Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan November 2014 Scars for Life

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1 Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan November 2014 Scars for Life Bible Readings Nov. 2 Luke 8:17-21 Nov. 9 Luke 8:49-57 Nov. 16 Luke 9:44-50 Nov. 23 Luke 12:13-31 Nov. 30 Luke 13:1-9 Oh, give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, and his mercy endures forever. Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window and saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could. Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go." You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril, and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins and if you have the scars of His love on your arms be very, very grateful. He did not and will not let you go. ~ Author Unknown ~

2 Fr. Hovel Graduates with Masters in Orthodox Theology Congratulations to Fr. Hovel Ohanyan for graduating with honors from Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute in Berkeley, California. On September 10, 2014 Fr. Hovel successfully defended his thesis entitled Water as a Symbol of Spiritual Rebirth in the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church. He graduated with an A average and a Masters Degree in Orthodox Theology. St. Vartan Ladies Society Thursday, Nov :00 noon In the Church Hall Sonia Chilingarian will present a program on skin care. Christmas Greetings You can send a Christmas Greeting in the December issue of the Voice Newsletter to all your family and friends at St. Vartan Church. the church office at stvartanoakland@aol.com or call before November 15, 2014 to place your greeting. This is a great opportunity to send Christmas well-wishes to all of your friends at St. Vartan Church, while supporting the Voice Newsletter. Suggested donation for Christmas Greeting is $20. Please keep St. Vartan Armenian Church updated with your correct address and phone number. Send any new information to stvartanoakland@aol.com or call the church office at Gratitude Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn't solve any problems. Zig Ziglar Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility, understanding. Alice Walker The Voice Newsletter is published once a month by St. Vartan Armenian Church 650 Spruce Street, Oakland, CA , Phone (510) , Fax: (510) stvartanoakland@aol.com Website: The deadline for all articles is the fifteenth of each month. Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Parish Priest and President of All Church Organizations Parish Council Chair: Jack Papazian Parish Council Treasurer: Anto Cingoz Parish Assembly Chair: Chris Yaldezian Choir Director: Artin Der Minassians Organist: Ida Mazmanian, A. Rodriguez ACYO Chair: Sevan Jindoian Sunday School Superintendent: Janet Yeghissian Ladies Society Chair: Sylvia Gozurian and Elo Markarian Cultural Society Chair: Liz Ojakian Hokejosh: Nora Hanoian Church Maintenance: Jim Taylor and Arto Yagjian Newsletter Editors: Arlene Hovsepian and Rachel Harger Wedding Coordinator: Gail Kezerian and Stacey Shartzer Church Secretary: Rachel Harger Altar Flowers: Carole Chang Church Custodian: Wartkes Hagopian Divine Liturgy Service Sundays 10:30 a.m.

3 St. Vartan Church Parish Council gratefully acknowledges the following donations: In Honor of Eagle Scout Alex Colello and Boy Scout Troop 805 Greg and Seta Tcherkoyan In Honor of Charlie and Dorris Kezerian Susan and Dick Curry Bazaar: Leg of Lamb June Demerdjian, Mark and Lesley Kamian, Barbara Sundahl, John and Wendy Karanfilian, Louise Jorjoiran Youghakin June Demerdjian, Norman and Virginia Rees In Honor of the Anniversary and Birthdays of Mr. and Mrs. Krikor and Caline Soghikian Vahe and Hilda Mener and Arto and Nadya Yagjian In Memory Rev. Fr. Shahe Altounian June Demerdjian, Harry and Carol Dokouzian (Church Door Fund) Edward Pechdimaldji Kiganus Keledjian (ACYO), Jirair and Ani Tashjian (ACYO) Lillian Kalibjian Doris Guntrum, Ann and Varoujan Hailozian (Church Door Fund) Rev. Father Mesrob Sarafian Bonnie Peterson (Leg of Lamb donation) John Hanoian Arlene and Vartan Hovsepian (The Voice Newsletter) Lucille Sherinian Vonalee Mazmanian ENDOWMENT FUND In Memory Rev. Fr. Shahe Altounian Frank and Sharon Higgins St. Vartan Voice On-Line You can receive your St. Vartan Voice Newsletter via , rather than snail mail. If you would like to be on our ing list for the newsletter, please contact the church office at or call News From Our St. Vartan Family Baptisms Oliver William Markarian was baptized at St. Vartan Armenian Church by Fr. Hovel on September 20, Oliver is the son of Kevin Markarian and Karen Richards. Ara Dirtadian served as his Godfather and Laura Dirtadian as his Godmother. His grandparents are Garabed and Asdghig Markarian and James Richards and Shirley Phillips. Fr. Hovel baptized Ani Margaret Dirtadian at St. Vartan Church on September 20, Ara and Laura Dirtadian are Ani s parents, and Stephan and Margaret Dirtadian and Garabed and Asdghig Markarian are her grandparents. Her Godfather is Kevin Markarian and Godmother is Angelica Dirtadian Benson. Wedding Melineh Sarkis-Kelly and Zachary Wise were married at St. Vartan Church by Fr. Hovel on October 11, Melineh s parents are Simik and Hermina Sarkis-Kelly, and Zachary s parents are Randy and Ann Wise. The best man was Tadeh Sarkis-Kelly and Maid of Honor was Talin Sarkis-Kelly. Thank You From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank all my friends and faithful parishioners of St. Vartan Armenian Church who supported me from their hearts and helped sponsor my education. Living in this blessed country and serving my Church and this wonderful community, I found it very important to renew and to improve my religious education and to be more successful in my pastoral service for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My dear ones, your generosity helped me to reach to my goal. My words are not enough to express the gratitude in my heart for the unmatched help and support which I have received in all these years from all of you. Without your spiritual, moral, and financial support, I could never have attained such a superior education in Berkeley at GTU/Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute or completed my Masters of Orthodox Theology degree with honors. In his letter to Corinthians St. Paul says; Whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:6-7) Fr. Hovel Ohanyan

4 Upcoming Events November 2, 2014 November 4, 2014 November 9, 2014 November 11, 2014 November 11, 2014 November 13, 2014 November 15, 2014 November 18, 2014 November 25, 2014 November 27, 2014 December 6, 2014 January 11, 2015 Daylight Savings Time Ends Jr. ACYO Meeting Veterans Day Ladies Society Luncheon AIWA Event Thanksgiving Family Night Christmas Luncheon with Surpazan Happy Veterans Day St. Vartan Armenian Church thanks all of our veterans for their service to the country. Holiday Food Drive As in previous years, St. Vartan Church is sponsoring a food drive for the Alameda County Community Food Bank. The Holiday Food Drive will take place during the months of November and December The food bank combats hunger locally, serving 1 in 6 county residents. Please bring your non-perishable, healthy food donation to church and place it in the red bin located in the Church Hall entryway. Let s turn our gratitude for the blessings God has given us toward providing for those less fortunate. 12 noon 12 noon 5:30 pm 1 pm Jr. ACYO Meeting Sunday November 9, 2014 after church services All youth ages are invited to join us for a planning meeting, fellowship, games and lunch. For more information contact Marie Hagopian at alecsmom01@yahoo.com.

5 Fr. Hovel assists in Ordination of New Priest, Fr. Serovbe In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the ordination rite is one of the most spiritually enriching and moving ceremonies. Hundreds gathered at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral on Tuesday, October 7, to witness the ordination and consecration of Deacon Sarkis Alanjian into the sacred order of the Priesthood. The ordination rite was the first in the life of St. Leon Armenian Cathedral since its consecration in September The ceremonial rite took place in the evening at 6:30 p.m., during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy by His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. More than 500 people attended the ordination ceremony in Burbank. Assisting Archbishop Derderian at the Holy Altar were Rev. Fr. Nerses Hayrpapetyan, Rev. Fr. Yessai Bedros, Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, Rev. Fr. Krikor Zakaryan and the deacons and acolytes of the Cathedral. High ranking clergymen including His Eminence Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian and His Eminence Archbishop Yeprem Tabbakian participated in the service. The kneeling Deacon Sarkis was led to the Holy Altar by the Rev. Fr. Khajag Shahbazyan, Pastor of St. Leon Armenian Cathedral. After the confirmation of the candidate s worthiness, the priests placed their hands on the shoulders of Dn. Sarkis. Led kneeling to the center of the bema, Dn. Alanjian presented himself to the people by facing the congregation and in a gesture of assent to their will, he raised his hands. The culmination of the ceremony took place as the Primate robed Dn. Sarkis in Priestly vestments, anointed the priest and announced Dn. Sarkis new name Fr. Serovbe (Seraphim). Holding his hands open, Fr. Serovbe received the chalice and paten from the Primate. According to tradition, the newly-ordained Fr. Serovbe blessed the people by saying Khaghaghootyoon amanetsoon (Peace Unto All). The Primate congratulated the newly ordained priest and called upon him to serve the flock of Christ with relentless dedication and enduring affection. Archbishop Derderian also blessed Yeretzgin Arus calling on her to stand beside Father Serovbe as he embarks on a God-pleasing journey. At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. Serovbe stood at the center of the chancel and silently read Holy Scriptures. The faithful greeted him by kissing his freshly-anointed hands. Thanksgiving Jokes It's the day before Thanksgiving, and the butcher is just locking up when a man begins pounding on the front door. "Please let me in," says the man desperately. "I forgot to buy a turkey, and my wife will kill me if I don't come home with one." "Okay," says the butcher. "Let me see what I have left." He goes into the freezer and discovers that there's only one scrawny turkey left. He brings it out to show the man. "That one is too skinny. What else you got?" says the man. The butcher takes the bird back into the freezer and waits a few minutes and brings the same turkey back out to the man. "Oh, no," says the man, "That one doesn't look any better. You better give me both of them!" An industrious turkey farmer was always experimenting with breeding to perfect a better turkey. His family was fond of the leg portion for dinner and there were never enough legs for everyone. After many frustrating attempts, the farmer was relating the results of his efforts to his friends at the general store get-together. "Well I finally did it! I bred a turkey that has 6 legs!" They all asked the farmer how it tasted. "I don t know" said the farmer. "I never could catch the darn thing!"

6 2014 St. Vartan Church Annual Bazaar & Food Festival My Dear Faithful, Our 62nd Annual Bazaar, Armenian Food Festival is over. Once again I would like to bring the appreciation and the gratitude of my heart to the members of the Bazaar Committee, chaired by Harout Hagopian, all the members of our Ladies Society, Parish Council, Cultural Committee, ACYO, Sunday School, countless individual volunteers, elders and youth for their humble and priceless service to God and to the blessed family of our St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic Church. Your great and hard work is the best evidence of your strong faith and your unlimited love to your Church and Community. Through your humble service you are making the future of this Church and community stronger and more active.may the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you forever!!! Prayerfully, Fr. Hovel Ohanyan A big thank you to all the dedicated volunteers for another successful Bazaar! On behalf of Der Hovel and the Parish Council, Zaven Kanneian and I want to express our most sincere gratitude to all our volunteers for their hard work to make the St. Vartan Bazaar a success. We would like to name each of you individually but unfortunately, we would monopolize the entire newsletter. So instead, we will thank each of you by recognizing the leader(s) of your sub-committee as follows: o Advisor Liz Ojakian o Treasurer Anto Cingoz o Admission Booth Don Manoogian o Food Preparation Suzanne Vasgerdsian, Sylvia Gozurian, Harry Sherinian & Ladies Society o Food Line & Servers Patti Rosenthal o Khanoot & Take Out Arlene Hovsepian & Nora Hanoian o Hye Café Cingoz Families o Dessert Booth Janet Yeghissian & Sunday School o Cafe and Bar Sevag Kevranian o Cashiers Greg Mazmanian o Raffle Kim Bardakian & Jim Taylor o Public Relations & Advertising Kim Bardakian and Nicole Vasgerdsian o Bazaar Book & Layout Anto Cingoz & Nicole Vasgerdsian o Graphic Artwork Nicole Vasgerdsian o Bar-B-Que Bob Kezerian o Carnival Games Marie Hagopian, Tanya Jindoian & ACYO o Prize Booth Marie Hagopian & Tanya Jindoian o Table Bussing Judy & Barry Toomajian o Entertainment Hasmig Gregorian/St. Vartan Dance Ensemble, Henesian Family o Lighting and Decorations - Annette Kevranian, Method 42 o Grandma s Attic Marie Hagopian o Set Up & Tear Down Zaven Kanneian, Harout Hagopian, Jack Papazian, Sako Soghomonian, Dikran Shahvekilian, Edward Jamgotchian & Wartkes Hagopian o Event Cleaning and Maintenance Wartkes Hagopian o Program Nicole Vasgerdsian & Rachel Harger I would especially like to recognize Nicole Vasgerdsian, not only for her many years of graphic design, beautiful artwork, and dedicated service, but also for keeping us on track and focused on meeting critical deadlines. I would also like to give special thanks to the Henesian Family for providing such lovely music on both Friday and Saturday nights. We heard so many wonderful comments form both the congregation and outside visitors who enjoyed hearing the music. Most importantly, we want to share how proud we are to be part of a community that supports one another and works together with great humility to care for this annual tradition which has become a part of our culture. It was a hectic weekend and all of the volunteers worked very hard to support each other, treat all of our guests well, and also find time to have fun with friends and family. Good job, everyone! Harout Hagopian and Zaven Kanneian

7 Special Charity Raffle Prize Grand Prize Apple ipad Air First Prize Second First Prize Instant Wine Cellar Four Tickets to Chabot Space and Science Center Four Tickets to Oakland Zoo Brunch for Two at Meritage Restaurant 2014 Raffle Prize Winner Metropolitan Nikitas Lulias, San Francisco, CA Edward and Eleonore Aslanian, San Francisco, CA Robert Arabian, Southfield, MI Karina Masaoian, San Ramon???? Susan Bazigian, Belmont, CA Ed Vasgerdsian, Moraga, CA Betsy Barsamian, Orinda, CA Virginia Avakian, San Francisco 2014 Bazaar Week Volunteers