The New England Fellowship Committee (NEFC) was formed by the AEUNA Rebuilding Task Force to help area churches build a stronger community and support each other in various ways – fellowship, faith formation, missions, and worship. The NEFC meets monthly and discusses common issues and ways we can support each other and how the Union can address some of the unique needs of the smaller, older churches in New England.
The first NEFC project is called “Helping Hands” where members of various churches participate or attend events at other churches and lend a “helping hand.” On May 21st and 22nd , the Armenian Memorial Church, Watertown, MA, held it’s annual Church Fair and Bake Sale. It had been three years since we were able to hold this event and there was a lot of excitement and anticipation among the members of the congregation.
We were lucky that Minister to the Union Rev. Hendrik Shanazarian was able to spend that weekend visiting several New England churches and attending the AMC Fair. We were also very fortunate to have representation from the Salem, Belmont, Worcester, and Cranston churches attend that weekend. To lend additional support to the NEFC churches, the AEUNA donated $1000 to the Armenian Memorial Church to help defray expenses of the fair.
Everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped wherever needed. It was a perfect New England sunny day, a wonderful experience, and truly a great opportunity to get to know each other better and share in service to build a stronger bond among the New England churches
- Carol Trio, Armenian Memorial Church