THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
October 19, 2025

 Sixth Sunday After Exaltation

 Scripture and Feast Day Notes

Luke 4:14-23 Jesus is teaching in Nazareth following His victory over the devil in the wilderness. In a way, this is the Jesus story in miniature: He is first met with praise and acclaim but this response sours through jealousy, suspicion, and ignorance. Discuss/reflect: When Jesus spoke to his “hometown crowd” in Nazareth, they first marveled at His “gracious words.” Later, what He told them made them so angry they wanted to drive Him over a cliff (vv 28-30). What teachings of Jesus are the hardest for you to hear? Love your enemy?  Give all you have to the poor? Do good works without seeking public credit? Or?

Galatians 4:3-18 St. Paul reminds the Galatians that Christ offers the possibility of being God’s sons and daughters and therefore not slaves to pagan philosophies. He calls on their friendship and open-hearted spirit to turn from wrong influences. Discuss/reflect:  To fully understand the intimate relationship we can now have with God, consider the difference between being a paid ‘servant’ (cook, housekeeper, driver) to a family and being one of the children in the family. Itemize qualities that distinguish each relationship.

Isaiah 20:2-21:6 The Judeans were looking to Egypt and Cush for protection, but these powers would be shamefully toppled. Discuss/reflect: Such a timely story, as true today as it was so many centuries ago! After the last year and a half of pandemic and seismic social and economic changes, what things (people, values, goals, material items, etc.) do you no longer think are important to your happiness and security? Identify what really matters. Do this all in the form of a conversation with the Person who matters most!

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 greeting 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.

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.

Requiem Services – We Honor And Pray For These Souls

Karasoonk today will be for

Anna Hanamirian on the 40^th day of her eternal rest. Requested in loving memory by the Hanamirian / Momjian families and the Semerjian family.

Agape Hour – Please join us for tasty treats and enlightening conversations.

Harvest Bazaar Donations Needed! – As we prepare for our upcoming Harvest Bazaar, we are reaching out to our community for donations. We welcome contributions in the form of cash, gift cards, new gifts, tickets for sporting events, theater, movie or any other new items that can be included in our gift baskets. Ask your local merchants such as hair, nail salons, restaurants, etc. if they will give gifts certificates. Any amount is welcome! All donations need to be received by Wednesday, October 22^nd. 100% of the profit goes to the church!!!! Please put your name and phone number on the item.

If you would like to donate, please contact Cecelia Garibian at 267-210-0670 or email cecelia714@gmail.com or Ani Navasartian at 908-528-0019. Please drop off your donations at the church on Sundays or contact the office at 215-663-1600 to arrange drop offs during the week. Thank you for your support and generosity!

Donate Items for Bazaar Children’s Raffle – Please consider donating new toys, games, crafts, art supplies, puzzles, gift cards etc. for the Bazaar Children’s raffle. The children’s raffle is one of the most exciting part for the kids. We need your donation of gifts to make this successful and fun for them.  Please bring your donation to church and put it in the basket marked Bazaar Children’s Raffle in the Church School office by October 19th.(10/19)

Caring for Friends Service Day:  Are you able to put aside a Saturday morning to feed isolated individuals, shut-ins who are hungry and lonely? Then join us on Saturday, November 1 to prepare meals for the “Caring for Friends” organization that distributes nutritious meals to those in need. We’ll begin our day at 10:00 a.m. in the church kitchen with a light breakfast, then we’ll work until 1:00. We’ll need to purchase food items in advance, so please contact us at nancybasmajian@verizon.net.(11/26)

Finding Meaning in Photography – Join us for an IN-PERSON visual presentation by photographer Gary Altoonian on his extraordinary ability to capture the ordinary and the sublime with his camera. The gathering will be held on Sunday, November 9 following Liturgy. Gary will share and talk about the technical and artistic elements of his photography in laymen language!  What inspires him? What moves us when we gaze upon his creations? He promises to answer questions on our own efforts as amateur photographers.(11/09)

Operation Christmas Child begins again, and we invite you to be a part of this amazing outreach by filling shoeboxes for underprivileged children all over the world including Armenia, through Samaritan’s Purse. This worthy organization provided thirty tons of humanitarian aid and set up triage centers staffed with medical professionals to help our Artsakh brothers and sisters when they were tragically forced to leave their homes. Shipping fees are once again being underwritten by the generosity of the Adult Christian Education (ACE) Ministry. We hope you will help us reciprocate in this small way by filling a box or two or more!

Additionally, we kindly request that you write the number corresponding to your name on the sign-up sheet on the bottom of your shoebox. This will allow us to discreetly identify returned shoeboxes.

For those unable to participate, donations will be gratefully accepted! Donation checks should be made payable to Holy Trinity Armenian Church, memo: OCC. Drop your boxes off early! Absolutely no boxes can be accepted after November 16. Any questions can be referred to Gena DerHagopian or Alyssa Santerian.

Pastor’s Bible Study:  Our Adult Christian Education (ACE) ministry team is pleased to announce a five-week Bible Study via Zoom on the Letter of St. James. Our guide will be Fr. Hakob, whose understanding of Scripture and our human frailties has inspired and comforted participants for several years. We will meet on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 from October 15 to November 12. All are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, send an email request to nancybasmajian@verizon.net.

Discover the Beauty of the Armenian Language! – Learn Eastern Armenian with Mariam, a native speaker, through engaging and personalized classes that focus on the alphabet, vocabulary, cultural insights, and practical communication. Sign up now and start your Armenian language journey with Mariam! For more information, please contact Mariam via Email at marpoghosyan17@gmail.com or call her at 445-256-3966.

Seeking Part-time Organists – The Choir of Holy Trinity continues to seek multiple talented musicians who would be seriously interested in playing the organ for the Sunday morning Divine Liturgy (Badarak) on a rotating schedule. Organ lessons will be provided for the interested candidates, along with one-on-one direction from a senior choir person.  For more information, please contact Karinne Andonian at karinne.hov@gmail.com.

~~~~~~~~~~TODAY’S EVENTS~~~~~~~~~~

Sixth Sunday After Exaltation
Oct 18         Feast of the Evangelists Sts. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Oct 22         Pastor’s Zoom Bible Study
Oct 25-26    Annual Harvest Bazaar
Oct 26         Feast of the Discovery of the Holy Cross
Oct 29         Pastor’s Zoom Bible Study
Nov 01         Caring for Friends Service Day
Nov 05         Pastor’s Zoom Bible Study
Nov 09         Finding meaning in Photography – IN PERSON EVENT
Nov 12         Pastor’s Zoom Bible Study
Nov 27         Thanksgiving

Until The Annual Harvest Bazaar!!

Bazaar Prep – Volunteers Needed

Ladies (and Gentleman) of HTAC Please Help with October Bazaar Prep

It’s time to prepare for the annual Bazaar! Let us know if you will be able to help with cooking, prep and/or food service on either of the dates below by emailing wg@holytrinity-pa.org and we will let the chefs/coordinators know they can count on you to help! (There may be more cooking dates to be announced so please keep checking for updates)

Choreg making
10am Wednesdays

Yalanchee wrapping
10am Tuesday October 21^st

Food Prep work (Night Before Bazaar)
5pm Friday October 24^th

Hall and Kitchen Prep Work
Mornings before Bazaar starts
10am Saturday October 25^th
10am Sunday October 26^th

Food Service during Bazaar
One-hour shifts
Saturday October 25^th
3 pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6 pm, 7 pm
Sunday October 26th