THE SUNDAY MESSENGER
October 20, 2019

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EXALTATION

FEAST OF THE EVANGELISTS

On Saturday, October 19, 2019, the Armenian Church will celebrate the Feast of the Evangelists.

Evangelist St. Mathew is one of the twenty apostles of the Lord. He is the author of the first Gospel. The name of Matthew is the Greek version of the Hebrew name meaning God-given. His Hebrew name has been Levi. In the past he has been a tax collector in Capernaum. Then obeying to God’s will he has sold his property, distributed the money to the poor and has become on the followers of Jesus Christ. He has preached the Word of God in Parthia and Palestine.

Evangelist St. Mark was the nephew of Barnabas. He was born in Jerusalem. He was named also John. It was the house of his mother – Mary that was the place of prayer for the apostles. It is supposed that it was the place where Our Lord Jesus Christ had the Last Supper and where the Church was founded during the Pentecost. He has been the interpreter of St Peter, as well as the friend of St. Paul and Barnabas. He is the author of the shortest Gospel. He has preached the Word of God in Egypt, where he has been martyred, he is the founder of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Evangelist St. Luke is the author of the third Gospel. He was born in Antioch. According to the tradition he is one of the seventy-two disciples of Jesus Christ. According to St. Paul he has been a physician. Listening about the Lord’s Preaching, Luke goes to Palestine and follows the Lord. He has preached the Word of God in Achaia, Libya, Egypt and Teba. He has written “The Acts of the Apostles” upon the request of Theophilos of Rome. According to the tradition he has been martyred in Teba.

Evangelist St. John is the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters and the Revelation. He deserved the title of the “beloved disciple” of Christ. He was the son of the fisherman Zebedee and the brother of James. He is considered to be one of the two disciples of St. John the Baptist who followed Jesus (See Jn 1:37). Afterwards the Lord called him to Galilee and gave him the authority of apostle. John became one of the closest Disciples of Christ. Together with James and Peter he witnessed the “transfiguration” that came over Jesus while He was praying on a high mountain named Tabor, went to the valley of Gethsemane. Together with St. Mary, Holy Godmother, he stood near the cross and at the moment of crucifixion Jesus asked him to take care of the Holy Mother of God. Together with Peter he was the first who went to the tomb of Christ and later met Him near the Sea of Genneseret (or Sea of Galilee or Lake Kinneret or Lake Tiberias). Later we see him during the persecutions of Christians in Jerusalem and his success in preaching in Samaria. After the descent of the Holy Spirit John went to Asia Minor and settled down in Ephesus where he took care of the churches founded by Paul and wrote down the Gospel there. Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus (Domitian) exiled him to Patmos where he was given (and recorded) a vision from Jesus. In Patmos or Ephesus he wrote also his letters addressed to the faithful flock.

During the period of reign of Roman Emperor Nero he returned to Ephesus where he passed away in 100 AD, in Ephesus, at the age of 95.

TODAY’S BIBLE READINGS:

Galatians 4:3-18 (pages 172-173) New Testament
Luke 4:14-23 (pages 55-56) New Testament – (Please follow the Armenian Reading in your Bible)
Isaiah 20: 2-21:6 (page 698) Old Testament

REQUIEM SERVICES: Karasoonk (40th Day memorial Service) today will be for:

– HAROUTIOAN SEMERJIAN on the 40th Day of His eternal life requested by the Semerjian Family.

Hokehankist today will be for:

– ZAROUHI SARAH MAZERIAN she was a genocide survivor and unidentified at Whitemarsh Cemetary for over 90 years so we wanted to recognize her and honor her today requested by Michael and Suzanne Sherenian & Family.

“I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!” (Psalm 116:1-2 NLT). Please pray for Merle Santerian, Steve Hovnanian, Alice Charles, Armen Mirakian and Pearl Jamgochian for a return to improved health and to feel the presence of God in their lives. Please also keep in your prayers the leaders and well-being of both the United States and Armenia.

NEW COMMUNION PROCEDURE – Before gathering for confession, please allow time for the Choir Members to come down and join us before we begin.

COFFEE HOUR TODAY – A Madagh is offered today by Vahe and Anna Ohanyan in thanksgiving to God for the well-being of their daughter, Nicole. All are welcome.

COUNTRY STORE will be closed today. Purchases can be made next weekend at the Harvest Bazaar.

Did you know that when we participate in Soorp Badarak (Divine Liturgy), we are also being invited to a meal (communion) offered by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. As such, we should dress in a manner worthy of that invitation. We ask our faithful to dress appropriately for worship. Please, no very short dresses, shorts or bare shoulders. Thank you.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD is up & running! Please stop by our shoebox table this Sunday and pick up your shoebox(es) when you sign up and pay the shipping fee of $9 per box. We’ll help you get started to give Christmas joy to children in a faraway land, including Armenia. DEADLINE to return boxes is SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 10. Sooner is fine too! For any questions, contact Jeanette Der Hagopian (215-206-0440) or choirboss@hotmail.com. To those who are unable to fill a shoebox, all donations will be gratefully accepted. All Checks should be made payable to: Holy Trinity Armenian Church, Memo: OCC

It’s Bake Shoppe time again! For this years’ Bazaar we are looking for donations of HOMEMADE items. Chocolate chips are our favorites! Any questions please contact Berj Murray at 856-912-2417.

GIFT AUCTION: We are in need of donations for the Harvest Bazaar Gift Auction and are asking for your help. We will again feature our Raffle ticket items valued at over $100 and our silent auction for special items. Our goal is to obtain new gifts each in value of $100 or more but we are happy to accept gifts of various values that we can combine in our baskets. Gifts can be geared toward younger children like Star Wars, Spiderman, Pokemon, or other trending items for kids. For teenagers (movie theater basket) or adults (golf, tennis, restaurants, massage/beauty or home). Gift baskets and gift certificates are most appreciated. We also will have letters you can take to various businesses to see if they would provide a $20 to $30 gift certificate for free. If you own a business and are willing to donate, please let us know. Wine or liquor are popular items that we can combine with other items. For the special items we would look for large value items (over $200), liquor, jewelry, oriental rugs for home and vacation houses. In addition, if anyone could lend us their beach house for a weekend or week, that would help to generate funds. Cash will also be appreciated to purchase desirable items. Please call or email Cece Garibian at 215-884-9292 or cecelia714@gmail.com OR Tanya Paretchan at 215-947-4394 or tparetchan@hotmail.com, for more details. Thank you in advance for all your generosity and support.

CASTING CALL: Do you have a flair for drama? For comedy? Do you like to be center stage? If so, we have a fun opportunity for you…it’s an amateur ACE production of the famous Hovhannes Toumanian fable, “The Foolish Man Who Went to See God,” to be performed in a Dinner Theater format here at Holy Trinity. For more information, contact Leslie Movsesian at plmovsesian@aol.com or 215-801-2725.

November Bible Study: Our Adult Christian Education ministry is sponsoring a three-session study on St. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians. With Fr. Hakob as our guide, we will read through this short (six chapters), but challenging letter that deals with such questions as: What are the qualities that define the Christian community and the Christian? What happens when believers live out these qualities? Come to see how you and we measure up. We will meet on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 on November 5, 12 and 19. To register, email nancybasmajian@verizon.net or call or text 215-510-0846.

Men’s Club Tickets update– There are still some tickets available. The first drawing is scheduled for Nov 3rd. This annual program provides important income for the church and $10,000 to the winners! Please contact the church office soon.

Safety Planning Program- For any parishioner interested in learning more about our ongoing efforts to prepare and plan for safety & emergency actions. Presented by Parish Council and Cheltenham Township Law Enforcement on Thursday November 14th at 7pm in Santerian Hall.

CHURCH CALENDAR (please mark your calendars)

October
October 25, 26 & 27: Harvest Bazaar

2019 Attendance: Plate/Candle Collection:

September
1 – 37 people $234.00
8 – 82 people $490.00
15- 82 people $488.00
22 – 71 people $285.00
Weekly Expenses: $6,000.00

NEW IN BOOKSTORE: With pride, we are pleased to announce “Acoustic Armenia,” a CD by a devoted member of the Holy Trinity family, Karinné Andonian. The music of this album is meant to revere the spirit of Armenian music. The Armenian heart has always sung, and here it sings simply and organically, intending to bring a sense of togetherness and home just as it was when it was created generations ago. Available in Bookstore $12.

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.

THE NICENE CREED/ HAVADAMK – This is the Profession of our Faith which is often sung after the Gospel is read from the altar. Occasionally, it will be 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 Jeanette Der Hagopian at 215-672-4188.

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.