On January 3, the first meeting of the ACYO Core Group was held in the private residence of Fr. Mesrop and Yn. Annie. Present were 6 of our parish's talented youth. The purpose of this fun and productive meeting was to brainstorm new ways of growing St. John's youth ministry. Some of the activities which they have put on the calendar include:
On December 10, Fr. Mesop Ash attended the 2012 ArmTech Congress on the campus of Stanford University. Also in attendance was Parish Council member Greg Nemet Sr. During the conference they learned about the various initiatives taken place between Silicon Valley and the Republic of Armenia to stimulate the growth of the tech sector. In the evening Fr. Mesrop and Yn. Annie. as well as many members from our community, were invited to participate in the banquet to celebrate the conference.
Once again in continuing with tradition, St. John Armenian Church hosted the annual toy drive benefiting UCSF's Pediatric Ward. this year’s Toy Drive was a huge success by raising over $1600 in toys Many thanks for the generous monetary donations and toys. Your generous donations were greatly appreciated by the children in the pediatric ward and by St. John Armenian Church.
St. John extends its thanks to Dn. Charles Cherezian and Ms. Carmen Kestekyan for their hard work in organizing the toy drive.
On December 20, Fr. Mesrop Ash visited KZV Armenian School and met with the principal Mrs. Grace Andonian to express Holiday wishes. He visited the classrooms and explained to the students the true meaning of Christmas which is not only receiving presents but giving, helping, caring and loving to one another .He wished everyone happy and safe Christmas and New Year.
The Christmas bells were ringing on December 24, at St. John Armenian Apostolic Church. More than 200 hundred faithful were present to participate in celebrating the Western Christmas candlelight Service. The sanctuary and the Paul Family hall were beautifully decorated with Christmas ornaments.
The service started with the Lord’s Prayer followed by scripture readings by our dedicated deacons, the congregation joined the choir singing traditional Christmas Carols. Sunday School students participated in the pageant, presenting the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On Saturday, November 17, 2012, St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco held its annual Veterans Dinner in honor of United States Marine Corps Captain Matthew Patrick Manoukian, 29, who was killed in August in Sangin District, Afghanistan by a rogue Afghan policeman. 33 veterans attended the dinner as guests of the Parish and 200 guests showed their respect and appreciation for all our brave veterans.
On Sunday, December 16, 2013 at 10:25, the beautiful bells of St. John Armenian Church were ringing inviting Bay Area parishioners to participate in the Episcopal Divine Liturgy. His Eminence Archbishop Aris Shirvanian, Locum Tenens of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, along with the St. John altar servers and deacons were getting ready for the processional, while the choir members were vocalizing.
On Friday, December 14, at St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco, His Eminence Abp. Aris Shirvanian, Locum Tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem was welcomed by Bay Area clergy Rev. Fr. Datev Haroutyunian, parish priest of St. Andrew Armenian Church of Cupertino and Northern California Regional Vicar; Rev. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, parish priest of St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland; and St. John parish priest Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash.
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