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Crossroads Special Issue
A MESSAGE OF THANKSGIVING
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Յանուն Հօր եւ Որդւոյ եւ Հոգւոյն Սրբոյ: Ամէն:
Գոհութիւն, շնորհակալութիւն եւ փառք քեզի, Տէ՛ր Աստուած, մեզի շնորհած առատ բարիքներուդ եւ պարգեւներուդ համար: Ամէն օր քաղցրութեամբդ ու բարի կամքովդ առատապէս կը կերակրես մեզ, որպէսզի մեզ՝ քու ծառաներդ, հաղորդակից դարձնես հոգեւոր բարութեանդ եւ երկնքի արքայութեանդ, ըստ մեր ակնկալութեան եւ յոյսին: Ամենակալ Տէր, մեր Աստուածը, փրկէ մեզ եւ ողորմէ մեզի:
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Let us be thankful for the plenteous gifts of our Lord God, who in sweet bounty nourishes us day by day of His own will, that He may make His servants share in spiritual goodness and in the heavenly kingdom, according to the expectations of our hope. Almighty Lord our God, preserve and have mercy upon us. Amen.
(Armenian prayer of Thanksgiving)
Dear Faithful Friends,
On this national day of Thanksgiving, let us renew our thanks and devotion to our heavenly Father, whose blessings surround us not only on this day but always. Let us honor and praise Almighty God and pray that His generous bounty will continue to grace our lives.
As you gather together on this holiday with your loved ones, may you be filled with happiness and contentment in the true spirit of Thanksgiving. Let us express our gratitude for God’s glorious gifts and raise our voices, “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:20)
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan
Prelate
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REMEMBER THE TELETHON 2016
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The Armenia Fund’s International Thanksgiving Day Telethon will take place tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, November 24. Archbishop Oshagan directed all Prelacy parishes to offer special plate collections on two consecutive Sundays—November 20 and 27—to benefit the annual Thanksgiving Telethon sponsored by the Armenia Fund.
Armenia Fund’s 19th International Thanksgiving Day Telethon 2016 will take place
from 1 pm to 1 am EST. Watch it live from anywhere at www.ArmeniaFundUSA.org.
Under the general theme of “MY ARTSAKH,” proceeds from Telethon 2016 will be allocated to initiatives for rebuilding war-ravaged communities in Artsakh, various measures to ensure the safety and security of the peaceful population of the republic, and the construction of homes for Artsakh large families.
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BIBLE READINGS
Bible readings for
Sunday, November 27, First Sunday of Advent,
are: Isaiah 36:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Luke 12:13-31.
One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, bid my brother divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” And he said to them, “Take heed, and beware of all covetousness; for a man’s life does not consist in the abu8ndance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will sa6y to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things ; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.
(Luke 12:13-31)
***
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brethren beloved by God, that he has chosen you; for our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit; so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has one forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)
For a listing of the coming week’s Bible readings
click here.
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FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
This Sunday, November 27, is the first Sunday of Advent (from the Latin adventus, meaning “coming”). Advent is a season of penitence, anticipation, and preparation. Advent serves as a reminder of the original anticipation of the birth of Christ, as well as the anticipation for Christ’s return. Ideally, Advent should be a time of quiet reflection and meditation. In modern times the period leading to Christmas is far from calm, and often is stressful and frenetic. It is a good time to remember to pause and reflect on the proper observation of the birth of our Lord and Savior.
In the true spirit of Christmas remember that this time of the year, although filled with joy for most, can be lonely and sad for many people. Reach out to an elderly person living alone, someone who is ill, or someone who is mourning the recent loss of a loved one.
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SAYAT NOVA DANCE COMPANY SELECTED
Each year, the Macy’s Parade creative team looks for performance groups throughout the country to participate in the most famous parade that attracts 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million viewers. The Sayat Nova Dance Company of Boston has been selected to perform in this year’s 90th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The parade begins at 9 am and continues until noon. The estimated time that the Sayat Nova Dance Company will be on camera is between 10:15 to 10:45 am
For information about the Macy’s Parade, visit www.macys.com /parade. For information about the Sayat Nova Dance Company visit www.sayatnova.com.
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PLEASE DO NOT FORGET:
THE SYRIAN ARMENIAN COMMUNITY NEEDS OUR HELP MORE THAN EVER
The crisis in Syria requires our financial assistance.
Please keep this community in your prayers, your hearts, and your pocketbooks.
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET OUR ONGOING RELIEF EFFORTS FOR THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN SYRIA WHERE CONDITIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY MORE DIFFICULT.
THE NEED IS REAL.
THE NEED IS GREAT.
DONATIONS TO THE FUND FOR SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF CAN BE MADE ON LINE.
TO DONATE NOW
CLICK HERE
AND SELECT SYRIAN ARMENIAN RELIEF IN THE MENU.
OR IF YOU PREFER YOU MAY MAIL YOUR DONATION TO:
Armenian Prelacy
138 E. 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Checks payable to: Armenian Apostolic Church of America
(Memo: Syrian Armenian Relief)
Thank you for your help.
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SIAMANTO ACADEMY—Meets every second Saturday of the month at the Hovnanian School, 817 River Road, New Milford, New Jersey. For information: anec@armenianprelacy.org or 212-689-7810.
December 3—Children’s Christmas Concert with Maggie and Santa Clause. Organized by St. Illuminator’s Armenian Saturday School and Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Church Nareg Saturday School, in large hall of Sts. Vartanantz Church, at 4 pm. Tickets: $25.00. For information and tickets: Silva: 201-779-6744; Sts. Vartanantz Church: 201-943-2950; St. Illuminator Cathedral: 212-689-5880.
December 3—Soorp Asdvadzadzin Church Annual Bazaar, at the Pleasant Street Christian Reform Church Hall, 25 Cross Street, Whitinsville, Massachusetts, 10 am to 4:30 pm, dinners served at 11:30.
December 3 — 10th Annual Banquet by the Armenian National Committee-Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) in Washington, DC at the prestigious Westin Arlington Gateway Hotel. Honored this year, among others, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Dr. Levon Avdoyan, and Dr. Roger Smith. The theme for the banquet is "We Are Artsakh Strong" and special focus will be placed upon the activities being undertaken to strengthen and protect Artsakh. The banquet, sponsored by the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund, will begin with cocktail reception and silent auction at 6 pm, followed by dinner and awards ceremony at 7:30 pm. The weekend will also include the first reunion of ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship and Capital Gateway Program alumni, to be held in conjunction with the ANCA Christmas Party on Friday, December 2nd, ANCA-ER Special Briefing at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia on Saturday, December 3 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm, with the participation of The Genocide Education Project (GenEd), Permanent Representative of Nagorno Karabakh Republic to the U.S. and Canada H.E. Robert Avetisyan, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the U.S. H.E. Grigor Hovannissian. Brunch Seminar at the ANCA Washington DC Headquarters on Sunday, December 4th from 10 am to 12 noon. To RSVP for the Briefing and/or Seminar, please send an email to ancaer@anca.org. Space is limited to the first 50 RSVPs and priority will be given for out-of-town participants. For banquet tickets and for making donations please visit ancaef.org/banquet/, for more information visit er.anca.org/banquet/ or contact ANCA Eastern Region at ancaer@anca.org or (917) 428-1918.
December 11—Celebration of the 62nd Anniversary of St. Gregory the Illuminator Church of Granite City, Illinois. Episcopal Divine Liturgy, ordinations, and banquet.
December 18—Annual Christmas Bake Sale, organized by St. Gregory the Illuminator Church’s Ladies Guild, Granite City, Illinois.
December 18—Armenian Cultural Concert at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church, Granite City, Illinois.
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The Armenian Prelacy
Tel: 212-689-7810 ♦ Fax: 212-689-7168 ♦ Email: email@armenianprelacy.org
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