|
|
 |
INSIDE:
Dates to Remember! Nov 28th – St. Sahag and Mesrob Providence ACYOA Seniors host 36th annual “Holiday Kef” Nov 28th – St. Johns ACYOA Seniors hosts the annual “November Dance” Dec 5th – Central Council Meeting Dec 19th – St. Sahag & St. Mesrob ACYOA Seniors host the 4th annual “Holiday Dance” Jan 8-10th – St. Hagop ACYOA host “Kef Time Tampa Bay” Jan 15-17th – 2nd Annual ACYOA Chapter Workshop hosted by Central Council and the St. David ACYOA St. David Armenian Church, Boca Raton, FL December – ACYOA Blood Drive Chapter Spotlight: St. Leon ACYOA, Fair Lawn, NJ Chapter Spotlight is a new and exciting tool we will start using to showcase one chapter a month. It is not a contest and there is no prize if your chapter is selected, just the gratification of being in the ACYOA The ACYOA Seniors of St. Leon Church in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Diran Bohajian, is coming to the culmination of a great year of service, fellowship, and fun. Chaired by Jim Ishkanian, the group of 22 hosted many successful events this year. Undoubtedly, the two most successful events were the “ACYOA Seniors Garage Sale” and “The First Annual St. Leon 3 v. 3 Basketball Tournament”. The garage sale, held on May 16, 2009 was a great event. The idea for an ACYOA garage sale came from a discussion in January at the Chapter Leaders Workshop in Boca Raton, Florida. Gevork Vartanian and Ara Janigian (Providence chapter) shared a Power Point presentation with the workshop participants and explained some of the events that their chapter hosts each year. The two discussed how the group holds an extremely successful garage sale every year which is a hit among both parishioners and community members. After further discussion with Christine Royland and Jim Ishkanian, it was decided that St. Leon would be an excellent venue to host a similar event. The St Leon parishioners and the rest of the ACYOA Seniors agreed, and the garage sale was planned. The ACYOA Seniors hosted donation collections after church on two different Sundays. Parishioners came in droves with items in tow to donate to the cause. Donated items ranged from electronics to furniture and everything in between. Feedback on the event was extremely positive, as is evident by the over $500 that the event grossed. Parishioners and ACYOA members alike are looking forward to hosting another garage sale next year.
(Pictured from Back: L to R: Eric Ashbahian, Sarah Badach, Jennifer Bedrosian, Ashley Tenbekjian, Christine Royland, Matt Royland, Abp. Khajag Barsamian, Jim Ishkanian, Harout Sahagian, Joe Hovsepian, Vartan Sayegh, Front: L to Right: Amy Ishkanian, Julie Halejian, ACYOA Sports Weekend Sports Director: Jonathan Pelaez and Mike Givelekian) The biggest and most successful event that the group hosted was the basketball tournament which took place on April 25th at the Shahinian Gymnasium located in the Pinajian Youth Center (St. Leon’s newest facility). The idea for this tournament was that of Jim Ishkanian. Jim felt that it would be great to host an event were Armenian youth from different churches all over the area could come together to compete on a friendly level. The event was a great way to “break-in the new gym”. More than five churches were present boasting over 60 participants, and numerous spectators came to cheer on their friends. Basketball players competed in four divisions; Men, Junior Boys, Senior Boys, and Women. Each team competed in a minimum of two games within their division and continued to play until each division had a champion. All participants received a commemorative “3 v. 3 Tournament” t-shirt. Through the efforts of registration and an extensive concession stand, the event grossed over $1,000. The ACYOA members decided that the profit from the event should be donated to the St. Leon Building Fund to help with necessary upkeep and updates that are coming in the future.
(Pictured from L to R: Jenna Ishkanian, Christine Royland, Eric Ashbahian, Danielle Medina, Greg Halejian, Adam Tashjian, Jim Ishkanian, Jacques Minoyan, Former ACYOA Central Council Member Johnny Elchemmas, Lena Jinavizian, Karen Tonoyan, Lori Manuelian, Diran Jebejian, and Gina Galo) The St. Leon ACYOA Seniors are looking forward to another busy year of great events and activities. Please join us on Facebook, group name St. Leons ACYOA Seniors, for updates and information on upcoming events and activities. By, Christine Royland, ACYOA Seniors Executive Secretary Unforgettable Memories: Announcing the ACYOA Yearbook! Do you have memories from ACYOA that you would like to share with the world? Do you have pictures and stories from your old ACYOA days? Did you meet your spouse at an ACYOA function over the years? Here is your chance to reminisce about the good ol' days! We are proud to announce that the ACYOA will be publishing its first ever yearbook just in time to commemorate its 65th year anniversary. Here is a taste of what you can expect to see:
This is just a small sample of the yearbook. We are hoping to get feedback from all of our churches in the Diocese. We have set up liaisons in each region so it will be easier for you to share your memories that you would like to include in the yearbook. When we have our liaisons finalized we will let your parish know, but it's never too early to start! So if you have anything you would like to share, please email us at acyoayearbook@gmail.com You can also call Megan Karanfil at 443.622.4742 or Ara Janigian at 401.486.8495 Look in future Eblasts for more details! Ever wonder how clergy prepare for Badarak every week? This article will explain the preparation and thought process for one clergymen on his weekly development and agenda before Sunday. Take it away Der Stepanos...
As a priest, everything I do each week in the life of the parish is brought up to the Altar on Sunday morning and given to God on His Holy Table. It is no longer mine, but now belongs to God – parishioners’ issues, challenges, joys, successes, celebrations, losses, pains and sorrows, and every other emotion and feeling that humans possess. I am especially cognizant of this when I am doing the procession in the beginning of Badarak and people say, "Remember me before the immortal Lamb of God," and I respond walking up to the Altar, "You shall be remembered before the immortal Lamb of God." During the Badarak, I feel a deep connection with God, even as unworthy as I am. Each week something different affects me spiritually from the prayers I offer. There are times I am brought to tears saying some of the prayers and there are other Sundays when I can be easily distracted. During those times, I try to refocus my thoughts by looking into the eyes of Mary and Jesus at the Altar, or by saying one of the words from the Badarak a few times to get me back into a prayerful mode. Celebrating the Badarak is always a divine experience, but I am always reminded of my human weaknesses. Toward the middle of each week, as I prepare for my sermon, I look at the Bible readings assigned for that Sunday. I focus on one sentence, phrase, word, event, or experience that spoke to me and I let that resonate in my heart. As the scriptures are mulling around inside of me, I look for a connection between God's word and the recent events in the lives of my parishioners, the local community, and the world, as well as my personal journey. Then, through the power of the Holy Spirit, a hope-filled sermon is created. I will sometimes include in my sermon, a prayer or phrase from the Badarak in order to make the Sunday worshipping experience more relevant. At the forefront of every Sunday sermon is my desire for people to take something with them when they leave the doors of the church. I pray they leave inspired, motivated, or even challenged. Other times, I give them an assignment or responsibility to perform throughout the week--it may be to visit a shut-in, send a card to someone ill, prepare a meal for a person in need, or some sort of Christian outreach. I may also encourage my congregation to look up a certain passage in the Bible or a prayer in the Badarak and ask them to read it as a family. My goal is to give them something to do during the week that will remind them of their Sunday experience. Der Stepanos Doudoukjian Thanks for reading the November issue of the ACYOA Newsletter. We will have many more articles and breaking news in next months issue. If you would like to share something regarding your chapter or an individual, please feel free to Email Ara Janigian - Arajanigian@gmail.com, and we will try our best to include it in the upcoming month. Look for the new ACYOA website to be launched during December! |
|
You are receiving this email because you have previously subscribed to receive communication from the ACYOA or have otherwise communicated with us in the past. Please understand that we may have an older email address for you, and ask that you click this link if you wish to change the address associated with our list, or otherwise change your email preferences. If you no longer wish to receive emails from the ACYOA, please click here to be instantly unsubscribed. Thank you. ACYOA Central Council :: 630 Second Avenue, New York, NJ 10016 :: 212.686.0710 :: www.acyoa.org :: info@acyoa.org |
My recipe for Sunday Badarak and sermon preparation is almost like the way I cook, Armenian style -- Achkee chahp (measured by eye). I take a little bit of this, a pinch of that, and mix it all together with the Holy Spirit until it comes out just right.