St. John Armenian Church

  

The annual ACYOA Armenia Service Program provides participants (ages 18 and up) the opportunity to travel, serve, and worship in their homeland. This year’s ASP will run July 2-17, under the leadership of the Rev. Fr. Tadeos Barseghyan, pastor of St. Sahag Church of St. Paul, MN.

This summer, the ACYOA members will undertake some new service programs and endeavors, in partnership with the Fund for Armenian Relief. Participants will work with children at a summer camp, visit the FAR

Children’s Center, experience innovative programs, such as “Ayo!,” and spend an unforgettable day harvesting apricots side-by-side with local villagers in the fertile Armenian heartland. The group will also visit religious and cultural sites throughout Armenia, including Yerevan, Etchmiadzin, and Sevan.

All participants will receive a $500 scholarship from the Dadourian Foundation—bringing the cost of the trip to the lowest it has been in a decade.

The registration deadline is March 20. Click on the following links to view a flyer and to download an

application form, and visit http://www.acyoa.org to learn more. For questions, contact Jennifer Morris, the Diocese’s director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, at jenniferm@armeniandiocese.org, or (248) 648-0702.

With Lent a month away (it begins on February 12) the ACYOA has announced the dates and locations for its annual series of youth retreats. Check with your local parish for registration materials and flyers. The schedule of Lenten youth retreats is as follows:
 
ACYOA Juniors (ages 13-18)
Michigan/Ohio Retreat: Feb. 16-18, Michigan Christian Youth Camp (Attica, MI)
Wisconsin/Illinois Retreat: Feb. 16-18, St. Iakovos Retreat Center (Kansasville, WI)
New England/N.Y.-N.J. /Mid-Atlantic Retreat: Feb. 23-25, Camp Washington (Lakeside, CT)
 
ACYOA Seniors (ages 18 and older)
New England Regional Retreat: Mar. 3 (10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
N.Y.-N.J./Mid-Atlantic Regional Retreat: Mar. 3 (10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
Midwest Regional Retreat: Mar. 3 (10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)
 
Also, it’s not too late to register for the ACYOA Seniors Chapter Workshop, scheduled for January 19-21 at St. David Church, Boca Raton, FL. Click here to register.
 
For information on any of these events, contact your parish pastor, youth director, or ACYOA chapter chair; or contact Jennifer Morris of the Diocese’s Department of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at JenniferM@armeniandiocese.org.