Just as the year before, the camping event organized by St. Stepanos Armenian Church on June 25-26 was a great success. Armenian families camped out in the picnic area of the church while enjoying swimming at the Breakwater Beach Club, fun activities and crafts for children, and of course, famous Armenian khorovats. After nightfall, the biblical story of Noah was presented to the children, followed by an outdoor movie of the Noah story. After a delicious Armenian meal, nothing seemed better to the campers than a warm bonfire shared by family and friends.
The next morning, the campers started their day with a home-made breakfast and got to work setting up for the annual St. Stepanos Church Picnic. All campers great and small partook of the work and put together a great feast for their guests, both Armenian and foreign. While the adults were busy enjoying the picnic, the children were able to cool off a bit by having a water balloon fight. The satisfaction and fun was shared by the guests, as well as those who served.
I pray that our community here at St. Stepanos, as well as its leaders, will always have the desire and means to organize and host events such as this for generations to come, being a blessing to the Armenian families, and spreading God’s love among them. May our tables be always full of bread, our hearts full of love, and our minds full of God’s word. May God richly bless our hosts and our guests alike. Amen.
By Armen Orbelyan