“They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had or received his mark on their foreheads or their hands.” (Rev. 20:4).

The verse we just read is quoted from the Book of Revelation. Apostle John wrote down his vision of the Judgment Day. He described people who suffered and lost their lives for the witness of their Lord Jesus Christ, who refused to worship the beast or his image, and who did not compromise their faith. This cost them their lives and they were given the glorious crown.

Today, 1567 years later, we celebrate the memory of Vartan and his friends. Even though thousands fell on that day in the Battle of Avarayr, yet this is a feast and not a mourning day. It is a feast because what happened in the Battle of Avarayr was not an end as the Persians thought it would be. It was a beginning, a continuation of what Thaddeus, Bartholomew, and St.Krikor Lousavorich sowed into the hearts of the Armenian people.

There are 150 years between 301 and 451 AD, i.e. between the Armenians accepting Christianity and being ready to die for their faith. They were not willing to bow to the “beast” and accept his “mark.” Christianity had become real in their lives. Martyrdom is a life of testimony. Armenians had learned and were educated in their faith specially when, by the invention of the Armenian Alphabet in 405 AD, they were able to worship and read the Bible in their mother tongue. The Armenians had learned that Christ would set them free from sin and this new life had changed them. They wanted to live with the freedom to worship the God they loved.

What do we learn from these martyrs today?

Vartan and his friends bore marks: In his speech, Vartan mentioned the marks they bore on their bodies:

“Each of us carries numerous injuries and scars on our bodies …”

Whose mark do we bear today? Whose impact shows in our lives? We often meet people who have a tattoo on their body as a sign or a remembrance of something special for them. Some wear crosses as a symbol of their faith. However, Vartan says,

“…those courageous acts I count useless because all of them will vanish.”

Vartan and his friends carried the scars of war. For Vartan, those were useless because they would fade away.

The Christian mark that Vartan and his friends bore was their testimonial life. A life that was ready to say NO to the Persian gods and YES to Jesus Christ.

Today we Armenians can continue worshiping our Lord Jesus Christ and praying to him because of people like Vartan and his friends who chose to not give up their faith, their Christian values and the freedom of worship. Our message after more than fifteen centuries is to continue in the same spirit. We need to bear the “marks” of our Lord Jesus Christ by living the faith with boldness and to serve and witness for our Lord Jesus Christ.

February 2018 Pastor Nerses Balabanian

Non-Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDPermit No. 41Fresno, CA

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Pilgrim’sProgress

3673 North First Street | Fresno, California 93726-6870

3673 North First Street | Fresno, California 93726-6870 | p 559-229-2915 | f 559-229-6431 | pilgrimchurch.com

A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR NERSES BALABANIAN

Whose Mark Do We Bear?Vartanantz Day

Romans 8:31-39; Revelations 20:4

COUNCIL ACTIVITIESBy Moderator Cristel Tufenkjian

The Council kicked off 2018 with an enjoyable, productive meeting. Badveli Nerses opened with a devotional challenging us to “get out of the boat” and be ready to serve when God says Go! Always on the front end of the agenda is the reading of correspondence. There were several letters this time from organizations thanking our church for various reasons, like for the use of our facilities by the Armenian Evangelical Youth Fellowship for their Fall Conference and for the donations given on behalf of the Vacation Bible School mission campaign. These correspondences are a wonderful reminder of the generosity of our church family. One of the business items for the Council was reviewing a calendar of events. All I can say is hold on to your hats because we have a lot planned for 2018! The Council also approved a mission statement. “As a Christ-centered Armenian Evangelical Church, Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church exists to proclaim the Good News (gospel) of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior through worship, evangelism, service, spiritual nourishment, and fellowship – with a special focus on the spiritual and physical needs of our people. We also focus on the preservation of our Armenian heritage.” All that we do as a church body will be guided by our mission statement.

FEBRUARY 11CONGREGATIONAL

MEETINGSCHEDULE

A special congregational meet-ing will be held February 11, 2018 following morning worship for the purpose of approving amend-ments to the bylaws and other items that may pertain to the well-being of Pilgrim Armenian Congregational Church facilities and its ministry.

• • • • •PRAYER CHAIN. For prayer, call Sheri Manoogian at 412-4241 or Helen

Sadoian at 439-3443. If you would like to be added to our prayer list, please call the church office, 229-2915.

PILGRIM CHURCH COUNSELORS. If you have any concerns and/or affirmations, please speak with or call any of our counselors, Carol Forrest 431-2530, Alex or Sonia Jemanjian 579-8389, and Joe and Johnanna Soghomonian 834-3150.

VISA AND/OR MASTERCARD – giving is available in the church office. We also have a Square Card Reader, which gives us the capability of charging to the church using a smart phone.

RECIPE BOOK REQUEST – Pilgrim church office has been getting requests for, “A Harvest of Recipes” cookbook dated 1901-2001, burgundy in color. If you would like to donate your copy to the church office it would be appreciated.

If you are unable to serve on your assigned Sunday, please find a replacement and con-tact Cristel Tufenkjian by Wednesday at noon prior to the Sunday you are scheduled.

SUNDAY SCHOOL MORNING SCHEDULE10:00-11:00: Middle school and High school; Middle School meet in Library; High school meet in Family Life Center10:30-11:30: Toddlers through 5th graders; all students start in Room 6 for a Bible lesson before going to stations11:00: Worship begins/nursery care available for toddlers and preschoolers

11:30-12:00: Enrichment Preschool through 6th Grade

YOUTH AND SUNDAY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

• • • • •

• • • • •

• • • • •

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

– Romans 15:13

AColyTe SChedule FeBRuARy-MARCh 2/4/2018 2/11/2018 2/18/2018 2/25/2018Stolebearer Max G. Kayla S. Farrah V. Christian T.Crossbearer Remy Arman Armine RemyCandlelighter Emma Caleb Lexah JulietteCandlelighter Katelynn Alen Victoria Emma 3/4/2018 3/11/2018 3/18/2018 3/25/2018stolebearer Michael M. Max G. Kayla S. Farrah V.crossbearer Arman Armine Remy Armancandlelighter Nadia Emma Caleb Lexahcandlelighter Julia Katelynn Alen Victoria

Abigail Aller 2/1Cole Gulesserian 2/10Jonah Aller 2/16Lorelei Klomhaus 2/16

Jonathan Parvanian 2/17Matthew Parvanian 2/17Adam Garabedian 2/24

It’s Mighty Memorizer Time again!Mighty Memorizer begins February 4

Make sure you have your FIRST verse memorized on February 4! It is not too late to sign up! Call Teacher Cathy at 285-5780 if you have questions

HAPPY BIRTHDAY… to these individuals who have a birthday in February:

Celebrating Founders’ DayThe Pilgrim Armenian Congre-gational Church celebrated 117 years of worshiping together and serving the Fresno commu-nity with a Founders’ Day Celebration on January 27 at Pardini’s. It was a special event as guests enjoyed an evening of fellowship and remembrance. Long-time member and church Architect Richard Manoogian was honored for the design of the church campus including the beautiful sanctuary. Guest Speaker, Dr. Victor Davis Hanson provided his perspective on the Armenian immigrants who settled in the Fresno area. Badveli Nerses shared an inspirational message and led the guests in singing to finish off the program. The eve-ning concluded with the singing of the Hyer Mer led by all of the clergy in attendance.

Photography by Rodney Gavroian

Founders’ DayThe Pilgrim Armenian Congre-gational Church celebrated 117 years of worshiping together and

-

SAVE THE DATESATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018

10amWORLD DAY OF PRAYER

WORSHIP SERVICEPilgrim Armenian Congregational Church

229-2915SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, April 12, 2018

THIRDANNUAL

SU

ND

AY

M

ON

DA

Y

TU

ESD

AY

W

ED

NE

SDA

Y

T

HU

RSD

AY

FR

IDA

Y

SA

TU

RD

AY

1

Dor

cas G

uild

10

:00a

m B

ible

Stu

dy

Fire

side

Roo

m

11:0

0am

Gen

eral

Mee

ting

11:3

0am

Lun

ch S

ocia

l H.

2

7:00

am T

GIF

Bib

le

Stud

y, F

iresi

de R

oom

3 8-

2 pm

Bas

ketb

all,

GFL

C

8:00

-2:0

0 pm

(off

Site

) Y

outh

Gro

up

Pain

t Bal

l 9-

11am

Par

entin

g En

glis

h/Sp

anis

h-Su

nday

Sc

hool

Cla

sses

1-

3pm

Mar

iam

St

epan

ian

Mem

oria

l Se

rvic

e, S

ocia

l Hal

l 4

HO

LY

CO

MM

UN

ION

Pa

ntry

Sun

day

10:0

0am

Adu

lt Su

nday

Sch

ool

10:3

0am

Sun

day

Scho

ol

11:0

0am

W

OR

SHIP

1-

3 pm

Sun

day

Fund

ay

3:30

-5:3

0 pm

You

th G

roup

5 8:

00am

- 5:0

0pm

FU

SD, M

ain

Hal

l

6

10:0

0am

Wom

en’s

Bib

le

Stud

y, R

oom

6

6-10

pm

Fut

sbal

l GFL

C

7:00

pm Y

oung

Adu

lts,

Kup

pajo

e

7 7:

00 a

m M

en’s

For

um

Exec

utiv

e B

oard

M

eetin

g, Y

osem

ite F

alls

3:

00-6

:00

pm

FPC

, GFL

C

5:00

pm

Wor

ship

Tea

m

Reh

ears

al, S

anct

uary

6-

8 pm

Cen

Cal

, GFL

C

8

6:00

pm

Var

tana

ntz,

St

. Gre

gory

Chu

rch

(Fow

ler)

9

7:00

am

TG

IF B

ible

St

udy,

Fire

side

Roo

m

7:00

pm

You

ng

Cou

ples

Val

entin

e’s

Dat

e N

ight

, Soc

ial H

all

10

8-2

pm B

aske

tbal

l, G

FLC

9-

11am

Par

entin

g En

glis

h/Sp

anis

h-Su

nday

Sc

hool

Cla

sses

9:

00 a

m M

en’s

For

um

Bre

akfa

st/ D

orca

s Gui

ld

Gue

st, S

ocia

l Hal

l 11

: am

Dor

cas G

uild

Ta

bith

a C

ircle

, Ove

rflo

w

11

Dor

cas G

uild

Sun

day

& F

ello

wsh

ip

10:0

0am

Adu

lt Su

nday

Sch

ool

10:3

0am

Sun

day

Scho

ol

11:0

0am

W

OR

SHIP

C

ongr

egat

iona

l Mee

ting

3:30

-5:3

0 pm

You

th G

roup

12

10:0

0 am

Dor

cas

Gui

ld

Exec

utiv

e B

oard

M

eetin

g, O

verf

low

13

10:0

0am

Wom

en’s

Bib

le

Stud

y, R

oom

6

6-10

pm

Fut

sbal

l GFL

C

7:00

pm Y

oung

Adu

lts,

Kup

pajo

e

14

Ash

Wed

nesd

ay

3:00

-6:0

0 pm

FP

C, G

FLC

5:

00 p

m W

orsh

ip T

eam

R

ehea

rsal

, San

ctua

ry

6-8

pm C

enC

al, G

FLC

15

7:00

pm

Mon

thly

Bib

le

Stud

y, S

alib

a’s H

ouse

16

7:00

am T

GIF

Bib

le

Stud

y, F

iresi

de R

oom

17

8-2

pm B

aske

tbal

l, G

FLC

B

ass L

ake

Fam

ily

Ret

reat

9-

11am

Par

entin

g En

glis

h/Sp

anis

h-Su

nday

Sc

hool

Cla

sses

18

10:0

0am

Adu

lt Su

nday

Sch

ool

10:3

0am

Sun

day

Scho

ol

11:0

0am

WO

RSH

IP

CE

Com

mitt

ee M

eetin

g 1-

3 pm

Sun

day

Fund

ay

Bas

s Lak

e Fa

mily

Ret

reat

19

Pres

iden

t’s D

ay

Off

ice

Clo

sed

Pilg

rim

Pro

gres

s A

rtic

le D

ue

Bas

s Lak

e Fa

mily

R

etre

at

20

10:0

0am

Wom

en’s

Bib

le

Stud

y, R

oom

6

6-10

pm

Fut

sbal

l GFL

C

6:30

pm

Tru

stee

s, Li

brar

y 7:

00 p

m D

eaco

ns, C

E 7:

00pm

You

ng A

dults

, K

uppa

joe

21

1:00

pm

Dor

cas G

uild

W

ed. C

ircle

, Ove

rflo

w

3:00

-6:0

0 pm

Fre

sno

FPC

, G

FLC

5:

00 p

m W

orsh

ip T

eam

R

ehea

rsal

, San

ctua

ry

6-8

pm C

enC

al, G

FLC

22

23

7:

00am

TG

IF B

ible

St

udy,

Fire

side

Roo

m

24

8-2

pm B

aske

tbal

l, G

FLC

25

10:0

0am

Adu

lt Su

nday

Sch

ool

10:3

0am

Sun

day

Scho

ol

11:0

0am

W

OR

SHIP

3:

30-5

:30

pm Y

outh

Gro

up

6:00

-7:3

0 pm

Mov

ie N

ight

, Fi

re S

ide

Roo

m

26

27

10:0

0am

Wom

en’s

Bib

le

Stud

y, R

oom

6

6-10

pm

Fut

sbal

l GFL

C

6:15

pm

Cou

ncil

Mee

ting

7:00

pm Y

oung

Adu

lts,

Kup

pajo

e

28

9-11

am P

aren

ting

Engl

ish,

1-

3 pm

Par

entin

g Sp

anis

h P

AC

C-F

APC

, Pa

stor

s’ R

etre

at

9:30

am D

orca

s Gui

ld

Lunc

heon

Set

up

3:00

-6:0

0 pm

Pol

ice,

C

hapl

ainc

y, G

FLC

5:

00 p

m W

orsh

ip T

eam

R

ehea

rsal

, San

ctua

ry

Febr

uary

201

8

PILG

RIM

’S P

RO

GR

ESS

CALENDAR

OF EV

ENTS

Non-Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDPermit No. 41Fresno, CA

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Pilgrim’sProgress

3673 North First Street | Fresno, California 93726-6870

3673 North First Street | Fresno, California 93726-6870 | p 559-229-2915 | f 559-229-6431 | pilgrimchurch.com

Non-Profit Org.US PostagePAIDPermit No. 41Fresno CA

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

BASS LAKE

CHURCH RETREAT

SATURDAYFEB. 17 - MONDAY FEB. 19 . 2018

Join us for this annual retreat – enjoy fishing, boating, hiking, board games, sledding/snowball fights (if we can find snow), good food,good friends with small groups and speaking engagements.

All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.For more information, contact Alexander Jaramishian, 559-273-0826.

To reserve a room, contact The Pines Resort, 800-350-7463. – For special room pricing, be sure to mention:

Pilgrim Armenian Congregation Church – Lodging cost: 2-queen bed chalet, $119/night; 1-king bed chalet,

$109/night; Registration cost: $75/person (includes all meals)Speaker: Rev. Steve Muncherian

Pilgrim Church has a website, www.pilgrimchurch.com. It now is possible to download or read the “Progress” online. If you would like to receive the “Progress” via email, please contact the office at 229-2915, or email: office@pilgrimchurch.com.