THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
October 12, 2025

Fifth Sunday After Exaltation

Scripture and Feast Day Notes

From Today’s Readings

Mark 12:35-44 To those gathered around him in the temple courts, Jesus boldly challenges the teachers of the law for dismissing Him as a mere son of David rather than David’s Lord and God’s Son. He contrasts their pompous self-importance and the wealthy with a poor widow who gives a much greater share of what she has to the temple offering. Discuss/reflect: A poor, nameless widow caught Jesus’ eye in her act of generosity. Would your spirit of giving to the poor, to all in need, do the same? Say a prayer of thanks to her for providing once upon a time in Jerusalem, in humble innocence, an example the Lord deemed worthy for all time.

Galatians 2:1-10 St. Paul is addressing the validity of his ministry to the Gentiles (non-Jews), confirming that even the church leaders knew it to be important and true. (Conservative traditionalists thought non-Jews needed to become Jews first before accepting Christ.) Poignantly, he is reminded by these leaders to always remember the poor. Discuss/reflect: Based on these verses, what do you think a person needs to do/to be in choosing to follow Christ? Pray for a humble heart, open to the suffering in the world.

Isaiah 19:1-11 Isaiah asserts that even Egypt, a great and fearful power upon which people depended, is subject to God‘s will; their idols would be crushed and their destiny cruelly altered. Discuss/reflect: “The Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt…the idols of Egypt tremble before Him (19:1). What a beautiful image! Replace the word Egypt with your own home/town/country. What idols would tremble? In these troubling times, pray for God’s presence.

Holy Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Saturday, October 19)

The four Gospels are among the most beloved books of the Bible. As those who lived during Jesus’ time began to age and die, people felt it important to record the accounts of those who had known Him. There were many gospels circulating in the early centuries of the church. But the gospels that grew widely popular, were read most often, and sanctioned by the church elders entered the canon. These four Gospels are considered sacred biographies for although they are certainly biographical and historical, they are primarily a personal witness to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as understood by a particular writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

During Badarak, when the deacon elevates the Gospel book over his head or whenever we kiss the Gospel book, we are lovingly acknowledging its value and authority in our lives. As Christians, we are called to be the Gospel. God has chosen us to be His evangelists and inspire others to experience Jesus Christ.

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.

Agape Hour – Please join us for good snacks 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)

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 Der Hagopian 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~~~~~~~~~~

Fifth Sunday After Exaltation
Oct 15         Bible Study Resumes
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
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
October 15th

Yalanchee wrapping
10am Tuesday October 21st

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