Once again on Sunday, May 12, the men of St. John Mr. and Ms. Club, prepared delicious breakfast for our mothers. It was a great family atmosphere, more than 20 families came to honor their mothers and celebrate this meaningful day with their family and friends.

The men prepared and served breakfast with joy and pride, and the guests enjoyed the breakfast with their loved ones.

St. John Armenian church is happy to release the Unified Camp Scholarship Application for 2013. It is a source of great spiritual joy for our community that many of our young people have applied and been accepted to participate in the Armenian Church Summer Camp of the Western Diocese. Through the generosity of various funds established with the purpose of sending young Armenians to Hye Camp, St. John is offering several scholarships to children and youth who have been active in the life of the parish.

Saturday, April 27, St. John Sayat Nova Cultural Committee hosted a Celebratory and Benefit Concert to honor Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash’s First Anniversary of his ordination to Holy priesthood. St. John Paul Family Hall was filled with parishioners from the entire Bay Area. Fr. Mesrop Ash welcomed everyone and after a prayer invited the performers to start the program.

The second Sunday following the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Sunday of the World Church, also known as “Green Sunday.” It commemorates the first Church of Jerusalem established by Jesus Christ. According to Archbishop Malachia Ormanian (Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, “Green” Sunday is linked with the awakening of nature in the springtime. On “Green Sunday,” April 14, 2013, Diocesan Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian paid a pastoral visit to St. John Armenian Church in San Francisco.

Nearly 50 Ladies of St. John gathered for their monthly meeting and luncheon. The theme of this luncheon was the presentation of Elise Kazanjian's essay "The Oil Stick Man." Elise Kazanjian’s award winning essay, takes place in China where she lived with her parents as a child. We are transported through the back alleys and market place where a precocious child speaks the perfect dialect of the land to the amazement of the locals.

On Thursday, April 18, the members of St. John Ladies society gathered together for their April luncheon. This luncheon was special as it would showcase the work of Mr. James Baloian, a well-known Armenian poet originally from the Central Valley. The luncheon was organized by committee chair Cecelia Baloian, who is also the poet's wife.

The 25th Anniversary of the massacres in Sumgait, which became the catalyst for the war of the independence of Nagorno-Kharabagh, St. John Armenian church offered requiem prayers on March 3, 2013.  Requiem prayers were offered in the courtyard before the memorial in memory of the victims of the massacres. The names of all those known dead were read solemnly one by one. Following the requiem service, a memorial event was held in St. John Fellowship Hall, under the organization Michael Oganessian.

On Friday night, April 12th, the families of St. John Sunday School once again gathered together for an evening of fun and fellowship. Under the guidance of Sunday School superintendent Paula Boghossian, the families each brought a food item for a potluck dinner. The main purpose for the evening's gathering was to give our young ones an opportunity to practice for their musical performance at our annual banquet.

The contest for Choreg and Simit organized by St. John Ladies Society, took place on Easter Sunday, March 31, during Fellowship Hour. 

Our judges: Angel Ailanjian, Sima Kouyoumdjian Kesecker and Amelia Surabian had a difficult task to choose from all the delicious entries. All entries were blind, and they had to rate each entry on taste, texture, moisture, overall appearance and "would you buy this product?"

The judges choices are as follows:

Holy Week is the climactic journey of the faithful in preparation of the miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come and participate in the truly special rites of the Armenian Church, and embark on your own journey with Christ.