_ The 2024 ACYOA Bishop's 5k:

Bishop’s 5K, Saturday, April 27, Watertown, MA

The ACYOA is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Bishop’s 5K taking place this spring with options to participate virtually or in-person. The 5K is open to ALL ages and abilities. A 5K is the equivalent of 3.1 miles, and you may choose to run or walk. Our former Primate of the Eastern Diocese, His Grace Bishop Daniel Findikyan envisioned the Bishop's 5K as a way to promote physical and spiritual health. We are excited that our Bishop, His Grace Bishop Mesrob Parsamyan will be visiting our parish community and participating in his first Bishop's 5K. Join us to walk and run beside him as his flock of the Eastern Diocese through the neighborhood streets surrounding our parish, St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, MA.

Should you not be able to physically participate, we are accepting donations in place of a registration. All proceeds from the 5K will be split equally between the ACYOA and Ayo!

"Ayo!" is the fundraising platform of Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR), which strives to build a bridge between young Armenians around the world who want to make a difference and organizations doing amazing work on the ground. Proceeds will go directly to the current project #PutDownRoots, which aims to create an educational-therapeutic horticulture space in the Yerevan Botanical Garden, and will provide opportunities for forcibly displaced children (and others) to get their hands dirty, destress and learn about the environment! Once created, this special section of the garden will be available for children and youth for years to come

The ACYOA is a Christ-centered organization whose goal is to create among young adults a greater sense of spiritual culture and tradition, and to instill within its members, a true spirit of civic mindedness. The purpose and role of the ACYOA, in the context of the Diocese of the Armenian Church, is of vital importance, as it is charged with preparing and equipping young adults to participate in parish and community leadership capacities. It focuses on the five areas necessary for a complete youth ministry platform: worship, witness, service, education and fellowship. The Cross of Circles ensures that the ACYOA provides well-balanced programming that continues to pursue its mission of bringing youth of the Armenian Church closer to Christ. The ACYOA Central Council will use the proceeds toward developing future ACYOA programs and ministries, such as the ACYOA Mission Trip, ACYOA Armenia Service Program, Retreats and more.

For more information about either organization, please visit their websites: www.acyoa.org and www.weareayo.org

For more information about the Bishop's 5K, please contact Jennifer Morris at [email protected] or by phone at 248-648-0702 or the ACYOA Central Council at [email protected]. 

Online registration closes on 4/26 at 8:00PM, but on-site registration will be available the day of the race. Donations will be open after the event as well.