Clergy Corner
You celebrate Christmas when?
V. Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian

For the majority of us Armenian Christians, I suppose we generally get the same response when we tell our friends, co-workers, neighbors or others, that we celebrate the birth of Christ on January 5th & 6th. I wonder how many of us have a real answer or whether or not we really understand the difference?
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Words to Live By
Pick up your Bible and read about the “real” story of Christmas from the Gospel. Here are some Bible passages to help you get started.
The Birth of Jesus:
   Matthew 1: 18-25; Luke 2: 1-7
The Shepherds Watching Over their Flock:
   Luke 2: 8-20
The Wise Men Bring Their Gifts:
   Matthew 2: 1-12
Escape to Egypt and Back to Nazareth:
   Matthew 2: 13-23

In Your Words
Do you have something to say? Are you willing to share your thoughts and ideas with your peers? I would love to have teens, like you, volunteer to share their thoughts and ideas.

I am looking for short reflections, stories, vignettes, etc. to be published in next month’s Hye-mail. E-mail me if you are interested jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org.

You're Kidding
God Granting Miracles
A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says “Get in, get in!” The religious man replies, “No I have faith in God, He will grant me a miracle.”

Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in god and god will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again because “God will grant him a miracle.”

With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in, mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, “I thought God would grant me a miracle and I have been let down.” St. Peter chuckles and responds, “I don't know what you're complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter.”

Upcoming Events
December 16–18, ACYOA Juniors retreat and lock-in, Cleveland, OH
December 28, ACYOA Juniors retreat, Fairlawn, NJ
January 6, Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ: Armenian Christmas
May 26 – 29,  Hye M’rtsoom, Watertown, MA

St. Vartan Camp
June 27-July 1, Staff training
July 2-15, Session A
July 16-29, Session B
July 30-August 12, Session C

Hye Camp
July 30-August 5 (Tentative date)

St. Nersess Summer Conferences
June 13-17, Post-high school A
June 25–July 3, Deacon’s training
July 6–14, High school A
July 17–25, High school B
July 28–August 5, High school C
August 7–11, Junior high school
August 14–20, Post high school B

If you have an upcoming event you want posted in HYE-mail, e-mail me at: jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org.

Links
www.acyoa.org
The national website of the ACYOA. Learn about the history of the organization, find out about upcoming events, read press releases, view photos, and much more.

www.college301.org
A website for college kids to keep them connected to the church while away from home.

This monthly e-mail will be sent to young Armenian Orthodox Christians throughout the Eastern Diocese to help keep you stay connected to the Armenian Church.

I want to make this an e-mail that you enjoy and make sure it is meaningful to you. Please feel free to contact me and share your thoughts and ideas for upcoming topics.

With love and Prayers,
Jenni

Jennifer E. Morris
Coordinator, Youth Outreach
Diocese of the Armenian Church (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10021
212-686-0710 ext. 18
jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org

MEETING THE YOUTH IN CHARLOTTE, NC

I recently traveled to the St. Sarkis Church in Charlotte, NC, to work with the parish in developing creative programs for their youth. I first worked with a group of 12 children ranging from 4 to 11 years old. Using hands-on activities like drawing and acting, we focused on Bible passages from the Gospel and learned the "real" story of Christmas.

That evening I met with 14 young people, between the ages of 13 and 25 -- a few were first time visitors to the parish and did not know anyone -- so not only was it a chance for me to get to know the young people of Charlotte, but for them to get to know each other.

I explained the platform of the ACYOA, discussed programming ideas, and shared upcoming dates and events, as well as opportunities for them to get involved. For most of them, it was really their first taste of what the ACYOA is all about. It was a good start to a very young and enthusiastic group.

I hope to visit all of our parishes. I'm heading this weekend to the St. Gregory of Narek Church in Cleveland, OH. If your parish needs help beginning or strengthening an ACYOA Jr. or Sr. chapter, or if you want to strengthen your youth ministry efforts, please contact me by e-mailing jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org.

ARMENIAN CHRISTMAS JANUARY 6

Armenian Christmas is January 6. If you want to find more information on Armenian Christmas, click here.  I encourage each of you with a local parish to attend Armenian Christmas services with your family.  If you have trouble getting out of school to attend services, you can find a letter from the Primate explaining the importance of Christmas services on our website here.

DID YOU KNOW?

The character of Santa Claus is copied from the life of a real person, a saint named Saint Nicholas. The name 'Saint Nicholas' even sounds like 'San-ta Claus.' The tradition was brought to North America with the Dutch settlers and eventually became the story of Santa Claus that everyone knows.

St Nicholas was born in the third century. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made bishop of the city of Myra, while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Under the Roman Emperor, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. After his release, Nicholas attended the first ecumenical council in Nicea in AD 325 along with St. Gregory’s son Aristakes. In the Armenian Church, his feast day falls on December 10 this year.

The most famous story told about St. Nicholas has to do with three young sisters who were very poor. Their parents were so poor that they did not have enough money for the daughters to get married. Every young girl needed money to pay for the wedding and to set up house for themselves. Nicholas heard about this family and wanted to help them, but he did not want anyone to know that he was the one who was helping them.

The story is told in a few different ways. In one version, he climbed up on their roof three nights in a row and threw gold coins down their chimney so that they would land in the girls' stockings, which had been hung by the fire to dry. After two of his daughters had been able to marry because of the money mysteriously appearing in their stockings, the father was determined to find out who was helping them, so he hid behind the chimney the next night. Along came Bishop Nicholas with another bag of money.

When he was discovered, he asked the father not to tell anyone else, but the father wanted everyone to know what a good and generous man the Bishop Nicholas was, so he told everyone he knew. That is how we have the story and the tradition of stockings full of gifts today. May the real story of St. Nicholas, inspire us to remember the true reason for the season!
 

To learn more, contact jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org.

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