Pastoral Letter 70

Dear Members of St. Andrew’s Uniting Church, Friends and Adherents,

Grace and peace to you all.

Tuesday 22 June is the Uniting Church’s 44^th Anniversary and according to our tradition for the last eight years, with the exception of 2020, we are going to have combined service with Lane Cove Uniting here in Longueville this Sunday. I urge you to make an effort to come and join our face-to-face worship and share some time with our neighbouring Uniting Church. Having no COVID restrictions, we are encouraged to wear masks, but we will be singing during our service and enjoy our fellowship with our sisters and brothers from LCU and the morning tea after the service. We should thank God that we are able to come together and worship.

If you are not planning to come to the Worship Service, please join us following the Order of Service that you have received, light a candle, worship, and pray with us.

At our last congregational meeting we decided to sponsor a family in Artsakh. Our commitment is for one year and to raise $3000 dollars and sponsor the Demirchian family of nine children (see the attached photo and the family’s profile). I am glad to let you know that we have already passed the halfway and have collected $1500+. I am sure that we will be able to fulfill our commitment and sponsor this needy family for the year 2021 and if we wish we can continue next year as well.

I hope to see you all on Sunday and please contact me if you need any kind of support or hear about a development with any member of the congregation and continue to pray for our services, programs and activities.

Krikor

ARTSAKH

DEMIRCHIAN  FAMILY

The Demirchian family consists of 10 members; mother and 9 children. Samvel is 18 years old and he is going to serve in the army. Lilit is 16 years old. She studies in the 8^th grade, Narek is 14 years old and he is in the 7^th grade, Karine is 12 years old. She studies in the 6^th grade. Levon is 10 years old and he is in the 4^th grade and Aram is in the 3^rd grade. He is 9 years old. Karen is 5 years old; Monica is 3 and Adriana is 2 years old. They don’t attend school or kindergarten. Their elder daughter, Svetlana is 20 years old. She is married.  Their father, Seriozha died on October 4 2020, during war.  They had been divorced a year ago before the war, but Seriozha always supported the family financially. He was in touch with children. 

Now the family lives in Ivanian village of Askeran region. The house was provided by the government in 2012. It has three rooms. The windows, ceiling and walls are damaged by a mine explosion. There are cracks on the walls. Their income is only the allowance for children. As they were divorced, the government doesn’t support the family financially.