Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church
Mario Gumushdjian Library

Mission Statement

            The Library's Mission is to inspire the love of God in children, to provide orthodox reference books for parents and teachers, to spread the Word of God and knowledge of the Lord in the individual and the community. The Library provides Orthodox Christian Armenian resources to support and enrich the curriculum as imparted at the community schools, and, to inspire the Christian spirit of service and leadership throughout the world.    

 A Review of…

“Know God, No Fear”

 By: Stephen Elkins

 What does it mean to trust God with all your fears?    Stephen Elkins’ illustrated story discusses this question through a narrative about some young children camping in the forest. Mrs. Bailey, their teacher, soothe their fears of noises in the dark by telling the campers what her mother used to say when she was frightened as a child. Her mother would tell her the story of David and Goliath, and say, “know God, no fear”.

Mrs. Bailey describes young David of 1 Samuel 17, who was just a boy when he fought Goliath - a nine-foot champion Philistine fighter, who wore a bronze helmet, a coat of armor, a javelin, an iron spear and a shield. Goliath had claimed he would “defy the ranks of Israel” (17:10), and caused the Israelites great dismay and terror.

 David, the youngest of all his brothers, was anointed by Samuel and had the Holy Spirit, just as we received through baptism. When he heard what Goliath had claimed, David went to Saul, who was king during that time, and he said “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him”, to which Saul replied, “You are not able to go against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth” (17: 32-33). It was irrational that this young man would fight such an opponent – he had many odds stacked against him, he was young, inexperienced, and small.

And yet, David pressed on, saying, “Your servant has been keeping his fathers sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it; your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (17:35- 37). It is startling to think that a young boy was able to take on a lion and a bear, but David knew that God was with him, and he knew who God was. Even when Saul offered armor, David rejected it, because he knew that God was the only armor he needed. Fighting Goliath with a smooth river stone, not made by man like Goliath’s spear, David knew that he was simply the vehicle for the glory of God’s Will.

In the story, Mrs. Bailey explains that David was only a man, and wrote of his fears in the Book of Psalms in prayer to God. David wrote: “When I am afraid, I will trust in God” (Psalm 56).  Just as God enabled him to kill Goliath, David’s linage led to Jesus, who in turn brought salvation to all. Having faith and understanding of the Lords Will allowed for God’s glory to go forth and prosper. David is an example to all Christians, no matter what our age.

When I read “Know God, No Fear”, to the children of our Sunday School during library day, I realized that it is not our inexperience, or our stature that leads to fear, but instead our lack of faith in God’s power. David explains God’s promise: “Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever, For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones” (Psalm 37).

I pray that God opens our minds, and helps us to truly understand the enormity of who He is, so that we, as a church and as a nation, have the faith to walk forward on God’s path, knowing that He will give us the strength to face our own Goliath’s.

"Mario Gumushdjian" Christian Library's Anniversary

Alexia Citak

On Sunday, August 23rd, his Eminence Archbishop Karekin Bekjian, Primate of the Armenian Church of Germany, Reverend Father Sarkis Guillian, and honoured guests of the Mario Gumushdjian Library attended the Holy Trinity Bible Study’s Luncheon.   Volunteers, Lara Gumushdjian and Alexia Citak, spoke on behalf of the Library addressing how Mario’s personal struggle with illness, acted as a catapulting force of change that allowed God’s will to be active in his life.

Book Review The Library's Mission is to inspire the love of God in children; to provide Orthodox reference books for parents and teachers; to spread the Word of God and knowledge of the Lord in the individual and with in the community. The Library provides Armenian Orthodox resources to support and enrich the curriculum as imparted at the community schools, and finally to inspire the Christian spirit of service and leadership throughout the world.             In Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, The Mario Gumushdjian Library is a source of wisdom and education, both for Schools and our Community. As mentioned in the above, it provides Armenian Orthodox resources in order to strengthen the youth and families of our Church.             But, herein lays the real question: have you ever been inside the Library? Perhaps you are not a youth, or a child, and you wonder what the use of the Library would be for someone such as yourself.             Consider this. When your car leaks oil, you take it to the mechanic. When your computer has a virus, you take it to a technician. When you have the flu, you take yourself to the doctor.             Where do you go when the Holy Spirit within you needs nourishment?             The Word of God is given in testimonies and everyday examples in the Mario Gumushdjian Library. Even the simplest children's books provide assistance to answering life's questions. With today's hectic pace, fears, doubts and questions linger and plague our lives. However, with the Word of God and biblical wisdom, we can overcome life's most challenging obstacles.              The Library provides books on many topics and for any age group. There are adult texts, youth texts, a variety of children's picture books and videos and CDs.  Whether you are looking for a full spiritual meal or just a little snack, The Library offers something for your spiritual appetite.      Mario Gumushdjian Library Book Review: Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to Sarah, the main character of one of the children's books at the Mario Gumushdjian Library. The following Review is on Why Did Sarah Laugh? Written by Pauline Youd and illustrated by Elaine Garvin. The story is adapted from Genesis (17-18:15; 21:1-7) wherein the Lord tells Abraham that he and his wife Sarah will have a son, despite their advanced age. Sarah listens at the entrance of the tent and laughs at this message, thinking "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"             To this, the Lord responds, " 'Why did Sarah Laugh and say 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."              For many, the idea of having children well past the age seems unlikely. We understand Sarah's point of view, she doesn't believe because it doesn't make sense in her mind. She thinks, 'I'm old', 'this is impossible’; she goes as far as laughing at the very prospect. Yet, the Lord hears her thoughts, and he asks not only her, but us as well, why did she laugh?            At the end of the story the book asks, “Did you ever think something was too hard for God to do?" The story asks us if we ever doubt or if we ever are unable to believe that God can do what is best for us, whether it appears impossible or not. We have all been in that place, where we're scared or unfaithful, or confused. But this tells us that, if it is God's will, it will be, indefinitely. The stories questions remain: do we stand in the way of God's will for our lives? Do we laugh? Do we doubt? If so, then maybe we need to ask for more faith. More honestly, we all need to get closer to the Word of God in our lives, so we can take strength and refuge from the volatile and unsteady winds of the world. This story is an inspiration to all children of God, whether young or old, and it is only one of the practical examples of wisdom available at The Mario Gumushdjian Library.                                                       In Memory of Mario Gumushdjian August, 2005   Book Reservation available via email:     gumushdjianlibrary@hotmail.com     By Alexia Citak _____________ Mario Gumushdjian Library became an independent auxiliary body on August 11th 2007. The Committee members, Taline Gumushdjian, Ashkhen Karayacoubian, Viviane MacLean, Darius Gumushdjian and Takouhi Knadjian.  have had an excellent history from previous appointments to Sunday School Board of Trustees fulfilling their service for the required  three year term. We thank Rev. Arch priest Zareh Zargarian for reassembling the team to now serve the community through The Mario Gumushdjian Library. The primary Mission of the Library is to inspire the love of God in children and provide orthodox reference books for parents and teachers to spread the Word of God and to further the knowledge of the Lord in the individual family and community. In addition, Library is to provide Christian-Armenian-Children’s resources and services to support and enrich the curriculum as imparted at community schools to inspire Christian spirit of service and leadership. On August 26th 2007, The Bible Study Group hosted a luncheon to increase awareness of the Library and it’s Mission in our community. We thank all the members of the Bible Study Group, Miss Surpuhi Evran, Shake Anmahouni, Takouhi Knadjian, Alis Akcasu and Ashkhen Karayacoubian for their sincere effort and love in assisting to launch this new committee. ‘Asdvadz Bahe Tzez.’ Since the Luncheon the Library patron base has increased to 250 children and 600 titles.   In the immediate future, The Library is expanding to the Mezzanine Level at HTAAC to accommodate the growth. In the next ten years, an expansion plan for The Mario Gumushdjian Library will include satellite Libraries with all its administrative templates and titles to other churches in Canada. May God be our guide and provide the wisdom necessary to accomplish this most important of missions.    Many thanks to all the supporters of The Mario Gumushdjian Library   920 Progress Ave. Scarborough, ON. M3G 3T5 / Tel.(416)431-3001 Fax.(416)431 0269 gumushdjianlibrary@hotmail.com

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