In the past few months, our community has celebrated two wonderful firsts in our new sanctuary: the FIRST Baptism and the FIRST Wedding! Best Wishes to Garegin Gary Khoetsian & Angela Mkhitaryan for being the first couple to be married in our new church….May you have a long and happy life together. Best Wishes to the Kheshvadjian »
To all Jarakite readers, I’d like to tell you about the Feast of the Virgin Mary. We celebrated this feast day here in an old Armenian traditional way. The Armenian traditions involved with this feast have been passed down through many generations. Some of these traditions are still carried out with Armenians living in the Middle »
On 24 August 2009, the Central Bank of Armenia introduced a new 100,000-dram (US$264) note, now the largest denomination in this Eurasian nation. Front: Royal flag depicting Jesus Christ; King Abgar V of Edessa; 1st-century regional map; crown; ancient coin. Back: Castles; disciple Thaddeus handing canvas of royal flag to King Abgar V; river. Kinegram foil »
“…you are God’s field, God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:9 Every man who works with the soil knows to reap from that soil, you shall patiently pass through a long winter, work hard planting during the Spring, be watchful during the Summer which will bring the full harvest during Autumn. It is the second half of August »
We applaud all our young students who willingly contributed to our School fundraiser with their church piggy banks. Some of our students brought in their ‘life’ savings of change, others earned money at home by doing chores, and even one brother and sister team were creative by collecting all the golf balls that land in »
AMen, the Armenian Men’s Organization, under the direction of Chef Eddie Hajibalian, prepared a mouth-watering barbeque dinner on Saturday, July 11th. The men had steaming platters of shish kebab, luleh kebab, chicken kebab, barbequed peppers and tomatoes, mounds of pilaf, and salad in abundance. After dinner, while the men tended to clean up duties of their professional grade barbeque, the »
Those wishing to include a news item in the Among Us column, may forward all relevant information to Donna Sirounian at donna@zabellegroup.com. We would like to share all happy or sad news (births, baptisms, engagements, weddings, graduations, hospitalizations, funerals) with our church community. Please do not assume that we already know! - Congratulation to Juliana Michelle Bastuba »
PRAYER FOR PEACEFUL SLEEP Beneficent Lord, in your compassion you have prepared eternal rest for virtuous laborers, you have called with your sweet voice those who are suffering without sin, and the weary, promising them rest. Grant us also O Lord, that with undisturbed peace we may pass this night, and with your mercy keep us, who are weary from the weight of sin, to be worthy of eternal »
THE LORD’S PRAYER Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the »
We are happy to inform you, that construction of our church is nearly complete and God willing consecration should take place during the weekend of September 19-20, 2009. As we approach the completion of construction, we are pleased that you have responded in such a positive way to God's call of His people to serve Him. This new willingness to sacrifice and place your love of Christ in action. Construction costs are well within budget, as the building committee, chaired by Marlene Imizian, has done a superb job of cost and quality control. And over the years, our fund raising committee, Chaired by Suzie Grigorians, has raised an amazing $1,400,000... »
Abgar (Apkar) was, according to Armenian tradition, the first Christian king in history, having been converted to the faith by the Apostle Thaddeus. Other accounts regard this as mere legend, equating the Abgar in the story with the Syrian Abgar, a late second-century convert to Christianity. Moses of Khoren suggests that the name of the legendary figure is a corruption of an individual's title: "…Because of his uncommon modesty and wisdom, and his old age, this Abgaros was given the title of Avag Hair (Senior Father). The Greeks and Assyrians, unable to articulate his name correctly, called him Abgar." »
Rising Cross On June 28, 2009 the Western Diocese celebrated a milestone as it progresses towards the completion of the Mother Cathedral. The celebration began following the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Burbank Parish with the blessing and consecration of the cross which will sit atop the central dome of the Mother Cathedral, and was continued »
Summer BBQ GAthering With Det Hayr’s blessing, AMen invites you to a Summer BBQ Gathering, Saturday, July 11 @ 6.00PM at the Melikian Hall 8849 E.Cholla, Scottsdale Music, fun and games for families. Also watch for details about AMen’s annual tavloo tournament in August 2009. »
Vartavar (also known as Vardevar or Vardavar) is a festival in Armenia where people of all ages drench each other with water. Its name is a derivative from “vard” in Armenian, which stands for “rose” in English. Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. »
I congratulate the Arizona Armenian community and all its organizations on the wonderful work that they have done over the years. It is with awe that I admire your dedication to our Church. With everyone’s help, including mine, we will be able to build a Church of love and unity, built on the Rock of Faith. »
