Annual Parish Assembly February 9, 2003

1
THE CROSS OF CIRCLES

•  The Cross of Circles
• The Symbol for Parish Ministry in the Armenian
  Church

2
THE CROSS OF CIRCLES

• The five circles of the cross represent the five
  characteristics of life in Christ, a life which
  is to be nourished and experienced in the Church.
• The characteristics of that life are
• WORSHIP, WITNESS, SERVICE, EDUCATION, FELLOWSHIP
• A balanced program offering liturgical
  experience, religious education, cultural
  appreciation, spiritual and moral guidance,as
  well as social and service activity.

3
WORSHIPComing Together in Faith

• WORSHIP refers to our relationship with God
  through liturgy, prayer, and sacramental life. A
  living liturgical life is important to our daily
  existence, for Christ said,
• He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood
• abides in me, and I in him. (John 656)
• Through worship we actually experience and get to
  know God.
• The Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments of the
  Armenian Church provide basic spiritual
  nourishment, but they must become a meaningful
  personal experience for the worshipper, and not
  simply a formal ritual.

4
WITNESS Witnessing the
Faith

• But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you
  will receive power and will tell people about me
  everywhere . . . Acts 18
• WITNESS is the living and sharing of our
  Christian faith and experience by sharing and
  living the Good News of our Lord with others
  within the faith, with those who may have left
  the faith and with those outside the faith.
• Witness is the logical extension of worship. If
  we are united with God, we will reflect Him in
  our daily life.

5
SERVICE Serving the Faith

• In SERVICE, the emphasis is on sharing ones
  gifts. Christ came not to be served, but to
  serve, and He urges us to do the same. We must
  use our respective gifts to be kind and
  merciful as Christ was when He walked among the
  sick, the poor and the downtrodden and extended
  His holy hand to them.
• It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to
  be prophets, some to bear witness, and some to be
  pastors and teachers, to prepare Gods people for
  works of service so that the body of Christ may
  be built up. (Ephesians 411-12)

6
EDUCATION Learning the Faith

• EDUCATION is vital to spiritual growth. We need
  to discover Who God is how He is at the center
  of all life and how our lives are transformed by
  that knowledge.
• By learning about and living the Holy Scriptures,
  doctrines, sacraments, rites, history and
  traditions of our Church, we will better
  understand the teachings of the Christian faith
  and be better able to live the other Circles Of
  The Cross.
• As for you, continue in what you have learned .
  . ., knowing from Whom you learned it . . ., to
  instruct you for salvation through faith in Jesus
  Christ. (II Timothy 314-15)

7
FELLOWSHIP Fellowship in the
Faith

• FELLOWSHIP refers to the way in which Armenian
  Christians bring their faith into daily and
  social life.
• Whatever we are doing, be it in the church hall,
  home, or office, we must remember that we are
  Temples of the Holy Spirit. Social activities,
  recreation and work ethics must be consistent
  with the reality that Armenian Christians are in
  constant fellowship with each other and the Holy
  Spirit.
• You shall love the Lord your God with all your
  heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
  mind. This is the great and first commandment.
  And a second is like it, you shall love your
  neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
  depend all the law and all the prophets.
  (Matthew 2237-40)