Armenian Church News. Happy Armenian Street Festival 2016! Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland

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1 Volume 2, Issue July 2016 Armenian Church News Diocese of the Armenian Church in the United Kingdom and Ireland Happy Armenian Street Festival 2016! In this issue: ASF 2016 ASF Committee Stalls at ASF Feedback Iveta visits Scouts Birmingham Parish Armenian Saturday Language School Diocese of the Armenian Church of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate Diocesan Office Tel armenianchurch.co.uk On Sunday, 17 th July 2016, the sixth annual Armenian Street Festival took place in Iverna Gardens in Kensington, London. This is a major cultural event that unites Armenians across the United Kingdom and Ireland - a celebration of cultural identity, history and faith, as well as vital fundraising for the Church. It is organised under the auspices of the Armenian Church in the UK and Ireland, and is one of the projects of the Armenian Church Trust (ACT UK). There were special guests, including clergy of many denominations, Members of Parliament, and talented musicians from Armenia. Visitors came from Armenia, Russia, Belgium, the USA, as well as from the parish communities in Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham and Dublin. From early morning, the whole of Iverna Gardens was fenced off from traffic and representatives of various Armenian organisations were setting up their stalls to promote their activities such as music, theatre and cultural groups, and sell products including art, crafts, publications and food.

2 The day began with the Divine Liturgy being celebrated in St. Sarkis Church by Fr. Garegin Hambartsumyan, Dean of the Theological Academy of Holy Etchmiadzin. Following this, a procession of clergy and the St. Sarkis choir, presided over by Archbishop Nathan Hovhanissian, Head of the External Relations and Protocol Department of Holy Etchmiadzin, exited the Church and began the medieval outdoor service of Andastan the Blessing of the Four Corners of the Earth. After this special blessing, there was a ribboncutting ceremony to officially open the festival. This was conducted by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Councillor Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford, Stephen Pound MP for Ealing North and Armenian Consulate Hayarpi Drmeyan amongst other dignitaries. After the official opening, there were welcoming speeches by the special guests, including the Bishop of London, The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Richard Chartres, and Hermia Bell, representing her husband Councillor Julian Bell, the Leader of Ealing Council. His Grace Bishop Hovakim greeted the crowd with a welcoming speech: Your Eminence, Your Excellences, Your Graces, dear friends, It is with great joy that I welcome you all to the 6th Armenian Street Festival. The ASF brings together Armenians and non-armenians not only to support our Church and its mission, but to also show our unity and strength. I started my Primacy of the Armenian Church of the UK and Ireland one year ago and after a hectic but extremely productive year; I recall the words of the psalmist how beautiful it is when brothers dwell in together." This is a 2

3 unique event as the ASF gathers the Armenian community in the United Kingdom and Ireland together to celebrate our culture and shows how cohesive and how united we stand together. This year we are very happy to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Armenia and Artsakh. We also celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen. We dedicate this event to the 25 th anniversary of the Independence of Armenia. As Armenians we are strong with our beloved homeland and as British citizens we are praying for the longevity of her majesty the Queen. I am delighted to greet our guests from Armenia: talented singers, musicians and actors and am also thrilled to greet our guests and friends from all around the world including Russia and Belgium who have come to join us on this festive day. I am thankful to all the Armenian organisations and businesses that are here today, supporting us and presenting their fine work. I am most thankful to our benefactors who support this annual event and without their support this celebration would not be as successful. I am particularly grateful to all donors of ACT UK and all the other members of our community who generously support the mission of the Armenian Church throughout the year (NYRAFF and Tanielian family, AGBU, Gulbenkian Charity Trust, the Manoukian, Didizian, Arzoumanov, Kurkjian, Tatevossian, Margossian, Darzi, Sahakian and Torosyan families, Mrs Barsamian and Miss Barsamian, Mr and Mrs Margossyan, Tekeyan Trust and Cultural Association, Jakobs, Dublin Parish, AYA, St Sarkis Parish, Massis Tea, Vahe Gulvanessian, Mr Sahakian, Robert Tateossian.) I would like to thank St. Sarkis Parish Council and the Managing Trust for helping me with 3

4 the logistics and for supporting the ASF. Most importantly I would like to thank all the local residents (please do join us if you are watching us from your balconies), the local authorities, the Mayor of the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford and the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea itself for allowing this event to happen. And last but not least of course I would like to thank, on behalf of the whole community, our ASF Head coordinator Dickran Bedrossian and his extremely hard working team for their endless time and dedication they have put in to this project and the whole ASF team. Thank you for your extraordinary hard work and commitment. This year I wanted to honour our previous Primates who had served in this Diocese. We very sadly lost the Late Archbishop Yeghishe Gizirian. His Eminence would have turned 91 years old 2 days ago had he still been with us. We pray for the loving memory of His Eminence and we will always remember all the great work he achieved in his life for us. We are delighted to have present here our former Primate His Eminence Archbishop Nathan. Please, greet Serbazan with your warm applause. I had also invited my predecessor, His Grace Bishop Vahan, who is now the Primate of France. He came to join us for the ASF but due to the recent tragedy in Nice, he had to return to France immediately. I would like us all to observe a minute s silence to respect the memories of the innocent lives lost due to this tragedy. Thank you very much. May God Bless you all. Enjoy and Welcome to your 6 th Armenian Street Festival I love you all and we love #ASF! 4

5 During the afternoon, the entertainments programme was led by MCs Nouritza Matossian, Karine Bedrossian and Nazeni Hovhannisyan. Akhtamar Dance Group performed beautifully and encouraged the crowd to join in with Armenian dancing. Inside St. Sarkis Church, there was a recital by Levon Chilingirian who was accompanied also by Astghik Pogosyan (representing the AGBU Summer Internship Programme), and singing by the Komitas Choir. There was a Kid s Corner, where children could enjoy having their faces painted, a balloon artist and many more fun activities. Outside on the stage, renowned duduk player Gevorg Karapetyan impressed the audience with traditional music. Later in the afternoon, singer Iveta Mukuchyan, Armenia s entry to Eurovision, enhanced the joyful atmosphere with her upbeat songs. Iveta played a five song set, including a cover of Sweet Lovin, a new Armenian language single and her popular Eurovision 2016 song LoveWave. The evening concluded with a speech by Bishop Hovakim, thanking Dickran Bedrossian, ASF co-ordinator along with the ASF Committee, and Arthur Gourounlian, Creative Director of the ASF, for all their hard work. Later that evening, Raffi and Alice Tanielian hosted a reception at their home in honour of the musicians and to celebrate the ASF. Representatives from all organisations were invited. This year s ASF was dedicated to the 25 th Anniversary of Armenian Independence, and to her Majesty the Queen, on the occasion of her 90 th birthday. 5

6 A Huge Thank You to the ASF Organising Committee! The Armenian Street Festival would not have been possible without the tireless dedication of many volunteers. A huge thank you goes to Dickran Bedrossian, Chairman of the ASF Committee since Dickran is a husband, father and grandfather. He spent his whole working career in the sports industry. He retired in 2003 and now teaches and enjoys as much tennis as possible. This year s festival was Dickran s last as Chairman. We give you our heartfelt thanks for being such a wonderful organiser. The ASF Committee was composed of the Chairperson: Dickran Bedrossian, Entertainment: Anais Heghoyan, Arthur Gourounlian and Karine Bedrossian, Children's corner: Shiraz Vartanian, VIP's: James Harland and Jeannine Gulvanessian, Finance committee: Tamara Stephan and Koko Sabounjiyan, Food Committee: Sylva Yeghiazarian and Vera Harland, Stalls: Bedros Aslanyan, Raffle: Mimi Heghoyan, Permits and Applications: Hrachik Sarian. I am also extremely thankful to all of the volunteers: videography by Armine Vosganian, photography Sona Gevorgyan and Vahagn Gulakyan, Armenian media coverage by Naira Hayrapetyan, letter writing by Tatiana der Avedisian, Andre, Primates Office Ladies Committee, Karina Gevorgyan, and my staff members at the Primates Office present and past who have supported me and helped to carry out our mission; MC s Nouritza Matossian, Karine Bedrossian and Nazeni Hovhannisyan. We thank all the gentlemen who were in charge of the 6

7 Many Diverse Stalls and Organisations Represented at the ASF We were very happy to welcome all our stallholders, who brought us wonderful products for sale, as well as those promoting their cultural, spiritual and artistic activities. They included the following: AGBU London; AGBU London YP; Ara Petrosyan; Armenian Community Council; Armenian Institute; Armenian Relief Society; Armenian Studies; AYA Football; Birthright Armenia; Catholic Church; Centre for Armenian Information and Advice; Dublin Parish Council; Elina Shahumyan - handmade silver jewellery; Gomidas Institute; Homenetmen; Kevork Tahta Armenian Language School; One Armenia; Primate s Stall; Raffle; St. Sarkis Parish Council; The Tekeyan Trust; Tombola; Vahe Karimyan; Zaruhi Seropyan Ginvino Ltd & Voskeni Winery. Thank you for your participation and you all contributed to making the festival a great success! 7

8 Some feedback about the ASF... A few days after the ASF, we were pleased to receive this at the Primate s Office: Good morning. I am a resident of Iverna Gardens and I m writing to congratulate you and the team, who put the Festival together this year. It was SO very well organised this year and so much more professional and enjoyable. We all had a fun day and as always, the weather was superb. I think a very good time was had by all. Thank you again and we already look forward to the 2017 Street Festival. Best regards, Jinuss Raznahan. We also received this letter: Dear Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, We would like to congratulate all at the Primate s Office for organising the 6th Armenian Street Festival in London. The event was very well organized and successful, promoting the Armenian spirit, history and culture and we were proud to be a part of it. The highlights and surprise visits were also greatly welcomed! We thank you for providing this opportunity for our school and our community to unite and celebrate together and wish you all the very best with your future events. Kind regards, Hermineh Cherchian, Chairperson, Governing Committee, For and on behalf of K Tahta Armenian Community Sunday school. Hrachik Sarian, Executive Administator at the Primate s Office, said: I have been involved with the ASF since the very beginning. It has been a privilege to be involved with such a unique event that happens every year bringing all Armenians and others in one place. It takes months of planning and hard work. All of this achieved with a very dedicated ASF Committee. Garen Arevian, who held the AGBU stall, commented: "This year's ASF was by far the biggest and busiest, perhaps helped also by our English weather allowing the sun to come through. It was great seeing the majority of UK- Armenian organisations having a presence, showing what a diverse and active community we have in this country. As usual, the delicious food was one of the main attractions, of which there was plenty. Armenia's Eurovision singer Iveta giving a concert was another highlight where I believe she premièred her new single. As someone who was also representing both the Tekeyan Cultural Association and AGBU at our respective stalls, our sales of books and membership requests exceeded those of previous years, showing the sheer turnout of people. A definite thanks to Bishop Hovakim and his ASF organising team for presenting such a professionally organised event." 8

9 Iveta Mukuchkyan Visits London Scouts The Scouts of Homenetmen London, the Armenian Scouting and Athletic Association of Great Britain, were treated to a delightful surprise at their regular scouting activities at the Navasartian Centre in Northfields Avenue on Saturday 16th July when they were visited by His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan and the Armenian singer, songwriter, model and actress Iveta Mukuchyan who was in London performing for the Armenian Street Festival on Sunday. Iveta took the time to meet and speak to the scouts while they were preparing for their annual summer camp and during a round circle session of questions and answers, Iveta provided an insight into her career and showcased her amazing voice by performing an extract from her song 'LoveWave'. The scouts were excited for having had this rare and wonderful opportunity to meet the much admired Iveta, especially as all of them had only a few months ago voted for her during the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. The visit ended with the scouts signing the Miyoutyan Yerk, and of course, with Iveta joining in! (Anthony Vartanian) 9

10 News from Birmingham Mission Parish On 19th July, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan travelled to Birmingham Mission Parish to visit with the Armenian community and Rt Revd David Urquhart, Bishop of Birmingham. The aim was to strengthen the parish and bilateral relations with local denominations, and discuss with Bishop David the possibility of providing a church for the use of the community. Divine Liturgy to be Celebrated in Cornwall On Sunday, 4 th September 2016, His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan will be celebrating the Badarak at the home of Mrs. Georgiana Joseph in Cornwall. By her kind invitation, Mrs. Joseph has asked His Grace and any guests who would like to attend, to join with her in this special service at an Armenian shrine which she has at her home. After the service, food and refreshments will be served. If you are interested in participating, please register your interest by contacting the Primate s Office on or primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk. 10

11 Armenian Saturday Language School Celebrates with End of Year Performance 11

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15 Upcoming Events DIOCESAN PROGRAMMES Forthcoming Events in July, August and September 2016 Bible Studies Every Thursday, at St. Sarkis Church Gulbenkian Hall led by the Primate and the clergy of the Diocese Next dates: 28 th July, 4 th Aug Bible Studies are an important part of the church s ministry as they provide opportunities for the faithful and those who are interested and curious to have a deeper understanding of Christianity and to ask questions about their faith, beliefs and concerns. During Bible studies we make observations (what do passages in the Bible say?), provide interpretation (what do they mean?) and ask how applicable these passages are to our lives today. Open to everyone. Deacons Training Programme Every Saturday evening at St. Sarkis Church starting from 24 th July, 2016 Visit to Stratford upon Avon, Home of William Shakespeare Friday, 12 th August The visit will include visit to Shakespeare s birthplace, Hall s Croft, Ann Hathaway s Cottage. For details, please contact Jeanine Gulvanesian or Karina Gevorgian, s: karinagevorgyan@hotmail.com or jgulvanessian@btinternet.com. Feast of Assumption of St. Mary (Astvadzazdin) and Blessing of Grapes Sunday, 14 th August Liturgy at 11:00am St. Yeghiche and St. Sarkis, 11:15 am at Holy Trinity in Manchester Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross Sunday, 11 th September Liturgy at 11:00am St. Yeghiche and St. Sarkis, 11:15 am at Holy Trinity in Manchester Feast of Holy Translators Sunday, 9 th October Liturgy at 11:00am St. Yeghiche and St. Sarkis, 11:15 am at Holy Trinity in Manchester Pilgrimage to Holy Land January

16 Prayer Intentions for July: We invite the faithful to pray for the volunteers who give their time and energy to help the Communities and Churches in their works and duties Editorial: The main objective of the diocesan e- newsletter is to serve and reach out to Armenians throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland. The community members and organisations are welcome to send their announcements for the e- newsletter, including information not only about public events but also about important family events such as christening, matrimony or passing away. 16

17 Worship Services in the Armenian Churches Services are held in the Armenian Churches in London every Sunday starting at 11:00 am. In Manchester, there is a service on the 1 st Sunday of the month. For further details, please contact the parish nearest to you: Holy Trinity Armenian Church 229 Upper Brook Street Manchester, M13 0FY Tel: st SUNDAY OF THE MONTH St. Sarkis Church Iverna Gardens Kensington, London, W8 6TP Tel: St. Yeghiche Cathedral 13b Cranley Gardens Kensington, London SW7 3BB Tel: Other Parishes of our Diocese: Cardiff - Tel: , john@jagproperties.co.uk Dublin - Tel: Birmingham Tel: St John s Church, Stratford Road, Birmingham, B11 4EA Oxford - Tel: armenian.society@studentsclub.ox.ac.uk Editorial Committee: His Grace Bishop Hovakim Manukyan, Primate Garen Arevian Lena Boghossian Hovik Hovhannisyan Aznive Simon Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian Sossi Yerissian We invite those who have questions or wish to gain deeper understanding of the faith, moral discernment, teachings and traditions of the Armenian Church to contact the Office of the Diocese of the Armenian Church in United Kingdom and Ireland: The Primate s Office c/o The Armenian Vicarage Iverna Gardens London, W8 6TP or primatesoffice@armenianchurch.co.uk 17