St. John Church: Parish News

Here's the latest news about what's happening at St. John Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco:

December 2011
Deadline Approaches for Church Membership Dues

Per our church By Laws, dues-paying members must pay their dues by December 31, 2011 in order to be able to vote in the upcoming Parish Council elections. If you have not already paid your 2011 dues, we would greatly appreciate your payment by December 31, 2011. We thank you in advance for your support.

Please contact Church Treasurer Charles Cherezian with any questions regarding your membership at St. John Armenian Church.

September 2011
ACYO General Meeting Sunday, October 9, 2011

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 in Daly City. 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.

To read more about this meeting and other ACYO news, please visit our ACYO page.

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.

To read more about this service event, please visit our ACYO page.

September 2011
Register Your Children for Sunday School Classes

Registgration for pre-K through 7th grade Sunday School class will take place on Sunday, September 18, 2011. Class begins on Sunday, September 25, and we have an exciting year planned for our children.

To learn more about Sunday School at St. John, please visit our Sunday School page, where you may also download a Sunday School registration form.

September 2011
ACYO Central Committee Hosts Comedy Night in Pasadena

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

Visit our ACYO page for details about this great upcoming performance!

June 2011
Time to Start Cooking for the 2011 Church Bazaar!

As we draw closer to the annual "Taste of Armenia" Food Festival in October here at St. John, it's time to start cooking all those delicious foods!

We've posted a schedule of dates and foods on the Church Bazaar page for anybody interested in helping with the food preparation or sponsoring a cooking day lunch.

June 2011
Last Day of Sunday School Celebration

On May 22, Sunday School celebrated the end of its school year with all those in attendance at Church. This year we had 25 enthusiastic students and parents registered in Sunday School. We had many students who attended regularly and others who visited when they could.

Each student received a certificate to share with their parents and a pin that represents the number of years they have participated in our program. We are encouraging the children to wear their pins when they come to Church. It will remind them of their accomplishments and their growth in faith.

The church fellowship hour ended with the children playing a game of Quiz Bowl with those present.

View photos from this year's Sunday School celebration...

Students are always welcome even if it's on a drop-in basis. Our hope is that our children grow to love their Church, God and their Faith.

To learn more, please visit our Sunday School page.

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. Not only did we have our members participate in sports and work on the organizing committee but we met up with old friends which truly made it a "family" weekend.

Our very own Carmen Kestekyan is on the ACYO Central Council, who with the rest of her team planned an outstanding weekend of events: sports, lunch barbeque led by Father Avedis for 200 plus people, Saturday evening youth social, Sunday Church services officiated by Abp. Hovnan Derderian, and championship games all concluding with an awards banquet on Sunday evening. A good time was had by all: meeting up with old friends, making new friends and cheering for our Northern California teams from St. Vartan, St. Andrew and St. James.

St. John was represented by 3 participating athletes. We congratulate the following participants for their eager participation and enthusiasm:

• Rebecca Boghossian, Tennis
• Andrew Boghossian, Ping Pong
• Kevin Kestekyan, Ping Pong and Tavloo

Kevin Kestekyan placed 3rd in Ping Pong and 1st in Tavloo. Congratulations, Kevin!

For photos from this year's ACYO Sports Weekend, please visit our ACYO page.

April 2011
Parish Council Offers Easter "Thanksgivings"

The Parish Council of St. John Armenian Orthodox Church wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Fr. Avedis Abovian for his support and conducting of all the Holy Week Services.

Thank you to all the ladies and the volunteers for shopping, cooking, baking and serving.

Thank you to the Sunday School staff and students for participating in the angelic singing during Palm Sunday's Divine Liturgy.

Thank you to all the altar servers and choir members for attending and participating in all the services.

Thank you to the ACYO members for decorating the church for Palm Sunday, preparing and supervising the Egg Hunt and for the Annual Easter Eve Communion Breakfast.

We wish all of you good health, prosperity and long life. May God bless each and every one of you!

May 2011
Mothers' Day Champagne Breakfast on Sunday, May 8

On Sunday morning, May 8, 2011, St. John Armenian Apostolic Church will be hosting our 49th Annual Mothers' Day Champagne Breakfast, presented and prepared by The Men of St. John Mr. & Ms. Club.

This year's Champagne Breakfast begins promptly at 9 a.m., and concludes at 10:15 a.m. (Sunday church services begin at 10:30 a.m.).

Admission is only $5 per person, and children aged 12 and under are welcome to dine free of charge.

For reservations or more information about our Mothers' Day Champagne Breakfast on Sunday, May 8, please call the church office at 415.661.1142 or send us an e-mail.

May 2011
St. John Church Launches New Website

The Parish Council at St. John is pleased to announce the "resurrection" of our long-dormant website.

Designed and built by Mr. Wayne Saroyan of Oakland, the new website aims to enhance and enrich the spiritual, social and cultural lives of the parish and the Armenian community here in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

As you explore the new website, you'll discover interesting and entertaining articles and features that explore the history, traditions and organization of the Armenian Apostolic Church, from its local Parish Council to the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos and spiritual leader for Armenians around the world.

In time, the website will also include a variety of interactive content, photo and video galleries, a Calendar of upcoming church events, and much more. To stay connected with new features and special online events, please take a moment and subscribe to our free Church Newsletter.

For more information about the new website, please send your comments, questions or concerns to our webmaster, Wayne Saroyan.

Interested in helping produce and manage the St. John Church website? Please send an e-mail to our webmaster with your interest, experience and availability. Of course, experience is *not* necessary, and we'll be happy to train and mentor anybody interested in learning more about website design and management!