament
Mark 6: 30-44 (pages 37-38) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 10: 12-19 (pages 690-691) Old Testament

PRAYERS DESPERATELY NEEDED for one of our sister churches in the Oriental Orthodox community. As a result of the monsoon in Kerala, India, prayers are requested for all those who have lost family members (over 300 people to date) with a certainty for more to come, as well as those who have been displaced, with many of them currently homeless (over one million). This is a catastrophe of unimaginable scale.

“Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing” (1Tim 2:8). Please pray for Doris Alahverde, Anto Vartanian, Butch Kumkumian, Annabelle Alexanian, Alice Charles, Armenoui Aznavuryan, Pearl Jamgochian, & Albert Santerian for a return to better health and to feel the presence of God in their lives. Pray for our country and her leaders; and also for the children who will soon be returning to school that they may continue their education in a peaceful and safe environment.

SAVE THE DATE: A Banquet honoring The Deacons and Choir of Holy Trinity Armenian Church Sunday, November 18, 2018 immediately following Badarak Stay tuned for more information Contact Holy Trinity Office 215-663-1600or office@holytrinity-pa.org with questions.

Coffee Hour that there will be NO COFFEE HOUR this Sunday (9/2/18)

Starting 9/9/18 we will go back to the regular Fall Fellowship Coffee Hour. This year we are looking for individuals or families, to run a Coffee Hour each Sunday. (Those who have been running it, are overloaded with doing more than one job on Sundays.) There are sign-up sheets for the next 4 month of Sundays. Anyone wishing to sponsor a special Coffee Hour (Birthday, Anniversary, 40 Days or more, etc.) other than the normal Coffee Hour must contact Merle Santerian 215-205-1507, to make arrangements 2 weeks ahead of time. Under the new scheduling, if a Sunday has no one signed up on the Board, to run the Coffee Hour, there will be no Coffee Hour that Sunday. So, please volunteer and let’s fill all the Sundays in on the Schedule. It is not that involved, and Merle will explain what you have to do to run one. Any questions just see her on any Sunday or call her at the above phone number. Thanks, for your cooperation! We know how much everyone enjoys the Fellowship Hour and we would like to keep it going.

SPECIAL COLLECTION NEXT WEEK – As you may know by now, the region of Kerala, India fell victim to one of the worst floods in the past century. A monsoon submerged cities and villages in flood waters, and the destruction, displacement, and loss of life will likely grow worse. More than 300 people have lost their lives and one million people are now homeless.

It is important for us to know that Kerala is the homeland of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church: one of the ancient Oriental Orthodox churches. The Armenian Church has been in communion with this sister church for centuries, and our Diocese maintains the closest of ties with its people and clergy. Kerala is the land evangelized by our Lord’s apostle St. Thomas, even as our own homeland was evangelized by St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew.

We have been asked by our Diocesan Primate to hold a special collection on Sunday, September 9. Please keep this community in your prayers and give thoughtful consideration to how your generous donation can help so many who are struggling to regain some semblance of their lives created by this unimaginable tragedy of nature. Checks should be made out to Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Memo: Kerala. If you will not be in church next week, please consider mailing a check to church for this purpose before next week.

FAR UPDATE: For Hermine, her husband, Slavik, it was a shock to hear that they were having triplets, especially since the couple already have two sons. And when the trio was born prematurely, the babies were treated in intensive care for 45 days. Ashtarak, the village where the family lives in Aragatsotn Province, is lacking in nearly everything, including job opportunity, decent food and housing conditions. Slavik is a contracted serviceman for the army and earns a monthly salary of about $200. They also receive a state benefit, but even so the family couldn’t afford powder milk for all three babies. They had no choice but to give them cow’s milk, which resulted in health problems like low hemoglobin levels and occasional constipation. (Hermine had been unable to breastfeed the babies due to their time in intensive care.) FAR’s Child Poverty Reduction Program is now providing the family with dry milk for the trio—at least 23 packages per month. “I was so happy to receive the dry milk. It’s the most important thing for the moment and the kids are much better now,” Hermine said. To learn more, go to: http://farusa.org/2018/08/23/far-health-programs-child-poverty-reduction-program-assists-new-mother-of-triplets/To support programs like FAR’s Child Poverty Reduction Program, go to: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/armenianrelief/

Opioid and other addictions are a big problem in this country, affecting all of us, including members of the Armenian Church and our parish. Join us on September 16 during Fellowship when we will hear a message from our new primate, Very Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan, and see a video with Fr. Yeprem Kelegian, which includes a first-person account of addiction. Find out what the Church, and we as individual members of the Church, can do about this crisis: provide love, comfort, hope and God’s healing power.

Outreach Volunteers Needed: An in-service day has been scheduled for Saturday, September 22 @ 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 around the church & contact Jeanette Der Hagopian (choirboss@hotmail.com or 215-672-4188) by September 16 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.

Men’s Club “200 Club” Ticket Information: The 2018 – 19 tickets will be distributed at the end of this month. Please submit your payments before the end of September. Thank you & Good Luck!

2018 Attendance: Plate Collection:
July 22- 53 people $321.00
July 29 – 73 people $451.00

August 5 – 74 people $450.00
August 12 – 128 people $845.00
August 19 – 92 people $437.00
August 26 – 75 people

Weekly Expenses: $6,000.00

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)
September
Sunday September 9th -Sunday School registration in church lobby from 10-11:30
Sunday September 16th: FEAST OF EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS & Coffee Hour Program on “Opioid Addiction, Families in Crisis, and the Armenian Church”
Saturday, Sept 22: Aid for Friends cooking session – volunteers needed!

October
26, 27 & 28: Harvest Bazaar

November
Sunday November 18: Banquet

ATTIC TREASURES will return again to the Harvest Bazaar this fall. With limited storage space available at church, we are more focused on items we can accept to be sold at the Attic Treasures table. Gently Used Items must be CLEAN & UNDAMAGED. Desired items are jewelry, women’s accessories, housewares, and small furnishings. Toys, clothing, books straw baskets & florist vases will not be accepted this year . Attic Treasures should be placed on the left side inside the coat room located in the lobby. This is a new location. Please, DO NOT LEAVE in the Sunday School area.
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.

Using the Pew Book: In order to enrich understanding of the Divine Liturgy, we encourage our faithful to follow along in the large two-part Pew Book. Part One includes the classical Armenian used in the Liturgy; the facing page is the translation in modern Western Armenian. Part Two contains the transliteration of the classical Armenian; the right-hand page has the English translation. This Pew Book includes the prayers of the celebrant usually offered inaudibly. The prayers offered aloud are indicated in boldface type.

PARKING REMINDER –
> Non-Disabled Persons parking spaces are designated with white lines.
> Disabled Persons Parking spaces are designated with blue lines and are reserved for vehicles with a State-authorized disability placard or license plate.
> No parking is allowed in the driveway nearest to the kitchen door.
THANK YOU for your cooperation!

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.