THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
January 6, 2019

Feast of the Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas

Dearly Beloved Ones, I greet you in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I like to remind people that the story of Christmas begins with a song: that marvelous song sung by the angels: “Glory to God in the heights of heaven. And on Earth peace, goodwill among all people.”

In the sacred tradition of the Armenian Church, the angels’ song is not a solo. As our famous Christmas hymn proclaims: “The shepherds sing together with the angels, announcing Good News to the world!”

It’s really quite astounding. The Good News of the Savior’s birth inspires those gritty, very worldly men to raise their voices in harmony with the heavenly chorus. Shepherds and angels sing as one. Heaven and Earth are united in a symphony. God is with us: “Emmanuel.”

This is the mystery of Christmas, of the incarnation of the Son of God. When we open the ears of our hearts to the Good News of the Savior, like the Shepherds, we are filled with heavenly joy and divine hope. And we find ourselves in harmony with God and with all Creation.

During these holy days, my prayer for this world, for our precious Church, and for all of you is a life of harmony and hope; of peace and goodwill, in prayerful harmony with our Savior. May our Lord bless you and your loved ones at Christmas and throughout the New Year.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

The Very Reverend Fr. Daniel Findikyan, Primate

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Titus 2: 11-15 (page 194) New Testament
Matthew 1: 18-25 (page 1) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)

Anyone wishing to take Communion today, will please kneel or stand (if kneeling is not possible) at your seat while the Confession is being read. You may, if you wish, follow along in the Red or Blue Divine Liturgy Book in your pew. Once the reading of Confession is finished, proceed down the middle isle to receive Communion and return to your seat.

ALTAR FLOWERS AND CANDLES: are donated today by David and Marta Brann to the Glory of God.

“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” (Romans 15:30) Prayers are requested for Rev. Fr. Shnork Souin, Annabelle Alexanian, Alice Charles, Armenoui Aznavuryan and Pearl Jamgochian for a return to better health and to feel the presence of God in their lives. Pray for our country and her leaders so that peace and kindness will prevail; for our children in their schools – that they may continue their education in a safe environment. As we approach a new year, pray that the “goodwill toward men” that is shown during the Christmas season will carry over into 2019 and beyond.
Blessing of the Water: Sunday January 6, 2019, the Godfather of Water Blessing this year is going to be David Brann.

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.

With Love, We Remember: Please join us at the Divine Liturgy next Sunday, January 13 for A Day of Remembrance. This involves a short candle-lighting service and hokehankisd to honor the memory of those in our community who passed away in 2018. Through this ceremony, now in its fifth year, the entire Holy Trinity parish shares in each family’s loss and remembers all the departed with love, gratitude and consoling prayer.

Understanding our Sharagans—A Simultaneous Translation: As part of Family Worship Month, on Sunday, January 13, our faithful will hear the English translation of selected hymns from the Divine Liturgy. While Dn. Albert Keshgegian offers the lyrics in English, our choir will sing acapella in Armenian. The effect will touch your heart! The sharagans—intended to be sung by the people—contain some of the most profound teachings of our faith. Please plan on being part of the experience and bring the entire family.

January is designated FAMILY WORSHIP MONTH! – Under Fr. Hakob’s leadership, our Church School and our Adult Christian Education ministry have partnered to plan a month of educational opportunities for children and adults designed to enrich understanding of the faith. The sacred space of our sanctuary will become a classroom, and EVERYONE is invited! Each Sunday will provide a different experience – we’ll hear a translation of selected sharagans, receive a guided “tour” of the sanctuary, and see the Badarak interrupted with commentary that promises to deepen our knowledge of the Liturgy. You won’t want to miss this! You can pick up a flyer in the narthex or the lobby.

ANNUAL PARISH ASSEMBLY: Scheduled for February 10, 2019 with alternate snow dates of February 24 or March 10, 2019.

ROAD CLOSURE: Please be advised that beginning on Monday, January 7, 2019, there will be no access to church by way of the intersection at Tookany Creek Parkway and Ashmead Road as the long-awaited reconstruction of the bridge will commence. This closure will require many from Montgomery and Bucks Counties to find an alternate route to church. We have not been advised if detour signs will be put up to help in this regard, nor do we know how long this project will take. Please allow extra time to reach church because of this disruption.

REMINDER: According to the Diocesan Bylaws, membership dues are to be paid no later than December 31st each year in order to be a member in “good standing” and to be eligible to vote at the annual assembly. Any monies received after that date will be applied to the new year. For any questions regarding your status, please call the church office.

2018 Attendance: Plate/Candle Collection:

November
4 – 123 people $660.00
11- 80 people $392.00
18 -169 people $792.00
25 – 70 people $463.00

December
2 – 68 people $400.00
9 – 75 people $547.00
16 – 120 people $800.00
23 – 115 people $580.00
Weekly Expenses: $6,000.00

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

January
Saturday Jan 5 Theophany Eve and Fellowship
Sunday Jan 6 Feast of Theophany / Blessing of Water/ Christmas Pageant Sunday Jan 13 Simultaneous Translation of Selected Hymns and Day of Remembrance
Sunday Jan 20 Tour of Sanctuary with Fr. Hakob
Sunday Jan 27 Instructed Liturgy

February
Sunday February 10th: Annual Parish Assembly (snow dates 2/24 & 3/10)

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.