January 2019 A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR NERSES BALABANIAN. Do You Follow Jesus or You Want Him to Follow You? 2018 New Yearʻs Resolution:

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1 Pilgrim s Progress 3673 North First Street Fresno, California p f pilgrimchurch.com James 4:13-17 Welcome to the New Year As we enter it, we can do four things: Look Back Leave Behind Look Forward Look Upward Year 2018 is gone. We probably took time to look back and evaluate our lives. We did learn from our mistakes. We also were thankful for the blessings God gave us. We thanked God. We will leave the past behind and move on. We will then look forward to the future and look upward for strength and wisdom from God. A few years ago I received a letter from the Intervarsity Fellowship of the Students of Armenia that read: TOWARDS THE UNKNOWN FUTURE IN THE HANDS OF THE ALL-KNOWING GOD What do we know about 2019? Not much, even though many people try to predict. God doesn t want us to know the future. St Augustine said: God will not suffer man to have a knowledge of things to come; for if he had foreknowledge of his prosperity, he would be careless; and if understanding of his adversity, he would be despairing and senseless. Indeed, we live in a world where many things are unknown and we are always faced by surprises. James is a practical man. His letter is about Walking the Talk or letting your faith be manifested in your life. In this as of December 31, 2018: 165 active members Board of Directors January 2019 A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR NERSES BALABANIAN Do You Follow Jesus or You Want Him to Follow You? above-mentioned passage, he is addressing people who are planning to conduct some business. Although work is a blessing from God, yet James finds a problem with these people. They plan and do things without seeking God s will. I have seen people who decide to do certain things and then they want Jesus to endorse their plans. Many of us made New Year resolutions. Is God in your resolution? Do we follow Jesus or we want Jesus to follow us? Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. (James 4:13 ESV) Those merchants are doing all things without searching God s will in their life. There is nothing wrong in planning but they omitted God from their life. Do you follow Jesus or do you want Jesus to follow you? a. You may make plans without God: today or tomorrow we will go b. You may decide where to go without God: into such and such a town. c. You may decide the time frame without God: spend a year there. d. You may plan activities without God: and trade or buy and sell arevdour in Armenian. e. You may estimate your profit without God: and make a profit. Just count the words these people use: go, spend, buy, sell, travel, and make profit 2018 New Yearʻs Resolution: If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. (James 4:15 ESV) continued on page 2

2 Founders Day Celebration 2019 Sunday, January 27, 2019 Luncheon begins at 12:30 pm Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church invites you to join us for a taste of Pilgrim. Rediscover the timehonored recipes of the enduring Dorcas Guild cookbooks and celebrate 118 years of breaking bread together as a Pilgrim family. For more information, please contact the office at (559) or office@pilgrimchurch.com Enjoy a special appearance by the reconstituted 1912 Armenian Pilgrim Orchestra. Badveli Nerses Message: Do You Follow Jesus Continued from page 1 These words are not problematic but they show that these merchants think they are totally in charge of their life plans. Instead Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. (James 4:15 ESV) There is nothing wrong in planning. However, seeking His will is a priority to guide us to do the right thing, with the right motives, and especially in planning. As your pastor, I will encourage you to be connected and grow in your walk with God. This should be our priority. So, Happy New Year and Merry Christmas. For Armenians the year ends with Christmas and starts with Christmas. So open your heart to God and welcome the year saying : If the Lord wills MERRY CHRISTMAS 2019 HAPPY NEW YEAR

3 2018 Annual Giving Recap For where your Treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 Shown is our total contribution $ 394, DEC 31 income budget required for the $ 361, NOV 30 year, 11/12ths of that budget OCT 31 required through November and JUL SEP 30 where our contributions actually $ are as of November 30, We 272, JUN 30 AUG 31 are at 75% of our budgeted amount at this time and our short fall is $89, through November. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to our annual budget meeting earlier this month has once again proven to be a year that the Board of Trustees has managed the daily, monthly and annual expenses MAY 31 JUL 31 JUN 30 MAY 31 APR 30 MAR 31 FEB 28 JAN 31 under budget. Our additional income from events like the Merchant Lunch and Harvest Banquet as well as rents from our building rentals have provided extra assistance. The flow of tithing has struggled but we expect to see a rise for the month of December to hopefully compensate for our shortfall at this time. Prayerfully consider how God is directing you in the area of giving for the coming 2019 year. This is a good time to study the Word of God for wisdom on giving back the gifts He so generously gives to us. Please keep in mind we do have several projects coming up in the next months to care for our campus. Any donations to these projects are not in place of your regular giving. I pray for a prosperous year for our congregation and our church that the monies received will go toward expanding the kingdom of God! Then Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth. Genesis 28: Prepared By Treasurer Patrice Ruble Pilgrim Church has a website, com. It now is possible to download or read the Progress online. If you would like to receive the Progress via , please contact the office at , or office@ pilgrimchurch.com. VIsa and/or MasTerCarD giving is available in the church office. We also have a Square Card Reader, which gives us the capability of charging to the church using a smart phone. YouTH and sunday school activities Kyse Dorough 1/2 Alyssa Mosesian 1/8 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy spirit. Romans 15:13 WISE MEN & WAFFLES sunday, JaNuarY 6 Sunday School resumes and we continue to Celebrate Jesus s Birth and Armenian Christmas We will follow our normal schedule: begin worship in in the sanctuary with your family at 11 a.m.; when the Greeting is complete, children and Sunday school staff are dismissed to Sunday School. PARTY SUNDAY DeCeMBer 16 MIGHTY MEMORIZER sign-ups Begin on sunday January 13 operation CHrIsTMas CHILD 2018 sunday school THaNk You Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church Families, we MET and EXCEEDED our goal of collecting 125 shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child this year. Our FINAL TOTAL was 129 BoXes! While we are not certain of where in the world our shoeboxes will go, please know that because of your generosity, compassion and backing of this worthwhile missionary project, 129 children will experience God s love in a way they never have before. This is a special missionary project for PACC Sunday School and we are grateful for the support we received once again this year.

4 DeCeMBer YouTH activities Caroling and Christmas Party! BASS LAKE CHURCH RETREAT FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY FEB Join us for this annual retreat enjoy fishing, boating, hiking, board games, sledding/snowball fights (if we can find snow), good food, good friends with small groups and speaking engagements. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Alexander Jaramishian, To reserve a room, contact The Pines Resort,

5 CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION 2018

6 Men s Forum shares Christmas With evangel Home Residents It was a brisk afternoon in Fresno as the Men s Form gathered in the church kitchen to prepare a Christmas feast for the Evangel Home residents, as they have done for the past 18 years. They joyfully prepared the meal consisting of baked ham, yams, green beans and pumpkin pie. With smiles on their faces and food in hand, the men and volunteers arrived at the Evangel Home, where they were greeted by the incoming Director, Sara Dawson, and the Volunteer Coordinator, Jessica Lusk. Jessica gathered the mothers and the children for the delicious Christmas meal and Edward Saliba offered the prayer. While the residents enjoyed their dinner, Badveli Nerses entertained them with Christmas carols on the accordion. Following the meal, Santa Claus made a special trip from the North Pole to surprise the children. Each sat on his lap and shared their Christmas wishes. Santa gave each child a candy cane and a $25 gift card provided by the Men s Forum. The evening was concluded with more Christmas music by Badveli Nerses while the children sang and danced to the music with joy. Once again, a rewarding and heart-warming visit by the PACC Men s Forum. Every Fall, Roseann Saliba makes a plea to the Tuesday Bible Study group for handmade blankets and caps to be shipped to the Armenian Missionary Association Stitched With Love project, which sends the items to Armenia for newborns and infants for use during the frigid winter months. Tuesday Bible Study Member, Angele Sabiljian (mother-in-law of our PACC secretary, Houry Sabiljian), responds to the plea each year; and this year crocheted 10 beautiful blankets, which were shipped on behalf of the group. When the group thanked Angele, she appeared emotional, and quietly responded it was the least she could do for the children.

7 CALENDAR OF EVENTS Happy & Blessed New Year January 2019 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY New Year s Day Office GFLC Closed 7:00 am Men s Forum Executive Board Meeting/ Yosemite Falls 7:15 am FUSD Social Hall- Overflow 9:45 pm Broomball, Gateway Ice Center 7:00 am TGIF Bible Study, Fireside Room 7:15-4:30 pm FUSD Social Hall- Overflow 11:00 am Dorcas Guild Armenian Christmas Potluck Luncheon, Social Hall HOLY COMMUNION Pantry Sunday 10:00 am Adult Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Elem. Sunday School, Sanc/Classroom 11:00amWORSHIP/ Armenian Christmas :00 am Women s Bible Study, Room 6 7:00 pm Young Adults, Fellowship Room :00 pm Bible Study, Saliba s Set up for Dorcas Guild Luncheon 7:00 am TGIF Bible Study, Fireside Room 6:00 p.m. Apologetics Seminar :30 a.m. Apologetics Seminar 9-11 am Parenting Class/ English -Spanish, CE Building 10:30 am Tabitha Circle, Janigian s 13 10:00 am Adult Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Elem. Sunday School, Sanc/Classroom 11:00 am WORSHIP 3:30-5:30 pm Youth Group 20 10:00 am Adult Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Elem. Sunday School, Sanc/Classroom 11:00am WORSHIP 1-3 p.m. Sunday Funday 14 10:30 am Dorcas Guild Executive Board Meeting/ Katah Baking, Overflow Room/Kitchen 21 Martin Luther King Day-Office Closed Pilgrim s Progress Article Due 15 10:00 am Women s Bible Study, Room 6 6:30 pm Trustees, Library 7:00 pm Deacons, CE 7:00 pm Young Adults, Fellowship Room 10:00 am Women s Bible Study, Room 6 6:30 pm Council Meeting 7:00 pm Young Adults, Fellowship Room 22 1:00 pm Dorcas Guild Circle, Overflow Room 7:30-4:30 pm FUSD :30 pm CE Committee, Library 7:30-4:30 pm FUSD 24 7:00 am TGIF Bible Study, Fireside Room 7:00 am TGIF Bible Study, Fireside Room am Parenting Class/ English -Spanish, CE Building 6:00 pm Young Couples Night, Kuppajoe am Parenting Class/ English -Spanish, CE Building 3:30-5:30 pm Youth Group 27 10:00 am Adult Sunday School 11:00 a.m. Elem. Sunday School, Sanc/Classroom 11:00 am WORSHIP 12:30 pm Founders Day Luncheon, Social Hall 3:30-5:30 pm Youth Group 28 9:00 am Dorcas Guild Katah Baking, Kitchen 6:30 pm Fruit of the Spirit Women s Fellowship, Room :00 am Women s Bible Study, Room 6 7:00 pm Young Adults, Fellowship Room 30 31

8 Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 41 Fresno CA 3673 North First Street Fresno, California RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED JaNuarY 11-13, 2019 PaCC & FaPC co-hosting Pastor Artur & his family as they teach and encourage us to the study of Apologetics. apologetics the art of defending the claims of the Christian faith. It is when we as Christians defend the reason for the hope we have. We are going to Armenia in order to train people in Apologetics. The reason for this is because Armenian Christians have a two task defending presented to them. First, Christians in Armenia need to defend authentic faith in the face of religiosity and traditionalism. Second, Christians need to defend against Secularism and Atheism. With the training we will be working with scholars in the United States and translators and publishers in Armenia to translate Apologetics related content into Armenian. Pastor Artur Asaduriyan Friday, 6pm & Saturday, 8:30 am Sessions will be hosted at PACC, with dinner & breakfast, Sunday Morning Pastor Artur will share God s Word at FAPC, during the Worship Service. Sunday Afternoon, 3:30pm Speaking to the Youth! Childcare provided for ages 1-10 (please let us know your children will be attending.) RSVP with ing adminstration@fapc.net or call SAVE THE DATE WORLD DAY OF PRAYER saturday March 2, am First Armenian Presbyterian Church 430 S First St., Fresno, CA 93702