The faithful of the St. John community gathered together in the true spirit of the Christmas season on December 24, 2016, to experience the long-standing tradition of the Candlelight Service, which features hymns, Christmas carols, and the Children's Nativity pageant.
During the Holiday season, and throughout the year, Christians are called to be generous for the benefit of those in need. As Christ said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). In that spirit, several parish families, led by the Karamyan family worked together to prepare several Turkey meals that were delivered to local shelters.
On the evening of Sunday, December 11 St. John joined other member parishes of the Eastern Churches of the Bay Area (ECoBA), for a celebratory Christmas concert featuring One Voice, a band consisting of members across many denominations and communities.
St. John Parish was proud to participate in this event, represented by Garo and Nadima Avakian, who sang a selection from popular Armenian fold musicologist Komitas.
With Christmas quickly approaching, the faithful of St. John Armenian Church gathered for the Annual Christmas Party, an occasion when the parish hosts a common meal and welcomes the community at large to have a pleasant time in the spirit of the Christmas season, conditioning our hearts to receive the love-filled and glorious birth of Jesus Christ.
During the Divine Liturgy, the children of the parish were invited to come forward and receive a special Christmas message about the importance of generosity.
On December 4, 2016, the families of St. John gathered together to decorate the parish complex for the Christmas season. This annual activity instills unites the parish community in a festive sense celebration, as we prepare ourselves to mark the miraculous birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Priest.
On a chilly afternoon, December 3, 11 members of the St. John ACYO met at the base of the Mt. Davidson Cross to spend an hour and a half tending the to the precious San Francisco landmark, and profound Armenian Genocide memorial. The previous season had left a growth of grass and weeds coming through the cracks at the base of the cross, and the fallen leaves blanketed the surrounding space.
For the past 68 years, the young leaders of Armenian Churches throughout the West Coast have gathered together on Thanksgiving Weekend for the Annual Convention of the Armenian Church Youth Organization. This year's convention was hosted at St. Apkar Armenian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sunday, November 13, 2016, following the church service, a poetry reading and book signing event was held at Paul Family Fellowship hall organized by St. John Armenian Church. Poet James Baloian read poems from his newly published poems called “Photo of an Unknown Ancestor” accompanied by live music with Max Baloian and friends.
James was not reciting his poems, but living them. He read them slowly and naturally, with affection and emotion.
On Sunday, September 11, 2016, St. John Armenian Church celebrated The Feast of Exaltation of the Cross which is the last of the five major feasts in the calendar of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was a memorable day in the life of the parish not only becaues the profound victory of the Holy Cross was celebrate, but because it brought the community together to honor several important milestones.
We are happy to share the following message from Mer Hooys, House of Hope regarding one of our Sunday School Students:
Sophene Panosian, a 10-year-old fifth grader from KZV Armenian School and Sunday School student at St. John Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco, California has started her own little business baking cakes and cupcakes to raise money for Mer Hooys. Her goal is to raise $1000 and she is well on her way!
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