Martyrs Day
12 Ways to Mark April 24th
1. Have an upper elementary-high school assembly using “The Armenian Genocide of 1915” video and study guide kit as a resource. Many of you have these already; if not, contact the Christian Education division of the Department of Youth and Education.
2. Have a special session devoted to the subject using current curriculum as well as Sunday School resource materials available from the Department of Youth and Education.
3. Donate a copy of The Burning Tigris by Peter Balakian—the newest genocide book—to a library or to local high school/college libraries.
4. Sponsor a lecture on the topic, with books for sale. Have Sunday School students introduce and host the evening.
5. Devote a Bulletin Board to April 24th. Assign upper grades “information bytes” (brief paragraphs on individual topics) to research and write up at Sunday School or at home and then put in final form at home on the computer, e.g. April 24, 1915; Europe; The Ottoman Empire; The Young Turks; Krikor Zohrab; Gomidas; Impact of the Genocide on the Armenian Church; Istanbul; The Losses; The Miracles. Have younger children or older students who are so inclined make drawings/collages.
6. Plant flowers on the church property; if there’s no room, buy a large wooden planter that will be permanently dedicated to yearly memorial plantings. Focus on the promise of those that will bloom each year.
7. Devote a Sunday morning to a writer, Krikor Zohrab for example, killed during the genocide. Contact the Department of Youth and Education, Christian Education, for suggestions on a short story of his with Christian-focused discussion questions.
8. Sell flowers after church. Focus on the shared beauty of the cut flowers. Plant a tree on church property or in a public space (permission will be needed). Share “madagh” sandwiches for those present.
9. Have Sunday School students prepare and distribute a madagh offering for the entire church after liturgy. Discuss appropriate kind of sandwich with your pastor.
10. Write an article on the subject, featuring the history of the event and planned activities for your local newspaper.
11. Conduct a “walk-a-thon” after church, proceeding in silence from the church steps and around the block; hold American and Armenian flags; end with a song of hope from our hokehankisd service such as “Kahanayk” or a song of hope of your choice.
12. Have a prayer-writing exercise in each class (upper elementary and above) by beginning with a brief historical overview (the video and study kit will be helpful here). Direct students to 1) Spend a moment of silence thinking about these events; 2) Begin by writing “Lord, this is name” and then a sentence about how they feel thinking of these things; 3) express three things that make them sad about these events; 4) Three hopes they have for the future and 5) a request from God for help to do something—and let them be specific—to make a difference in the world
MARTYRS DAY (PDF FILE)