Bishop Charian raises great points, especially in relation to stone structures which need to be kept alive through active participation in community life.

I was in Church last Friday and was rather disappointed with the low turnout – although very happy to see the presence of the much younger generation (children from school) who filed two rows of the church and in their own way participated in the mass. In London (both churches) if you are late to the mass by 20 minutes you wouldn’t find an empty seat (I realise that the Armenian population there is much bigger), I wish we could experience the same in the UAE. We have been blessed with a beautiful Church, the Community Hall next to it and there is the Councils in both regions, Embassy, HyeLounge, Azad-Hye website, Schools in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi – we have all possibilities to make things happen. Some communities don’t have these institutions, so we really need to appreciate and thank God for what we have and ensure that we can use these tools effectively to get the community together.

I was impressed with the event on Sunday 02 December 2007 (the picnic) in Al Ain, Taste of Armenia (November 2007), what a fantastic way to bring everyone together, hopefully such events will continue and if the Varchutyun/Embassy requires any assistance/voluntary help in organising these events, please let us know (by communicating through all available channels) as there are ambitious and dedicated people who will be willing to assist.

As this feedback follows Bishop Charian’s comments, I was wondering what we can do to attract a greater number of people to the Church, as this is not only the cradle of our worship, but also the centre of the Community/Armenian culture and what we can do to make the full use of the Hall on e.g. on Fridays, so that people can stay behind after the mass? Coffee/reasonably priced buffet for lunch with music/cinema/Armenian bazaar, gaming activities e.g. backgammon, blot, table tennis etc?

Harganknerov

Socrat Arakelyan

Can anyone give me the exact address / location of the Church in Sharjah? I visited there from Yerevan and heard about the Church, but no one could tell me where it was. I'd like to see it next time I go to UAE. Is there a Church in Dubai or Abu Dabai?

Thanks

Azad-Hye response: You can find the location of the Armenian Church in Sharjah and information about the Armenian Community in the UAE at this link. 

We hope that during your next visit you will achieve your goal and visit the Community Center in Sharjah.

There is no Armenian Church in Dubai. The Armenians of Dubai use Sharjah facitilites, although it is getting more difficult for them - due to the excessive traffic between the two Emirates - to follow Armenian events in Sharjah.

Abu Dhabi Armenians use the Catholic Church (Saint Joseph) or the Orthodox Church (Saint Nicholaos) for the Armenian religious services, conducted by the same UAE pastor (Rev. Aram Deyirmendjian).  

Madagh seen in these pictures is the most anti-Christian act one can commit. Jesus Christ is the one and only true madagh. God in the old testament allowed madagh, but since Jesus became madagh for mankind, one can not go back to practice the old ways. Jesus's came to be the sin bearer and was crossed/madagh.