To: Parish Priests, Parish Council Chairs, Choir Directors, Organists
From: Deacon Gregory Krikorian, AACCA Central Council Chair
Date: July 30, 2003
Subject: Junior Choir Members' Participation in Worship Services
It is indeed gratifying to note that our young upcoming members of junior choirs throughout the Eastern Diocese have a great desire to join in the Badarak and other worship services of their parish churches. The children should be encouraged to sing with their senior counterparts so that the feeling of service to the church will be instilled and reinforced in them as they grow up. With the blessing of our church pastors and under the direction of our choir leaders, the result can be beatiful. When the summer months have passed and everything is again in full swing, the Central Council recommends that our choirs take the necessary steps to see to it that junior choir members join in the worship services whenever possible.
At ths time we would like to clarify a section of the Choir Association Bylaws concerning Junior Choirs (ARTICLE VII, Section 8). This section states that "A junior choir member upon reaching 16 years of age may then become a choir member". The Central Council interprets this section as referring to the administrative duties of choir members, such as election to the executives committee, serving as a delegate to the annual assembly, etc. It does not preclude a junior choir member, regardless of age, from joining his or her voice in song for the glory of God.