The Armenian Christian Youth Organization (ACYO)

Established in 1949, the ACYO of the Western Diocese is a membership organization which serves the Armenian Youth.

The Armenian Church Youth Organization of the Western Diocese of North America actively integrates its members into the life of the church by providing opportunities for Worship, Service, Education, and Fellowship in Christ according to the doctrines and traditions of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

To learn more about the ACYO at St. John Church, please contact:

ACYO, Sr.
Chair: Carmen Kestekyan (fastrunner4ever@hotmail.com)

ACYO, Jr.
Chair: Gary Balasanyan (b.balasanyan@yahoo.com)
 

ACYO News & Events

December 2011
Upcoming Activities

December 11, 2011:  Initiation Ceremony of the Junior Officers, General Membership Meeting, and Luncheon

December 18, 2011:  Participation at Cookout, Delivery, and Serving Lunch to Home-Bound and elderly Parish Members – A Service Project
 

September 2011
ACYO General Meeting Set for Sunday, October 9

Our next ACYO activity will be a general meeting, both for seniors and juniors, on Sunday, October 9, 2011, at 3:00 pm at Serra Bowl, 3301 Junipero Serra Blvd., Daly City (right next to Bart and Highway 280). This meeting will be our first official business meeting after summer holidays, at which time important decisions will be discussed, including election of officers at the next meeting on Sunday, November 13, 2011. We will have lunch and bowl after the meeting.

As you may know, ACYO-WD By-Laws dictate that each chapter must have a governing board comprised of at least a chairperson, treasurer and secretary. At that Sunday's meeting on November 13, 2011, we will be electing officers of the executive committee, both for juniors and seniors, who will help govern our chapter's affairs for 2011-2012 term. Nominations will be accepted from the floor at that time.

Also, please do not forget to volunteer your services at our Church's Food Festival on October 15 and 16, 2011.

Please make every effort to attend these important events, as we have much to offer to our Church. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

With Brotherly Love,

Robert Sarkiss, Youth Director
(robertsarkiss@comcast.net)
 

September 2011
ACYO Serves the Hungry and the Poor

With the direction of Deacon Arthur Bedikian, ACYO members attended Martin De Porres House of Hospitality (AKA the soup kitchen) in San Francisco, on Saturday, August 27, 2011, where they joined other volunteers and the kitchen staff preparing and serving lunch to the poor and the hungry.

The atmosphere was jubilant and prolific. The enthusiasm was apparent on all of them. On every side of the kitchen counters, the volunteers with aprons and gloves were busy cutting and chopping vegetables and other ingredients to be put in extra large pots full of boiling water, where they were to become a hearty minestrone soup. On the other corner of the kitchen some were cutting bread, fruits, and desserts while others were preparing salads.

Finally, when the lunch was ready, the poor and the hungry were invited to consume and indulge themselves with this wholeheartedly meal. At the end, everybody pitched in cleaning the entire kitchen and the dining room as if there never was any food preparation. Everybody left with a sense of gratitude and fulfillment.

Our next scheduled activity will be a volunteer service project at the San Francisco Food Bank on Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 12:30-3:30 p.m. We need to have at least 15 volunteers; all ACYO members, juniors and seniors, and all parents and friends (anybody and everybody) are welcome.

September 2011
ACYO Central Committee Comedy Night

The ACYO Central Council will be hosting a "Comedy Night" featuring Vahe Berberian on September 16th at St. Gregory Pasadena.

We will also be unveiling our new ACYO Partnership Program. The partnership program is an opportunity for ACYO alumni to rekindle their passion for the ACYO.

Alumni can't be as involved as they once were; this program gives them the opportunity to continue serving the organization we all love. We are asking for the alumni to partner up with the ACYO Central Council to expand and better serve our diocese. The partnership will consist of a yearly commitment of $100.

Throughout the partnership, ACYO Central Council will collaborate with the ACYO alumni by dedicating their time and efforts to insure the success of the organization.

For more information, please contact Carmen Kestekyan at 650.888.7212 or ckestekyan@gmail.com.

June 2011
ACYO Sports Weekend 2011

"All In The Family" was the theme for ACYO Sports Weekend in Fresno, May 27-29, 2011, and "All In the Family" it was.

Read the entire article on our News page...
 

Recent Photos

Fr. Artoon and Yer. Betty Sempadian surrounded by St. John members

Our future tennis champion Rebecca Boghossian

Andrew Boghossian and Kevin Kestekyan

Websites for further browsing:

• Armenian Church Summer Camp
  The Diocese Summer Camp program has been created to nurture the bodies, minds, and spirits of Armenian youth in a natural setting, providing a stimulating environment of community which inspires individual growth and the values of Christian Fellowship
   
• Armenian Church Youth Organization (Western Diocese)
  This is the place to learn about how our youth unite throughout the Western Diocese
   
• Christian Youth Mission to Armenia
  CYMA is a mission of the Armenian Church Youth Organization of the Western Diocese. It should be the goal for all Armenian youth to experience their spiritual and cultural identity and this program is designed to accomplish this goal. It gives Armenian youth the opportunity to truly experience their Motherland, contemporary Armenian life and experience their Spiritual Roots