The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Continues to Make a … · 2016. 1. 21. · Publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America JAN-FEB-MARCH 2003 - Vol. XXXVII No

Publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of AmericaJAN-FEB-MARCH 2003 - Vol. XXXVII No. 1 (ISSN 1097-0924)

The Rev. Jirair SogomianEditor

AMAA Sheen "Shoghig" Camp in Armenia (Story on page 4)

Armenian Missionary Association of America31 West Century RoadParamus, NJ 07652

Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDParamus, NJPermit No. 55

The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Continues to Make a Difference in the Lives of Armenia’s Most Vulnerable Citizens

The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund(ACMF) is an all volunteer organiza-

tion which was formed by a diverse groupof caring individuals shortly after the tragicearthquake in Armenia in December 1988.ACMF’s mission is to assist those childrenin Armenia who would otherwise not re-ceive adequate nutrition. ACMF accom-plishes its mission through a sustainingnutritional program. ACMF provides soy-based Isomil infant formula to needy chil-dren during their first year of life. ACMFfocuses on children whose mothers areill, absent, or for some reason physicallyunable to breastfeed, and whose families are too poor to purchase formula. During its 13year history, ACMF has helped to give thousands of Armenian children a healthy start in life.Your support will enable us to continue this important work. Please use the form below tosend your donation to this worthy cause. Thank you for making a difference.G

Yes, I would like to support and enable the ACMF to to make a difference in the lives of Armenia's most

vulnerable citizens. Enclosed is my donation of $ ----------------------------.

Name -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(please make your tax-deductible checks payable to AMAA, earmarked for ACMF, and mail to 31 W. Century Rd., Paramus,NJ 07652)

D

AMAA NEWS, JAN/FEB/MARCH 20032

AMAA NEWS - A publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, Inc., 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652.Tel. (201) 265-2607; Fax (201) 265-6015; E-Mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.amaainc.org

E D I T O R I A L M E S S A G E

"Translating The Resurrection Into The Vernacular"

Rev. Jirair M. Sogomian

The lengthening days of Lent and our eager anticipation of Easter, remind us, once again, of the vital connectionbetween our mission and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mission is based on the resurrection of Jesus,for it was the risen Christ who gave, what we have called, the Great Commission, the marching orders to hisfollowers to “Go … teach, preach, baptize and make disciples.” Without the resurrection faith, our mission workbecomes pure benevolence, aware of the other’s physical needs but totally oblivious of human spiritual needs,without the satisfaction of which there is no hope for our broken world. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in thefifteenth chapter of his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of allpeople most to be pitied.”

Christian Mission participates in the power and realityof Christ’s resurrection, which has once and for all

defeated death. With every breath that expresses and pro-claims the Good News of the gospel – of God’s salvationof humankind through the life, work, suffering, death andresurrection of Jesus; with every deed of love that holdsdeath in abeyance; with every morsel of bread shared, shel-ter provided, healing administered to sustain physical lifeuntil it confesses the Lordship of Christ; mission revealsits partnership in the spread of the resurrection faith andsustains the hope of its ultimate victory!

Popular Christian theologian, C. S. Lewis, once saidthat if you can’t translate stuff into the vernacular, youeither don’t understand it or you don’t believe it. ThoughLewis might have referred to making the gospel under-standable by common folk, I believe that what he saidalso applies to translating the theoretical word into com-mon, everyday action that affects and shapes life. This iswhat John the evangelist says that God did. “And theWord became flesh and lived among us, and we haveseen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, fullof grace and truth.”

Mission is in partnership with God in making God’s loveconcrete in the world. It translates the gospel of Christ toflesh and blood, so that the common folk do not only hear“God so loved the world …” but also see, taste, and ex-perience that love in the rough and tumble of their dailylives … full of hatred, greed, prejudice, rejection and in-justice.

As you read these lines, if you are wondering who I amtalking about, allow me to gently help by reminding youthat I am talking about you! As a believer, you also havereceived your marching orders from the risen Christ, andyou have been challenged to participate in perpetuatinghis unique ministry, so beautifully expressed in the wordsof St. Francis of Assissi:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; wherethere is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is de-spair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and wherethere is sadness, joy.

“O Divine master, grant that I may not so much seekto be consoled as to console; to be understood as to un-derstand; to be loved, as to love: for it is in giving thatwe receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

As individual Christians, you and I are called to be posi-tive proof that the risen Christ is alive in us and through usin our world. We are called to show by our words anddeeds of love, by our struggle for justice and peace, and byour taking the risk in opposing any worldly power thatclaims the lordship of Christ, to bear witness that becauseChrist is risen, we are citizens of a new world, of God’snew world, already here yet fully anticipated in the full-ness of time! It is only with such a faith that we can greetone another with the words, “Christ is risen from thedead! Blessed is the resurrection of our Lord!” G

AMAA NEWS, JAN/FEB/MARCH 2003 19

O B I T U A R I E S

Artemis Mirak

Artemis Mirak of Arlington, MA, passedaway on January 19, 2003. She was thebeloved wife of the late John Peter Mirak.She was the devoted mother of RobertMirak, Charles Mirak, Edward Mirak andhis wife Susan, and Muriel Weissbach andher husband Michael. She had 5 grandchil-dren, 4 great granddaughters, and severalnieces & nephews. Funeral Services wereheld at St. James Armenian Church, 465Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, on Wednesday,January 22 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may bemade to The Orphans Fund of the Arme-nian Missionary Association of America,

Florence Sarkissian

Florence Sarkiss-ian passed awayDecember 3, 2002.

Florence wasborn in Lowell,MA., December13, 1910, thedaughter ofCharles and EstherHarpootlian. Sheexcelled in school and even skipped agrade. She had a career with the Common-wealth of Massachusetts.

After WWII Florence left Massachusettsto marry the love of her life, LeonSarkisian, and moved to Detroit to start afamily. She loved life and was happiest inher roles as a wonderful wife and helpmateand as a devoted mother and grandmother.

Florence is survived by daughters,Leanne Sarkisian and Zarie (William)Jones; grandchildren, Brittany Sarkisian,Jennifer and Kevin Jones, sister, BeatriceHarpootlian. She leaves this life to join herbeloved husband, parents, sister, Queenieand brother, Burgess.

Memorial Services were held Monday,December 9th, at the Miami Shores Pres-byterian Church, 602 N.E. 96th Street, Mi-ami Shores.

In lieu of flowers, donations were sentto Harpootlian Family Fund, ArmenianMissionary Association of America, 31West Century Road, Paramus, N.J. G

Samuel Der-Ghazarian

Samuel Der-Ghazarian was born on Janu-ary 24, 1925 in Hayneh, Turkey, son of Rev.Ghazar Der-Ghazarian and MariamSassounian. He comes from 23 generationsof Armenian priests (vartabeds and der-Hayrs), and 2 generations of Badvelis.

He moved to Aleppo, Syria with his fam-ily where he got his education. Then hemoved to Kamishli, Syria, where he be-came a teacher in an Armenian School. Hewas self-educated by reading many Arme-nian books throughout his life. He was veryintelligent, especially in Armenian gram-mar and Armenian History.

He was a proud Armenian. He loved Ar-menians very much and helped a lot of hisfriends and strangers who didn't know howto write Armenian, writing Armenian let-ters to their loved ones in Armenia.

He spoke 6 languages: Armenian, Ara-bic, English, French, Turkish and Kurdish.He was very much loved by the Armeniancommunity in Aleppo and in Kamishli. Hehelped many visiting pastors and preach-ers in Kamishli to visit Armenian commu-nities and families.

He learned from his father, Rev. Der-Ghazarian, good Christian faith and to givea helping hand to others. He was a veryloving, caring and humorous man.

Since his childhood, he had a dream tocome to the United States to join his 4 sis-ters who moved to the States when he was5 years old and in 1986 his dream was re-alized.

In 1993 he became disabled by falling inhis driveway. Ever since his accident, he wasnever able to heal because of his diabetes.He was relocated to a nursing home in1994because he needed intensive care.

Samuel died on November 28, 2002, onThanksgiving Day. He is survived by hiswife, Jeannette, his two daughters, Ani andHouri (Hosdaghian), son in law, MehairHosdahgian and his two granddaughters,Rita and Talene Hosdaghian.G

Litia Pa[tasar;an

Litia Pa[ta-sar;an 6na6 hFalhp4 ÉÑÊÍ-in4|akob ;u ~l7raJo'y;ann;rou;rdikin tak!Na.akrjoujiunestaza6 h Falh-pi Ousoumnasi-raz warvara-nin mh=! Saka\n k;anqi dvouarpa\mann;rou b;roumow4 'oqrtariqhn stipoua6 h ousoumekisat jo[oul ;u A\njhpi ];5agor6fius;low ;u 6a.;low entaniqin7gtakar da5nal!ÉÑÌÎ-in amousnaza6 h >acatour

Pa[tasar;ani f;t ;u entaniqeba.tauoroua6 h fing xauakn;row3;rkou manc ;u ;r;q a[=ik! ÉÑÐÍ-int;-[a'o.oua6 ;n Sitni4 Austra-lia4 mianalou ir;nz faraxatn;roun!Litia ;[a6 h iskakan Fa\ Qris-

ton;a\ an] me ;u nouiroua6 ouxorfoua6 ma\r me! Oun;za6 h sirow;u 7rfnoujiunow l;zoun fogi4 a[7j-qow l;zoun mitq4 ;u ir shre4 vpite;u 6a5a\oujiune ba,.a6 h bolorinan.tir! An ba.tauor ;[a6 h mi,twa\;l;low ir xauakn;roun ou tas-nemhk jo5n;roun shrn ou \arganqe!Minc;u w;r=in 7r;re ir k;anqin anmi,t 'a5q toua6 h Astou6o\3 irwa\;la6 amhn7r;a\ 7rfnoujiunn;roun;u parg;un;roun Famar!w;r=in qani me amisn;roun4 an

;njarkou;zau a5o[=akan 6anr wi-yakn;rou4 saka\n a[7jqow4 fauat-qow ;u famb;rouj;amb \a[jafar;zanonz4 ankar;lin dar]enlow kar;lii!W;ragtn;low ir a5o[=oujiune ;uouve an dar];al otqi kangn;zauou krkin angam wka\;z Astou6o\m;6oujiune ;u 'a5qe!Saka\n4 &gostos ÉÈ4 ÊÈÈÊ-in4 gl.i

6anr kajoua6ow4 Litia ir acq;re'ak;z a\s a,.arfhn! Ir \i,atakeorphs 7rinak;li ;u fauataz;alQriston;a\ mi,t wa5 piti mna\ irfaraxatn;roun ;u sir;lin;roun mh=!9:ran;li ;n a\n m;5;ln;re4 oronq

thro=mow ke nn=;n0 (|a\tn1 |owf1 ÉÌ1ÉË)! A\s h Litia Pa[tasar;anik;anqi wka\oujiune!G

31 West Century Rd., Paramus, NJ 07652;or The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund,POBOX 652, Belmont MA 02478.

Interment was at Mt. Auburn Cemetery,Cambridge, MA.G


Armenian Children EnjoyingChristmas Hope And Cheer

A R M E N I A

by Harout Nercessian

The Armenian Missionary Associationin Armenia (AMAA) continues its tra-

dition of bringing Christmas joy to tens ofthousands of children and their parentsthroughout Armenia and Karabagh.

During the months of December and Janu-ary, over 20,000 children and their parentsattended the 64 Christmas programs held at54 locations throughout Armenia andKarabagh. 16,000 Christmas presents weredistributed to needy children during theseprograms. Each child received a gift bagcontaining candies, fairy tale literature and“Shoghig”, AMAA’s children's quarterly.

The Christmas programs feature dramas,puppet shows, songs, dance, clowns, SantaClaus and much more. The value of theseprograms however extends beyond the can-dies and the one hour fun that the childrenenjoy. Most of the children are materiallydeprived and are delighted at the thought ofsinking their teeth in the chocolate bars, yetthey learn that Christmas has much morethan taste bud pleasure to offer.

AMAA Christmas programs educate thechildren and their parents on the meaningand message of Christmas. In many loca-tions, this is done through dramas, puppetshows, and songs. They hear of Jesus Christ,God’s great gift to mankind. They learnabout sharing, trusting God and being happyby loving one another.

Furthermore, these programs expose thechildren to the performing arts, culturallyenriching them. Due to financial consider-ations, most would not even consider attend-ing such cultural events.

The “Shoghig” quarterly is a 20-page colorpublication featuring Christmas articles, sto-ries, games and puzzles for children, teach-ing them about the meaning and message ofChristmas. Furthermore, it educates them onArmenian national values and our culturalheritage. Shoghik is the only children’s pub-lication of its kind in Armenia.

In the city of Kapan, Southern Armenia,many approached AMAA staff asking forthe Shoghik quarterly. They said, “we arenot asking for the candies, we wantShoghiks”. These people wanted to hear

about God’s love.In Yerevan,

3,500 children andparents watchedthe drama entitled“chaos at night”.Many in the audi-ence were shed-ding tears as they watched a self-centeredleader change into a caring person after be-ing touched by God on Christmas eve. Thedrama was shown five times to packed au-diences at the prestigious Hagop Baroniantheater.

The blessings of these programs extendbeyond the audience. The performers arechildren who participate in AMAA’s vari-ous children’s programs such as dramagroups, choirs, and Bible classes. The ac-tors and the performers themselves aregreatly blessed as they use their God giventalents to share God’s love with others. Manyare touched by the dramas that they act.

In many towns and villages, the AMAAprogram is the only Christmas activity intown. Shiragamood (formerly Nalbant) is asmall village 10Km West of Spitak. It wasthe very epicenter of the 1988 earthquake.The entire village was destroyed. Here, over300 children and adults (over 10% of thepopulation) attended AMAA’s Christmasprogram. Most came to receive their onlyChristmas gift. Yet, they went home withmore than candy bars and fairy tale books.

The Noubarashen School of Special Edu-cation houses boys that need special supervi-sion. They are either orphans or have parentsthat cannot raise them. Many are sent to thisschool because of petty crimes they havecommitted. AMAA has an ongoing ChristianEducation program for these boys. TheChristmas program at this school was orga-nized by the boys themselves, with assistancefrom their teachers and AMAA volunteers.They performed Christmas songs, recitedpoetry, and acted out humorous dramas andsketches. The teachers and AMAA volunteersin the audience laughed and cried, as theysaw the fruit of their labor. Instead of think-ing mischief, these boys were performing on

stage, using their talents for God’s glory. Eachof the 80 students of the school received apair of brand new shoes, purchased by theAMAA with donations from the First Arme-nian Presbyterian Church of Fresno.

Hundreds of winter hats and scarfs, knit-ted by caring ladies in New Jersey, weregifted to needy children of Armenia. Thesebeautiful gifts brought warmth to the bod-ies and spirits of these children during thisvery cold winter.

At the request of Mr. AnoushavanDanielian, Prime Minister of the Republicof Karabagh, AMAA and the Artsakh Dio-cese of the Apostolic Church distributed10,000 gifts to all Karabagh pupils of Grade1 to 4. The project was jointly funded by theAMAA, Artsakh Diocese and the WorldCouncil of Churches Armenia RoundTable.G


The AMAA Board of Directors and staff wish to extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the following deceasedfriends whose names were submitted to us for publication in the AMAA News.

* Aynilian, GeniaBeirut, Lebanon

* Chatalbash, TomSaddle Brook, NJ

* Ekmekji, NoubarLos Angeles, CA

* Elias, AstrigWatertown, MA

* Ghazarian, JirairMontreal, Canada

* Gostanian, RuthWarwick, RI

* Memorials were designated for AMAA.

F A | : R H N B A V I N

* Hasserjian, MargaretManchaster, NH

* Hovnanian, WilhelminaThousand Oaks, CA

* Jerejian, ArsenParamus, NJNercessian, AvedisN. Hollywood, CA

* Ohanesian, Henriette* Ounanian, Zabel* Paraghamian, Helen

Belmont, MA

";trouar;an Mtoroum

W;r1 |owfannhs N1 Gary;an

* Saxenian, JohnDumont, NJ

* Soukiasian, VahanTenafly, NJTumberian, AlexanAnjar, LebanonVardanian, SamuelYerevan, Armenia

* Yeranian, AraxieSarasota, FL

Auara\r 1 1 1 ! Yakatamart4 fauatarmoujiun4fauatq4 ourazoum4 anmafoujiun4 matnoujiun4 Fa\:k;[;zi4 dau4 |isous Qristos4 =ard4 t7n4 pa,-tamounq4 cqm;[anq4 nafatakoujiun 1 1 1 !

A\s bolore4 fog ch3 fakasan ;u ankap4 ke \ouxhfa\ou fogin amhn ";trouarin4 ;rb fangaman7rhnke \i,oui Auara\ri ba.toro, yakatamarte!

9Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz0 kocoua6 ;k;[;-zakan t7ne ke parxh fauatqi ;u skxbounqi marde4na;u anskxbounq4 \;[\;[ouk pat;fapa,te! An3 orkaro[ h dirq paf;l ir fauatqin ou skxbounqn;rounpa,tpanouj;an famar4 ;u baro\akan snanke3 or4dhmq ke 'o.h fosanqi ouvgnouj;an famaca'4 kefakadrouin! :u farze ke xg;nou baro\akan oukr7nakan fangamanq4 fauatqi farz!

|atkan,akan h Wardananz Sgat7nin anoune1-9T7n Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz03 \ognaki! War-dann;rou t7nn h m;r axga\in kr7nakan t7ne! T7nexofoua6 ;u w;rapro[ martikn;rou! Sourb;ro#u 1 1 1!:[i,h patmicin fama]a\n4 9Wardann;re0 xof touinÉÈËÎ 9sourb;@r0! F;taga\ tarin;roun4 minc;u Nouar-saki da,nagire xof;rou ji2ue 1 1 1 ! Biurauor sourb;r!

9Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz1 1 10! Our;mn mia\nWardanow ch4 or ke par6;nanq! Fapa Wardann;row4bolor xinakirn;row ou anxhnn;row4 anonzmow3 oronqmartnc;low paf;zin fauatqe! Ke par6;nanq na;uanxhn martikn;rou ,arq;row4 oronq3 mianalowfog;uor fowiu {;uond :rhz Wanand;ziin3 i=anAuara\r ;u4 Au;taranin patgamow ou fa[ordou-j;an .orfourdi matakararouj;amb4 pa\qar;zan

carin ou m;[qin dhm!M;srop Ma,tozi ;u

Safak Parj;ui a,ak;r-ta64 {;uond :rhz ke jo[ouaxga \in -;k;[;zakanpatmouj;an mh= pa\6a5f;tq me! Masnakza63 ;k;-[;zakan .orfrdavo[ow-n;rou4 oronz mh=3 ÌÌÌ joui <afapiuani kar;uor.orfrdavo[owe4 {;uond :rhz ;[a6 h fmout axga\infarz;rou4 ;u anonz a5ncoujiune fa\ vo[owourdinaxga\in-kr7nakan k;anqi a5o[=ouj;an f;t! Anfamoxoua6 hr4 or qristonhakan fauatqinpafpanoume anfrav;,t hr fa\ axga\in nkaragrina5an]na\atkouj;an pafpanoumin famar4 amhnxofo[ouj;an ginow! Auara\ri \a=ordo[ tarin;roun4Parskastani 9nouayo[akan qa[aqakanouj;an0 xofgaza6 h {;uond :rhz4 spannoua63 >orasan a,.arfinmh=4 Nouarsaki da,nagrhn tasn;ak me tarin;ra5a= 1 1 1 !

9Wardananz X7rawaraz0e \ognaki h! Carin dhmpa\qaro[ bolor martikn;re3 bolor dar;rou mh=3masnakiz ;n Auara\ri yakatamartin!

";trouar amise anbarba5 fa5acanqn;row fa\vo[owourdin ke \i,;znh yakatamarte4 or ouvgn7rhnke m[oui tarb;r ;rkirn;rou 9Auara\rn;roun0 mh=amhn tari 1 1 1 ! Ard;7q piti fasni2nq 9Nouar-sakn;rou0! O2ur ;n m;r Wardann;re!

{;uond :r;z4 Wardann;rou ko[qin4 ke .7si 1 1 1 !:rani@ lso[in!G


A R M E N I A

AMAA Sheen "Shoghig" Camp In Armenia

To many of us adults and young adults,the experience of attending a Christian

summer camp has left an indelible impres-sion on our spiritual life and the way wevalue today a similar experience for our chil-dren and grandchildren! Youthful experi-ences that have shaped our Christian char-acter, whether in Sunday School, Daily Va-cation Bible School or at a Church Camp,often evoke nostalgic feelings and positivereminiscences of events that have shapedand encouraged the commitment of our lifeto Christ.

I believe it is this common and prevalentassessment of a Christian camp experienceamong Armenian Evangelicals that hasshaped AMAA’s traditional emphasis onyouth camps as one of the lynchpins of ourmission endeavors, whether it is in theDiaspora or in Armenia and Karabagh to-day! For the last decade, literally thousandsof children and youth have been granted theprivilege to attend a Christian Camp in Ar-menia or Karabagh, and to experience thehealthy and invigorating physical, social andspiritual atmosphere that is bound to shapeone’s faith or initiate one’s faith journey.AMAA leaders, past and present, whosespiritual lives have been shaped and nurturedin similar experiences, have greatly valuedthis means of evangelism and have, at timesat great personal sacrifice and commitment,promoted, facilitated and supported similarexperiences for today’s youth. The experi-ence has proven even more beneficial and

vital to youth who have beendeprived of a healthy Christianatmosphere at home or atschool.

Each summer, our missionrepresentatives in Armeniahave organized and offeredsummer camp programs in thenorth and central Armenia, aswell as in Karabagh. In mostinstances, especially in Arme-nia, camp facilities have beenrented for five weeks duringsummer to provide an ad-equate environment for aChristian Camp. In the past year or so, how-ever, an opportunity was presented to us topurchase a campsite of our own inHankavan, a bit north of central Armenia,where in time we can develop a model camp-site to benefit thousands of disadvantagedchildren and youth with the wholesome ex-perience of a Christian Camp.

Following an extensive search for a bene-factor who would finance the purchase ofsuch a camp, the Spirit guided us to Dr. andMrs. Jack Sheen, whose ready and whole-hearted endorsement to use the Sheen Fam-ily endowment funds for this noble purposehas made our dream come true. Thanks tothe availability of those funds, first estab-lished by John and Victoria Sheen, the lateparents of Dr. Jack Sheen, the HankavanCamp has been recently purchased by theAMAA and named “Armenian Missionary

Association Sheen ‘Shoghig’ Camp.” Theword “Shoghig”, meaning a little light beamin Armenian, indicates that this camp is forchildren and youth. Restoration and refur-bishing of this twelve acre camp will beginthis Spring to make the camp partially readyfor use this summer, and will continue forthe next two years to bring the whole cam-pus and buildings to a level that will reflectthe high standards of the AMAA.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. andMrs. Jack and Anitra Sheen for their gener-ous gesture, and for their wise investmentfor the healthy spiritual future of our chil-dren and youth in Armenia. May the Lordrichly bless them and the memory of theirparents, and inspire others to emulate theirwise and loving spirit to turn the hearts andminds of our youth in Armenia to the Christof their historic faith!G

Dr. & Mrs. Jack and Anitra Sheen.



};5nadroujiun Isjanpouli Mh=

D;kt;mb;r É4 ÊÈÈÊ4 Kiraki khs7rh ;tq 4Khtik'a,a\i (Isjanpoul) Fa\ Au;taranakan:k;[;ziin mh= M;r]auor Ar;u;lqi Fa\ Au;ta-ranakan :k;[;zin;rou Miouj;an ;u Khtik'a,a\iFa\ Au;taranakan :k;[;zii miat;[ na.a];5-nouj;amb katarou;zau ];5nadrouj;an pa,ta-mounq me masnakzouj;amb artasafmanhn vama-naza6 au;taranakan fowiun;rou ;u patgama-uorn;rou!

Isjanpouli bnakicn;rhn Grigor A[apal7[lou4or ardhn \a\tni dhmq men h Isjanpouli enk;ra\in;u fa\ vo[owourdi farz;rou masin ir oun;za6;lo\jn;row ;u f;5at;sili farzaxro\zn;row4 ];5-nadrou;zau ;u pa,t7naphs sksau orphs fowiu 6a5a-\;l Khtik'a,a\i Fa\ Au;taranakan :k;[;ziin!

Au;li qan ËÈÈ fogin;rou n;rka\ouj;amb tpa-uoric pa,tamounq men hr4 orou enjazqin miasnakana[7jqn;row a,.arfi xanaxan ko[m;rhn vamanaza6fog;uorakann;r4 ir;nz ];5qe dn;low GrigorA[apal7[loui gl.oun wra\4 katar;zin anor];5nadroujiune! Enj;rzoumn;row4 ;rg;row ;u

qaroxn;row pa,ta-mounqin masnak-z;zan W;r1 N,anPaggal;an4 W;r1:oush` Yappour ;uTiar Frand Kiuxhl-;an! M;r]auor Ar;-u;lqi Fa\ Au;tara-nakan :k;[;zin;rouMiouj;an oro,oumekardazou;zau W;r1Mkrtic Garakh7x-;ani ko[mh! };5nad-rouj;nhn ;tq ;[anfa\;rhn a[7jqn;r! W;r1 Alhn MhqQh\n .ra-takann;r touau noren6a\ w;rapatou;liin!Pa,tamounqe ,arounakou;zau ;rg;zo[oujiunn;row;u W;r1 S;rob Mkrtic;ani .7sq;row!

};5nadrouj;an pa,tamounqe auart;zau W;r1Grigor A[apal7[loui gofabanakan a[7jqow!G

(qa[oua6 Isjanpouli Marmara &raj;rjhn)

patk;raznh mardka\in jaqoun kam akn\a\t t;nce3|isouse \auht m;5a6 famar;lou4 ou a\s paraga\in3Qriston;a\ :k;[;ziin ou anor mhk i,.anauorinko[mh! A,.araf5cak a\s whpin 9M;6 Fauataqnnice0fatoua6in mh=3 Tosjo\;usqi ke n;rka\aznhQaramaxow ;[ba\rn;roun ;rizago\ne4 Iwane4 or irmhk banast;[6ouj;an mh= dhm a5 dhm ke b;rh|arouz;al |isouse3 Mi=in Dar;rhn w;rzoua6Kartinali me f;t or Spanio\ S;wi\l qa[aqint.raf5cak M;6 Fauataqnnicn hr! Anor mhk .7sqinwra\ fariurauor 9f;r;tikos0n;r ke frkixouhinziz;rou wra\! Iwan ke =atagowh Kartinalin j;xise3jh |isous s.al era6 hr m;rv;low Satana\inn;rka\azouza6 ;r;q a5a=arkn;re ;rb m;r Thre9anapat0e a5an]naza63 ke mta6hr Astou6o\'rkouj;an 6ragirin ou xa\n gor6adr;lou ;[anakin,our=! Satanan k3a5a=arkhr or |isous dimhr5axmawarakan ;r;q mi=ozn;rou3 ;jh k3ouxhr a,.arfeiraphs 'rk;l4 a\sinqn3 faz tal vo[owourdin4fra,qn;r katar;l4 ;u ;njarkouil Satana\ini,.anouj;an! M;6 Fauataqnnice3 imanalow or |isousw;radar]a6 hr a,.arf ou ke ,r=hr qa[aqin mh=4 ;ubv,koujiun ou bariq ke s'5hr vo[owourdin .onarfdasakargin mh=3 ];rbakal;l kouta\ xa\n4 ou apake bantarkh! Fauataqnnice gi,;row k3a\z;lh |isousebantin mh= ;u .st7rhn ke k,tambh xa\n3 es;low49Inco2u ;kar krkin111irauounq counis galou4 ou m;rgor6e .angar;lou111piti datapart;m q;x ibr;u

f;r;tikos ou wa[e zizi wra\ a\r;l piti tam q;x!Anonq oronq qou otq;rd fambour;zin a\s7r4 im mhk.7sqis wra\ a6ou. piti dix;n zizin n;rq;u1110! M;6Fauataqnnice4 saka\n4 ke 'o.h mitqe4 ou bantindou5e ke bana\1 9Gna#4 ou angamn al mi gar1110 keframa\h! |isous4 or minc;u a\d lou5 mtik k3enhr4 kem7t;na\ Fauataqnnicin4 ou ke fambourh xa\n1110!

M;nq iraphs patra2st ;nq endoun;lou Thr|isousin \aroujiun a5a6 ellalou iro[oujiune!Ard;7q auandakan ou bar;pa,takan t72n men hor ke katar;nq! J;r;us k3oux;nq ,r=anz;l |isousi\arouj;an dhpqe3 tarb;r m;knabanoujiunn;r en;low3orphsxi |arouz;al Thre m;x anfangist cenh4 oucqandh m;r an]nakan 6ragirn;re! Saka\n4 m;nq kemo5nanq - kam3 mo5nal k3oux;nq - jh |arouz;alQristos |isouse 9,norfqi wra\ ,norfq0 ke b;rhm;xi4 ou k3o[=ounh m;x 9>a[a[oujiun ];xi0 es;low4orphsxi .a[a[;znh tarakousanqow 'ojorko[ m;rfogin;re! S;[an ke bana\ mhr a5=;ue3 incphs erauir a,ak;rtn;roun3 \aroujiun a5n;lh ;tq4 orphsxim;x k;rakrh! Ou takauin4 wstafoujiun ke n;r,nchm;xi3 jh takauin ke sirh m;x3 faka5ak m;rj;rafauatouj;an ;u ourazoumin! Saka\n am;nhnxarmanalin a\n h or m;xi phs 9anpitan06a5an;roun - P;trosin 7rinakow - ke wstafiam;nhn pitani ou m;6 a5aq;loujiun me1 9Ara6h#im ga5noukn;rs111Ara6h# im oc.arn;rs!0 9Afa amhn7r ;s ];xi f;t ;m3 minc;u a,.arfis w;r=e!0G


A R M E N I A

My wife Rosie and I had the opportu-nity to travel to Armenia in late De-

cember 2002 to visit some of the ArmenianMissionary Association of America(AMAA) churches and fellowships. It wasa wonderful experience to see first hand thegreat work the AMAA is doing in Armeniato spread the Gospel.

We landed at Zvartnots airport on Decem-ber 28th at 1:00 am. The outside tempera-ture when we landed was approximatelyminus 15 degrees.

After a few hours of sleep, HaroutNercessian, AMAA Deputy Representativein Armenia picked us up at the Ani PlazaHotel for our first appointment at theNubarashen Boarding School #1 for SpecialEducation in Yerevan. At this School theAMAA has started a Christian Educationministry. Also my home church, First Ar-menian Presbyterian Church of Fresno Cali-fornia (FAPC), raised $700 through its va-cation bible school for the purchase of newathletic shoes for the orphans of Nubarashen.

After spending a few days in Yerevan,Harout and myself made our way to Talin tosee the children’s Christmas program by thechildren of the Evangelical Church of Ar-menia in Talin. Regardless of the sub-zerotemperature, as enthusiastic as were the per-formers, the over 300 children and parentsin the auditorium were just as enthusiasticand very attentive. At the end of the pro-gram gifts from the “AMAA Christmas inArmenia” were distributed to the children.

The AMAA was invited to work in Talinby the former Mayor of the city and has es-tablished a church and various ChristianEducation and humanitarian programs. ThePastor of the church is Armen Mickaelian.

The Evangelical Church of Armenia inTalin has about 120 people attending Sundayworship service and about 100 young peopleattending its Christian Education program.They have also started a soccer ministry.

On January 1st Harout, Rosie and I visited3 evangelical families. In Armenia it is atradition that from Jan 1st to Jan 3rd everyhome sets out a table and people visit eachother. Rosie, Harout and I were visiting un-

til late that night on Jan.1st. It was fun and veryinteresting. In Arme-nia, during winter onlyone room is heated inmost homes, so all ac-tivities from eating tosleeping take place inthat one room. Buteven in these conditionsthe people we visitedwere very cheerful es-pecially since they werehaving guests fromAmerica.

A highlight of the tripwas traveling to Talinagain on January 5thChristmas Eve to par-ticipate in the worshipservice at Talin church.The service and sermonby Badveli ArmenMichaelian was veryspiritual and the singingby the choir and theworshippers was reallyinspirational.

After the service Iwent to Badveli Michaelian’s relative’shome to break bread and have fellowship.We also discussed the possibility of FAPCestablishing a sister church relationship withTalin. I am happy to report that our churchFAPC has agreed to enter into a sister churchrelationship with the AMAA church in Talin.

On January 7th Harout and myself left on a 3day trip to visit the AMAA churches in Gorisand Stepanagerd (Karabagh). Going toStepanagert has been a dream of mine for years.

Goris is in southern Armenia and is a 4hour drive from Yerevan. The drive is veryscenic and on our trip we were blessed withgreat views of Ararat. Goris is one of themain cities of the Sunik Region, a very pic-turesque city with houses built on the sideof hills. It is famous for having one of thelargest above sea level coral reefs. Thepeople are poor like the rest of Armenia.

Goris also has a very active AMAA min-

istry and center where Harout and I spent 2nights. Unfortunately the water pipes hadburst due to the cold so we didn’t have anyrunning water but that didn’t stop us fromenjoying ourselves. We arrived there for theAMAA Christmas program. The highlightthough came when Santa Claus came to passthe gifts out to the children. It made me feelgood to know that our church FAPC hadplayed a role in providing these gifts for thechildren.

After spending the night in Goris we setout for Karabagh, the place where so muchrecent Armenian history has happened.

Karabagh is stark and stunning in itsbeauty. Fortunately for us the weather wasclear and we saw Karabagh in all its majes-tic beauty. It is a mountainous country. Acountry of many colors and shades. A coun-try, that must be seen to fully appreciate its

By Bryan Bedrossian

Children of Nubarashen, with shoes donated by funds raisedfrom the First Armenian Presbyterian Church in Fresno Va-cation Bible School (above). Pastor Armen Mikaelian (sitting)and Family with Bryan Bedrosian (standing).

My Pilgrimage To Armenia

(Cont'd on the following page)



W;r1 Parg;u N1 Taragy;an

J;r;us ,at;r piti na.entrhin or ja[oua6mnar |isous orphsxi ga\jak[ouj;an4 wiya-

banouj;an4 ;u bavanoumi gonh mhk kht kampatrouak pakas ellar astoua6abann;rou4;k;[;zin;rou ;u a\sphs kocoua6 fauataz;aln;roumi=;u! O#c-fauataz;al mard;rou famar kar6;s chrbau;r |isouse3 auandouj;an yambow3 9Astou6o\Ordi04 9M;sia04 kam3 9Astoua6a\a\tnoujiun0 endou-nile ;u f5cak;le4 ou takauin3 fauatali kam anfa-uatali fra,qn;r w;ragr;le Ir;n4 ou afa phtq hrna;u endounhin 9m;5a604 9ja[oua604 ou 9;r;q 7r;tq \aroujiun a5a60 ellalou 9a5asp;l0e! |at-kan,akan h4 saka\n4 or Qristosi \aroujiunn hr orwy5akan d;r oun;zau |isousi a,ak;rtn;rounfamar3 wka\;lou |isousi Thr ;u "rkic4 incphs na;uAstou6o\ Ordi ;u Astoua6 ellale! Qristosi\aroujiunn hr or bnoro,;z |isousi astoua6a\in6agoum oun;nale4 inc or f;t;uanqn hr Sourb Fogiinn;rgor6ouj;an3 or fimnowin \;[a,r=;z a,ak;rt-n;roun fauatqe3 Naxowr;zi |isousin nkatmamb!|isousi kra6 carcaranqe .acin wra\4 anor mafe;u \aroujiune omanz famar ke jouin ellal w;r=inarare Naxowr;ziin k;anqin4 saka\n4 Anor a,a-k;rtn;roun4 incphs na;u m;xi famar3 Qristonhakanfauatqi na.;rganqe ke kaxm;n a\d dhpq;re! <atn,anakaliz h P7[os A5aq;ali wka\oujiune a\smasin4 9:jh Qristos \aroujiun a5a6 ch4 our;mnm;r qaroxoujiune (au;tarane) parap h ou ];rfauatqn al parap h0 (A1 Kornj1 ÉÍ1 ÉÌ)!

In6i a\nphs ke joui3 jh m;nq jaqoun end-dimoujiun me ouninq \arouz;al |isous Qristosinkatmamb! |arouj;an t7nin a5ijow k3o[=oun;nqxirar 9Qristos \ar;au i m;5;loz0 \ank;rgekrkn;low tarouh-tari! :k;[;zii b;m;rhn al kelsouin p;rya.7s qaroxn;r oronq ;rb;mn P[ato-nakan fogii anmafoujiunow4 ;u kam fog;kan4 baro-\akan ou axga\in arvhqn;rou \au;rvazoumowk3;xra'akouin! Ardar;u4 |isousi ;rkra\in k;anqe4katara6 fra,qn;rn ou n,ann;re4 anor sqanc;liousouzoumn;re4 no\nisk o[b;rgakan mafe k*endouninqm;rj fiazoumow4 ou m;rj a'sosanqow! Saka\n4a\d bolore go\ouj;nakan farz c;n da5nar4 ou wnasc;n faszn;r m;xi1 o#c al ke .angar;n m;r fangiste!Mius ko[mhn4 y,martaphs \arouz;al Qristos meoun;nale iraphs .5owq ke patya5h m;xi m;ram;n7r;a\ k;anqin4 mtqin4 srtin4 ;u xba[oumn;rounmh=4 ou \stak dirqoro,oum ke pafan=h m;xmh!Mo5nalow4 kam ant;s;low |isousi 'a5auor\arouj;an matouza6 ,norfqe4 ou \auit;nakan

k;anqi \o\se4 m;nq an-fangist ke xganq |a-ro uz;ale m;r ,our=eoun;nalou fauanaka-noujiunow4 ou asika3 Wiq-jor Fiuko\i Van Walvanin(wa[;mi datapart;alme) nman3 or ostika-nap;t Vaw;rin acq;ret;uaphs s;u;5oua6 kexgar ir wra\3 ou Van Wal-van cfangstazau minc;uor Vaw;r an]naspan ellalow m;5au!

Ke patmoui jh m;5a6 mard me \ankar6 kew;rak;ndanana\4 ou ke sksi faroua6;l daga[inka'arice! Daga[e ke bazoui ou marde pi, pi, kena\i daga[e kro[n;roun1 9:s c;@m m;5a604 ke b[auhmarde! Anor ba5;re k*endounouin lou5 tara-kousanqow! W;r=aphs4 daga[in f;t;uo[ sgakirn;rhnmhke ke patas.anh4 9Bar;kam4 bvi,kn;re ;upatou;lin fastat;zin qou m;5a6 ellald4 our;mn4doun m;5a6 ;s m;xi famar0! Ou ke katarouimardoun ja[man part ou pat,ay araro[oujiune!Fauanabar sgakirn;re ja[;zin marde4 orphsxiir;nz k;anqe au;li f;,t enjanar4 ou gi,;row au;lifangist qnana\in111!

Kaska6 cka\ or ,at mard;r a\s7r al anfan-gist ke xgan ir;nq xir;nq3 |isousi \aroujiun a5a6ellalou iro[oujiunow! A\spisin;r j;r;us ke wa.nanir;nz oun;za6 kr7nakan kam ;k;[;zakan f;[ina-kouj;an wra\ or bnakanabar piti ns;mana\|arouz;al Qristosi n;rka\ouj;an mh=! Omanq kemtafogouin ir;nz oun;za6 mtauorakani4 kamastoua6abani fambauow xor krnan korsnzn;l ;jhwka\;n Qristosi marmnauor \aroujiune! Ouri,n;rfauatqi ankar;li ;u anendoun;li martafrauhrime dimaze ke gtn;n ir;nq xir;nq ou t;[i koutann;rqin ou artaqin yn,oumn;roun! Ou takauin4 ,at;r];rbaxatoua6 ke xgan ir;nq xir;nq |isousi 'o.an-za6 au;tarancakan ou enk;ra\in 7gnouj;an a5aq;-loujiunhn4 a\sinqn4 9a,ak;rt;lou a,.arfe4 ;u mkrt;-lou xanonq04 ou manauand3 9a[qatn;roun au;taraneqarox;lou4 kotra6 sirt oun;zo[n;re bv,k;lou4g;rin;roun axatoujiun talou4 ko\r;roun3 t;soujiun4;u farstafar;aln;roun axatoujiun0 f5cak;lou!Anonz famar au;li npataka\armar ke da5na\ m;5a6|isous me qan3 \arouz;al ou k;ndani Qristos me!

~hotor Tosjo\;usqi3 ir glou.-gor6oz 9Qara-maxow :[ba\rn;re0 whpin mh= sqanc;li k;rpow ke

|AROUZ:AL QRISTOSE ENDOUN:LI2 H M:XI FAMAR


A R M E N I A

A Special Christmas Party In Armenia

Belle Ashodian of California is a Chris-tian lady with a heart full of love. A

heart that cares, hurts for the hurting andreaches out.

Several years ago, Mrs. Ashodian wasdeeply moved by the suffering of the manyneedy families in Armenia. She had to dosomething.

She called the Armenian Missionary As-sociation of America (AMAA) and, with tearsin her eyes, offered to sponsor 20 families, pro-viding for their needs regularly on monthlybasis. She gradually increased the number offamilies to 250. This is in addition to the manychildren she sponsors through AMAA’s ChildSponsorship Program.

Mrs. Ashodian is not a passive donor. Shetakes interest in the families she supports,frequently calling them or our office to in-quire about their well being.

Realizing that these needy families can-not afford the holiday table that many take

unique beauty.I had many feelings driving through

Karabagh. I remembered how closely I fol-lowed the war in the news. How sad I waswhen in 1993 I learned that Monte “Avo”Melkonian “Marduni Commander” waskilled. Monte Melkonian grew up in the SanJoaquin Valley and was my age to the year.I remember how happy I was when I heardof the capture of Shoushi and Kelbajar. NowI was going to Stepanagert to observe andhopefully help in the future in the spreadingof the word of Christ.

When we arrived in Stepanagert we wentstraight to the AMAA center and met withArsen, AMAA Representative in Karabagh,who had lived through the almost 4 yearbombing siege of Stepanagert and describedhow they had lived underground for almostthe whole time and how at night when thebombing would let up they would go out andlook for food.

The effects of this bombing are still seentoday. Even though the streets have beencompletely repaired many buildings still

for granted, Mrs. Ashodian once again thisyear sponsored two Christmas parties, onein Yerevan and another one in Gumri, onJanuary 10, and 12 respectively.

135 individuals participated in these parties.They were served traditional Armenian holi-day meals, fruits, and dessert. Most importantthough, they had a great time of fellowship,worship and thanksgiving.They sang, prayed, testified toGod’s loving care, andthanked God for His manyblessings. They were all verygrateful to Mrs. Ashodianwhose caring heart, expressedthrough her generous support,enables them to carry on inthese very hard times.

The AMAA is grateful toGod and is fortunate to havea friend and a faithful sup-porter in Mrs. Ashodian.

carry the scars of those bombings. I alsohad a chance to go to Shoushi the ancientArmenian city with the famous and beauti-ful white marble Armenian Church. Shushiprior to the war was inhabited by 50,000people who were mostly Azeris but duringthe war all the Azeris left leaving Shushimostly depopulated. Today there are lessthan 4,000 people living in Shushi and thecity is in much worse condition thanStepanagert.

Later that day we participated in theAMAA Christmas program and it was greatand really clever. One thing is for sure thehyes sure know how to put on a Christmasshow. After the show the children weregiven gifts from the AMAA Christmas forArmenia. The children who received thegifts were the poorest of the children inStepanagert.

We returned to Yerevan January 9th tiredbut I was very much inspired by the workthe AMAA is doing in Armenia. The AMAAis doing a wonderful job in Armenia. Anyresources they receive are being put to very

good use in spreading the word of God. Iwas very impressed by the dedication of thewhole staff.

But as great a job as the AMAA is doing;the work of spreading the Good News is toogreat for any one Christian group or Chris-tian Church to handle. That is why it is en-couraging to see better and better relation-ships between the Armenian ApostolicChurch and the AMAA. We, as ArmenianChristians, whether Apostolic or Evangeli-cal, all have the same goals of spreading theGood News and promoting and teaching ourArmenian Christian history and culture inArmenia.

It is interesting that many Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in America have forgottenabout teaching our Armenian Christian his-tory and culture but this has not been for-gotten by the Armenian Evangelicals in Ar-menia. It is through the teaching of this his-tory and culture that we as Armenians knowwhat we have suffered in the name of Christand how Christ has blessed our people aswell.G

(PILGRIMAGE TO ARMENIA...Cont'd from page 5)

Her caring andloving heartbrings joy tothe hearts ofhundreds ofpeople in ourhomeland, Ar-menia. G


On Saturday, February 15, the ArmenianChildren’s Milk Fund and “2Mayrer”

presented a fun-filled event for the wholefamily at the National Heritage Museum inLexington, Massachusetts. 2Mayrer’s NvairBeylerian and Diane Haroutounian per-formed favorite children’s songs in Arme-nian to an enthusiastic crowd of more than300 people. Young members of the audiencewere encouraged to participate by dancing,singing and marching along. They werejoined by 2Mayrer’s silly friend, Eshleeg-Meshleeg the donkey. 2Mayrer, who re-leased their first CD in 2002, describe theirmusic as “songs from yesterday, which wesing today, while preparing our children fortomorrow”.

Following the concert, attendees weretreated to a variety of activities, including aclown, face-painting, “Big Al” and his crazyballoon creations, and delicious treats pro-vided by Barnstormer’s Restaurant, GailSelian, and Gary’s Gourmet Chocolates.Adding to the magic of the evening was aspecial performance by noted musicians KenKalajian, Leon Janigian, and Peter, Matthewand Nick Kyvelos, who kept attendees’ toestapping and happily provided hands-on dem-

Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Presents An Evening Of Family Fun

onstrations of their instruments to the chil-dren.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Ar-menian Children’s Milk Fund, which hasbeen providing infant formula to needy chil-

dren in Armenia for more than thirteen years.Through the fundraising efforts of its vol-

unteers, the Milk Fund has helped thousandsof Armenian children get a healthy start inlife.G

AMAA JAMES G. JAMESONESSAY CONTEST OPEN TO HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) has announced it will once againsponsor the James G. Jameson Essay Contest. Topics should touch upon some aspect of Armenianheritage such as religion, literature, language, history, culture, geography, economy or history. Awardswill be made in two categories: High School contestants and College/University contestants. Thedeadline for entries is June 15, 2003.

All Armenian or part-Armenian students are eligible. Only unpublished entries will be accepted. Thewinner in each category will be awarded $250.00, provided from the income of a special fund estab-lished by Mr. & Mrs. James G. Jameson of Brookline, MA.

The essays should be written in English and have a length of 1,000 to 2,000 words. A contestant isallowed no more than one entry per year, and no more than one member of a family may receive anaward in a five-year period. If no submitted essay is considered sufficiently meritorious, no award will begranted that year.

Entries and/or inquiries should be directed to:AMAA - James G. Jameson Essay Contest

31 West Century RoadParamus, NJ 07652

N E W S & N O T E S

Belle Ashodian


T U R K E Y

A Historic Ordination In Turkey

by Nishan L. Bakalian

The ordination of Rev. Krikor Agabal-oglu in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday,

Dec. 1, 2002, represented a major event inthe life of the Armenian Evangelical churchworldwide, and a milestone in the spiritualpilgrimage of the ordinand, a dear brotherand dedicated coworker in Christ.

A native of the central Turkish town ofArabkir, Krikor moved with his family toMalatya and graduated from high schoolthere. He did his university education inIstanbul as a history major, but after gradu-ating, marrying and having two children, hislife changed in a totally unexpected way. Acoal-stove malfunction in their home poi-soned the entire family, taking the lives oftheir children. Krikor and his wife, Maria,eventually recovered, but Krikor remainedincapacitated in hospital. Consumed bythoughts of his misfortune, he grew bitterand concluded that there is no God.

In the depths of his despair, searching formeaning in life, Krikor found a Turkish NewTestament—a book unfamiliar to him—andbegan reading it. Although he did not be-lieve in God, it intrigued him, especially theperson of Jesus Christ. As he read he be-came even more interested, and although hewas still angry at God and full of accusa-tory questions, nonetheless God softened hisheart and spoke to him. In the Bible he didnot discover answers to the question “why,”but he realized how great is the grace andforgiveness of the Lord.

Krikor’s faith has since weathered manystorms, whether within the church or in so-ciety at large. His lengthy convalescence,when he was the subject of an experimentaltreatment to avoid amputation of his arm,helped him to see that nothing is impossiblefor God. The joy that he and Maria experi-enced in having two more children taughtthem about God’s goodness. Krikor, recall-ing his childhood questions to his fatherabout why he prayed, remembered hisfather’s answer, “My son, someday you’llunderstand,” and learned about his heavenlyFather’s faithfulness.

Over the years, Krikor shared his faith inhis workplace, as a diamond-setter, and in

the Armenian EvangelicalChurch of Gedik Pasha,which was founded in 1850,became a member of theUnion of the Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the NearEast (UAECNE) in the 1940s,but which had not seen a pas-toral ordination since the mid-1930s. As a lay leader hehelped the church remainfaithful to its calling of sharing the Gospelwith all. Under his leadership, today it is athriving church with four different congre-gations and even more ethnic groups wor-shipping there—Armenian, Turk, Assyrian,Persian, Moldavian, and many expatriateresidents of Istanbul. The church reaches outto refugees and offers temporary shelter tomany. It has Bibles and Christian literatureavailable in a number of languages. Aboveall, it remains a place where people of everyrace, creed and tongue can hear the savingmessage of Jesus Christ, come to faith andgrow as children of God.

Rev. Agabaloglu has become well knownwithin his country through his sermons onone of Istanbul’s two full-time Christian ra-dio stations. His reputation has also grownin the past decade because of his speakingout for minority rights, whether that of hisown people or of other groups within Tur-key. He has done this in major Turkish news-papers, on broadcast television, and beforereligious and civic leaders.

The relationship Krikor and Maria havecultivated with believers throughout theworld has been a mutual blessing. Locally,the Gedik Pasha church has become part ofthe network of Christian churches in thecountry and has served the Lord Jesusthrough its social and spiritual outreach. Atthe same time, Krikor has benefited fromstudies at the Protestant “Bythinia” BibleInstitute, set up by the American Board inIstanbul, in which men and women from avariety of churches completed a short courseof study over a few years. Those fraternalrelations have extended beyond the localscene to include active participation in the

UAECNE and the work of the AMAA.The day of ordination was truly a day of

blessing. Songs of praise and worship inArmenian and Turkish resounded in the his-toric sanctuary, beautiful not only becauseof the recent renovations, but especially be-cause of the unity expressed. Race, age andculture took a back seat to the Lord Jesus,who unites us. The barriers of time and dis-tance were also broken down, as HrantGuzelyan, the eldest member of the Church,now living in France, rejoiced with the newmembers at God’s faithfulness in bringinglife and hope to what was, twenty years ago,a “hopeless cause.” And so as to remind usof his mysterious ways, God led a young Ar-menian man past the church doors during theordination service—a man who had been ayouth under the care of Hrant in the YouthHome (Badanegan Doon) ministry of theGedik Pasha church. Upon hearing Armenianhymns being sung, he stepped in and wasshocked to see his mentor there, so many yearslater. The seed of God’s Word is scattered,and does not return to him empty, but doeswhat he intends it to do! (Isaiah 55.10-11)

And so, the gathering of six ArmenianEvangelical and two western Protestant clergyon that day, along with over 400 worshippersfrom East and West for the ordination ser-vice and laying on of hands was merely a joy-ful affirmation of what God has already beendoing in and through Krikor Agabaloglu. Thepresident of the Union of Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the Near East, the Rev.Megerdich Karagoezian, conducted the ser-vice, which was nothing short of an offeringof heartfelt thanks to God for his power, hisgoodness, and his faithfulness.G


The Armenia Summer Camp and Christ-mas Committee of the Armenian Mis-

sionary Association of America (AMAA) isproud to present a CD recording of “A ViolaRecital” featuring Gor Hovhanissyan, thegifted violist from Armenia, and the inter-nationally acclaimed pianist, GaryFitzpatrick. The recital was recorded liveon May 5, 2002, and is now available to thepublic for $15.00 per copy. The proceedsfrom the sale of these CDs will be used forAMAA’s Summer Camp projects in Armenia.

The recording features a beautiful vari-ety of pieces ranging from an early Roman-tic sonata of Schubert through the later Ro-mantic sonata of Brahms to the 20th Cen-tury pieces of Max Reger and DariusMilhaud. In addition, the recording boastsof four Armenian pieces by Bagdasarian andGomidas, arranged for viola and piano, andplayed with passion, pathos and elegance.

A Viola Recital - A New CD Released by AMAA's

They are Nocturne by Bagdasarian, andthree pieces by Gomidas- Dzirani Dzar,Keler Tsoler, and Groung.

The Sonata in E-flat major finds Brahmsin a relaxed mood, with the first movementgiving the soloist a beautiful singing tune.The second movement has passion anddrama, and the third movement gives wayto a gorgeous melody. Originally conceivedfor the clarinet and piano, and arranged forthe violin and piano by the composer, theviola version has become one of the crownjewels in the violist’s repertoire.

The Quatre Visages of Darius Milhaud,written in 1943, are representations in mu-sic of four different kinds of girls, from Cali-fornia, Wisconsin, Brussels, and Paris. Theseare a delightful group of movements writ-ten by a prolific composer who was a mem-ber of the diverse group of French compos-ers known as Les Six.

by Ani Chalemian

Please forward -------- CD's @ US $15.00 each for a total of US $-------------

Name -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address ----------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Make checks payable to AMAA in U.S. Dollars)

Accordingto the GroveConcise Dic-tionary ofMusic Max“Reger isconsidered by many to be the most impor-tant composer to elaborate on the stylistictraits of Johannes Brahms and move Germanmusic into the twentieth century.” His stylein the Suite in D Major for Viola Solo is densewith counterpoint, with fast modulationswhich lead to an atonal feeling, although hismusic remains strictly tonal in its harmonicdirection. He was a firm supporter of ‘abso-lute’ music and saw himself in a traditiongoing back to Bach, through Beethoven,Schumann and Brahms. The four move-ments are written without piano accompa-niment and are beautifully played by Mr.Hovhannisyan.

The Schubert Sonata for Viola and Pianoin A Minor “Arpeggione”, was written for anewly devised and soon obsolete stringedinstrument, the Arpeggione. It now providesadditional repertoire for the cello or viola.The partnership between violist and pianistare excellent. There is just the right give andtake and a beautiful lyricism expressed inthis delightful sonata.

It is with great joy and pride that we areoffering this beautiful recording. Please usethe attached coupon for orders.G

N E W S & N O T E S

Armenia Summer Camp/Christmas Committee

This Just In …

With sadness of heart, yet thankfulness for a lifetime of ministry to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we haveheard of the passing away of the Rev. Yura Avanessian, on Wednesday, February 19, 2003. Rev.Avanessian was the pastor of The Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church of Yerevan, President of theUnion of Evangelical Churches in Armenia, and member of a number of important organizations andcommittees. Rev. Avanessian had recently experienced a serious accidental fall resulting in severalbodily injuries, which, though treated immediately, ultimately resulted in his death. His funeral servicestook place on Friday, February 21, followed by a committal service on Saturday, February 22, 2003.

On behalf of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, we express our heartfelt condolences toMrs. Nadia Avanessian and her children, as well as to the Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church Familyin Armenia. A more detailed eulogy of Rev. Avanessian will appear in the next issue of the AMAA News.

8 AMAA NEWS, JAN/FEB/MARCH 2003

S Y R I A

Re-evaluation Seminar For Teachers Of ArmenianEvangelical Schools of Syria

Under the sponsorship of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Armenian Evangeli-

cal Community of Syria, and organized bythe Armenian Evangelical EducationalCouncil, with the cooperation of the Educa-tional Council of Lebanon, a Teacher Train-ing and Re-evaluation Seminar was heldSeptember 8-12, 2002, at Haigazian Univer-sity, Beirut, Lebanon. The reason behind of-fering this seminar was educational, spiri-tual and intellectual preparation, and increas-ing participants’ development by introduc-ing them to new pedagogical and educationalmethods.

Participating in this seminar were a totalof 64 teachers and principals, coming fromschools belonging to the community (fromAleppo, Kessab and Damascus).

The seminar began with an opening wor-ship service on Monday, September 9, 2002,at 9 a.m., in the audio-visual center ofHaigazian University. The president ofHaigazian University, the Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian, officially opened the seminar.In his opening remarks, President Haidostiangreeted those present, expressing great ap-preciation for the ensuing program. Hegladly noted and made the observation aboutthe foundational and central mission ofHaigazian University, which is to prepareArmenian Evangelical teachers and leaders.

Thereafter the chairman of the ArmenianEvangelical Educational Council of Syria,the Rev. Haroutiun Selimian, offered hiswords. He concisely presented the vision andmotivation behind the seminar: continuingeducation and renewed energy, and urgedthe participants to remain faithful to theireducational mission and responsibility.

The seminar was made possible throughthe foundational and practical efforts of theEducational Worker of the Armenian Evan-gelical Educational Council of Lebanon,Mrs. Sevan Balabanian. Mrs. Balabanianpresented the details of the program, andcalled the participants to consider this pro-gram an excellent opportunity to benefit asmuch as possible from what Haigazian Uni-versity has to offer.

Throughout the four days of the seminar

classes began at 9 a.m., with the entire groupbeing divided into four sections, each ofwhich studied a specifically-chosen subjectfrom the following list: “The Basic Prin-ciples of Education,” presented by Dr.Hanine Hout (Haigazian University); “ThePsychology of a Child’s Development,” pre-sented by Mrs. Sarar Maalouf (HaigazianUniversity); “The Stages of a Child’s Men-tal Growth, Classroom Behavior, theStudent’s Drives,” presented by Mrs.Shaghig Khodaverdian; “The Use of Mari-onettes and Puppets as Teaching Tools,” pre-sented by Mrs. Liza Hekimian; “The Impor-tant Influence of Arts and Crafts,” presentedby Mrs. Tamar Bakkalian; “Music Educa-tion and Rhythm Classes,” presented by Mrs.Georgia Andonov; “The Computer as aTeaching Tool,” presented by Miss Rima AlHajj. “Modern Means of Managing a Classand Solutions to Classroom Problems” waspresented by Miss Maha Abou Ladan, and“The Student’s Development and Evalua-tion” was presented by Mr. Sultan Nasr el-Din.

Along with the aforementioned class top-

ics, special classes were held for principalsand board members, with an aim towardsimparting information and developing skillsin administrative and organizational matters.

For fellowship and food, the participantswere hosted on the university campus, wherethey had an opportunity to get to know eachother better and be an encouragement to eachother in their sacrificial service.

Seminar participants also enjoyed toursand visits to important places and scenicdestinations in Lebanon.

A period for written evaluation was heldat the close of the seminar, after which theparticipants, in acknowledgement of theirparticipation in 18 working sessions at theUniversity, each received an official certifi-cation from the Union of Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the Near East, given byMrs. Sevan Balabanian and the Rev.Haroutiun Selimian. We thank God for thisunprecedented and unique event, and ex-press our hope that the Armenian Evangeli-cal Schools remain the faithful guardians oftheir mission of educating the hearts andminds of their people’s children.G

by Haroutiun Selimian


Armenian Evangelical College Celebrates 80th Anniversary

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary,the Armenian Evangelical College

(Yeprem and Martha Philibossian School),Beirut, organized on December 7, 2002 aconcert at the Assembly Hall of the Ameri-can University of Beirut under the high pa-tronage of the First Lady, Mrs. Andrée EmileLahoud. The main star of the evening wasformer student Mezzo Soprano LenaKurkjian (Class of 1979 and currently withBern Opera) who enchanted the audiencewith arias from Schubert, Brahms, Alemshah,Gomidas, Ganachian and spiritual hymns.She was accompanied by young virtuoso pia-nist Eva Aroutunian (from Geneva) and theArmiss Choir under the supervision of Rev.Nerces Balabanian. One of the Hymns (Outof the Depths) was especially dedicated tothe 1988 earthquake victims of Armenia.

At the end of the concert, Mr. ZavenMesserlian, principal of the school, thankedthe artists for their generous contribution of

this concert to the school and all the spon-sors who funded the event. Finally, Dr. ArdaEkmekji, President of the Board, offered Mrs.

Lahoud and the artists commemorativeplaques bearing the logo of the ArmenianEvangelical College's 80th anniversary.G

N E W S & N O T E S

A Spring Recital To Benefit Summer Camps In Armenia And Karabagh

The AMAA's Armenia SummerCamp and Christmas Committee

will present a Spring Recital on May 4,at 3:00 PM at the Armenian Evangeli-cal Church of New York, featuring re-nowned pianist Vardan Mamikonian ofParis (Originally from Armenia). Dona-tion: $20 per person ($10 for students).

Your generous donations will enableus to provide for over 10,000 deprivedchildren in Armenia, Georgia andKarabagh to participate at AMAA sum-mer camps and Daily Vacation BibleSchools, where they will enjoy freshair and nutritious meals in a Christianenvironment with Bible stories, mu-sic, drama and outdoor games undercaring supervision.

Forty dollars covers a child's stay atour overnight camps for a week andtwenty-five dollars covers a child's stayat a day camp for a week.

Throughout the year, The ArmeniaSummer Camp and Christmas Commit-tee is faced with the challenge of

fundraising for the children's summercamps and for Christmas Joy Packages.

We thank you for your consistentsupport and hope you will join us onthis occasion.

G I will attend and support the Spring Recital with my donation

of ---------U.S. Dollars

G I am unable to attend but would like to support the summer

camps with my donation of ----------- U.S. Dollars

G I would like to sponsor ------- children @ $40 each for overnight camp

------- children @ $25 each for day camp

Enclosed please find my donation in the amount of -----------U.S. Dollars

Name --------------------------------------------------------------------

Address ---------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------(Make tax deductible donations to AMAA earmarked for Summer Camps and

mail to 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652)

If you are unable to attend andwould like to support our efforts,please fill out the form and mail it tothe AMAA. Your donation will havea positive impact on young lives.G


L E B A N O N

9

Armenian Evangelical Schools In Lebanon

The Armenian Evangelical Schools of Lebanon reopened on Sep-tember 30 for the academic year of 2002-2003. The seven

schools reported an overall increase of 50 students this year. Alarge number of the 1500 students of our schools have flooded intothe various CE programs that the churches offer for them. Somestudents of the higher grades teach in Sunday Schools. Three out of4 highest scorers among Armenian students in the 9th Grade Gov-ernmental Exam are from our schools.The following are some of the major highlights of recent activitiesof the Armenian Evangelical Schools in Lebanon:• Partial joining of Baccalaureate classes in 3 schools has reducedthe financial load and increased the number of high school students.• The AMAA facelift, for the 3rd year successively, helped the im-provement of facilities and has made a wonderful impact on stu-dent and teacher performance.• The Ainjar school opened 2 newly built classrooms dedicated toall past and present teachers.

Haigazian Students Reach Out

Christian and non-Christian students alike decided to bring cheerto underprivileged children in Lebanon, and - in a big way -

planned a carnival for them for Nov. 30, on the grounds of the FirstArmenian Evangelical Church. The university’s humanitarian club,called “Desert Streams,” planned the whole event, found sponsors,prepared gifts and food, helped construct the booths, and enter-tained 600 children from Christian and Muslim organizations, in-cluding a few Armenian institutions. This event attracted the atten-tion of the news media in Lebanon, who praised the students fortheir gesture of good will. We thank God that many of these stu-dents are active Christians on campus and in Armenian Evangeli-cal churches.

Rededicating God's House

Sunday, December 15, the Armenian Evangelical Church ofAinjar welcomed an overflow crowd to the opening and re-

dedication of their refurbished sanctuary. The church roof is nowtiled, a bell tower at the entrance has been added, the interior wallshave been strengthened, the pillars removed from the middle of thesanctuary and new windows were installed along with a new heat-ing system. Other improvements were made as well, through thegenerosity of donors in Lebanon and abroad.

Christmas Programs

All schools in Lebanon held programs and assemblies beforetheir Christmas vacation, and the Lord has encouraged us to

rejoice through these children and youth. In the midst of financialstruggles (more than 85% percent of the students need financialaids) and social problems, the talents and Christian commitment ofthese young people remind us to be joyful in all circumstances.

Some special gifts were: A) toys and gadgets donated by variousorganizations. B) A meal at a fast food restaurant for a group ofvery poor children of Trad School, who can otherwise never eat insuch a place. C) A big Christmas celebration held by the Munici-pality of Bourj Hammoud in the Bourj Hammoud stadium for allthe area schools.

Church youth realized special programs to proclaim the glory ofour Savior’s birth. Of particular note is the newly-formed junioryouth group at the Christian Social Center, Trad, which organizeda dinner and program for their parents, encouraging the fathers es-pecially to see where and how they spend their Saturdays.

KCHAG Summer Camp

At the end of November 2002 KCHAG witnessed a unique Cos-tume Party program with general knowledge contest and dis-

guises, organized by the KCHAG Programs Committee.On January 4, 2003, the ‘Nor-Yerk’ band led a special caroling

night on the occasion of Armenian Christmas Eve. Puddles of water(inside the hall) did not get in the way of the Christmas spirit as morethan 100 people defied the bad weather (outside the hall) and wentup to KCHAG to sing carols and listen to Scripture reading. Theevent was organized by the CE Executive Committee. After the car-oling, the participants were sent home with a traditional Armeniansweet- anoushabour. It is noteworthy that more & more people arecoming back to KCHAG for the first time to rediscover it.

Joint 12th grade of Shamlian-Tatigian and Central High Schools(above). Central High School students in their renovated playground.


Building Excellence In Higher Education

N E W S & N O T E S

Appraising Haigazian’s role in academicand professional education, Haigazian

University President, the Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian hosted a colloquium retreat onMonday, January 20, 2003 headed byLebanon’s Minister of Education and HigherLearning, Mr. Abdel Rahim Mrad, to presentHaigazian’s strategy and contribution tohigher learning in Lebanon. Present wereHaigazian University Deans, Chairs of de-partments and a number of the Administra-tion.

After a word of welcome by the President,each of the Deans presented a synopsis oftheir faculty achievements and accomplish-

The Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian and Minister Abdel RahimMrad: a token of appreciation.

85th Anniversary Of The Armenian Congregational Church Of Detroit

On Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24,2002, the Armenian Congregational

Church of Greater Detroit highlighted the85th anniversary of its founding, held in theChurch Social Hall. An overflow crowd of325 parishioners and friends from far andnear had come to celebrate the church’s an-niversary and its attainment of 85 years ofgrowth and spiritual service to a commu-nity representing more than a score of townsspread out over the greater Detroit area.

The Master of ceremonies of the banquetwas Rodney Keteyian. The banquet openedby the singing of the American and Arme-nian national anthems, sung by April ArabianTini and Gayaneh Kachadourian respectively,an invocation by Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian,followed by an anniversary toast. A verysumptuous traditional turkey dinner, with allits trimmings, was prepared by Moses andMaggie Avakian and their crew.

At the banquet, Rodney Keteyian and Mrs.Rosette Tootikian welcomed all the attend-ees and the special guests. Brief and apro-pos greetings were given by the Minister,Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian, and the Chair-man of the Board of Trustees, Dr. RichardE. Marburger.

The key-note speaker of the evening wasthe Rev. Jirair M. Sogomian, who congratu-lated the church, reminisced briefly abouthis ministry (1970-1975) at ACC, and gavea most timely, thought-provoking and chal-lenging message on the privileges and re-

sponsibilities of the Church at this junctureof history.

The musical program included Armenianselections by Gayaneh Kachadourian andEnglish selections by April Arabian Tini,accompanied by Margaret Benian and MatdeRaad respectively..

Among the highlights of the banquet wasa beautifully compiled 36-page booklet (agift from Ralph and Frances Garabedian),which included letters of congratulationsfrom President George W. Bush, GovernorJohn Engler, Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus,Governor-Elect and Attorney General Jen-nifer M. Granholm, Southfield MayorBrenda L. Lawrence, Executive Committeeof the Armenian Evangelical World Coun-cil, U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie

Stabenow, U.S. Congressman JoeKnollenberg, AMAA Executive Director,Rev. Jirair Sogomian, UAECNE CentralCommittee Chairman, Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian, and from more than fortychurches and lay leaders and institutions fromall over the world. The booklet also includeda brief history of the church and pictures fromyesteryears and the present time, as well as along list of anniversary donors.

Also, on this milestone occasion, as ananniversary memento, a pen, with the in-scription “85th Anniversary of the ArmenianCongregational Church, 1917-2002,” wasgiven to each attendee.

The program concluded with the singingof the Hayr Mér and benediction given byall six attending clergy. G

ments at Haigazian.Following was the

President’s presentation thathighlighted the challengesthat youth and societies faceand how the Armenian Evan-gelical educational philoso-phy responds to it.

In his speech, the Ministerhighly valued Haigazian’sfocus on quality education;the theoretical and practicalmethods used here and the challenges of thefuture.

In return, the Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian ac-

knowledged Minister Mrad and presentedto him the Haigazian University shield, as atoken of appreciation.G

Clergy who attended the 85th anniversary celebrations.


E D U C A T I O N

Rose and Yervant Hovhanness Levonian Educational Fund

by Joyce Abdulian*

Fresno State University has been one ofthe five beneficiaries of the Rose and

Yervant Hovhanness Levonian Educa-tional Fund which provides scholarships fordeserving Armenian students since 1985.Yervant Hovhanness Levonian was myuncle.

Each time I receive the Hye Sharzoom listof scholarship recipients, I feel great joyknowing so many students at Fresno StateUniversity are benefiting from Uncle Ed'slife and generosity.

Yervant Levonian was my mother'sbrother. He was born in Aintab, Turkey toHovhanness and Dudu Levonian, wealthylandowners and exporters of apricots andpistachios. He came to the United Statesprior to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 andsettled in Fresno. His parents, a sister (mymother), and a brother struggled through thehardships of the deportation of the Geno-cide and finally arrived exhausted and des-titute in Aleppo, Syria.

Yervant's brother Levon fondly known as"Toh Levon" opened a school in Aleppo forall the refugee children and was revered byall for his compassion and skill as a teacher,musician, and administrator. The funding forthis school came from the sale of hismother's (my grandmother's) gorgeous goldjewelry which she was able somehow toconceal on her arduous journey across theSyrian Desert. ( I prize having the only twomatching bracelets remaining from her largecollection.)

Yervant and his bride, Rose Gagosian,opened a small grocery store, Peacock Mar-ket, on Belmont St. They would eventuallytrade their way up to a third larger marketlocated near Belmont and Blackstone. Theyworked long and hard for their living andlived in a modest house behind the store.Uncle worked and saved eventually buyingsome fruit orchards and after WWII a newhome.

He lived a happy but frugal life that con-sisted of work, friends, relatives, and hislovely wife Rose.

He was like a surrogate father to me, be-ing that my father died when I was an in-

fant. Going to Fresno from Los Angeles overthe old winding 2 lane Grapevine was thebiggest adventure for us especially duringwinter snow storms. I can still rememberreaching in the jelly bean jar at the store fora special treat.

It was to this house behind the store thatmy mother, Zekie Levonian arrived aftersuffering life through the Genocide. An ac-complished pianist and accustomed to theprivileged life, she began working longhours in the hot Fresno packing houses andhelping with cooking chores in the Levonianhousehold which now held two more broth-ers and their families.

When uncle became ill a few years afterthe passing of Aunt rose, he asked my hus-band, Dr. H. Jack Abdulian, and myself foradvice as to the disbursement of his money.

* This article has appeared in HyeSharzoom, the organ of Fresno State Uni-versity Armenian Studies Program.

Rose & Yervant Hovhanness Levonian.

Being that he was childless, we advised himto leave it all to the Armenian MissionaryAssociation of America (AMAA). We knewhis money would be handled properly andincreased substantially due to their exper-tise in these areas. This he did and desig-nated Fresno State as one of the recipients.The rest is history.

Many of Fresno State students are nowbenefiting from my Uncle Ed's generos-ity. It is our hope that the students willappreciate it and use their knowledgewisely. Perhaps in turn, they may help astudent someday. This will be uncle'sgreatest legacy.G


N E W S & N O T E S

AMAA Elects Board Members And Officers

coming year are: Andrew Torigian (Presi-dent) of Paramus, NJ; Robert Hekemian, Sr.(Vice President) of Saddle River, NJ;George Phillips, Sr., Esq. (Vice President)of Los Angeles, CA; Aram RobertMinnetian (Treasurer) of Hoboken, NJ;David Hekemian (Assistant Treasurer) ofHo-Ho-Kus, NJ; Harry Dulgarian (Co-Re-cording Secretary) of Belmont, MA;Lawrence Kalfayan, Esq. (Co-RecordingSecretary) of Glendale, CA; and EileenChopourian Stephey (Co-Recording Secre-tary) of Havertown, PA.G

Clockwise: Andrew Torigian, GeorgePhillips, Esq. and Robert Hekemian, Sr.

Master’s of Art and Master’s of Business Administration stu-dents attended a cocktail reception Friday, February 7, 2003

at Haigazian University The event gathered students of differentclasses, stages and majors together to open up channels of commu-nication among them.

Some of those present are continuing their education for career goals,while others are in the program for personal development. “Both areappreciated and welcome,” said Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Uni-versity President. Dr. Haidostian stressed that professionalism is morethan specialization in a field. “We need to help each other and thewhole society to move beyond getting a degree and a specialization toprofessional behavior and outlook,” he said. Dr. Haidostian encour-aged those present to keep in touch and to express honest and realisticopinion on the program, thus helping Haigazian serve the academiccommunity better. Both faculty members and professors had a chanceto associate with students and discuss with them personal academicand career plans in an informal manner.G

Haigazian Students Value Friendship

The Board of Directors of the Armenian Missionary Association of America

(AMAA), at its meeting of December 14,2002, re-elected Andrew Torigian ofParamus, NJ, as the President of the Asso-ciation for the unprecedented sixth consecu-tive term.

Each year the AMAA mails out ballotsto its members for the election of one-thirdof its Board of Directors. The member-ship, in turn, elects AMAA Board mem-bers to serve three-year terms. The newly-constituted Board then proceeds to appointthe officers of the AMAA for the comingyear.

This year (2002) five incumbents were re-elected to the Board and four new memberswere added. Those elected were Mr. HarryBalukjian of Bethesda, MD; Dr. JohnBezirganian of Trumansburg, NY; JohnCherkezian of Englewood Cliffs, NJ;Charles DeMirjian of Media, PA; PhyllisDohanian of Belmont, MA; David Hagopianof Deerfield, IL; Gary Phillips, Esq. of LosAngeles, CA; Michele Simourian of Do-ver, MA and Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian ofRoyal Oak, MI. The new members areHarry Dulgarian; John Bezirganian, MD;John Cherkezian; Gary Phillips, Esq. andRev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian.

The new officers of the AMAA for the


E D U C A T I O N

Rose and Yervant Hovhanness Levonian Educational Fund

by Joyce Abdulian*

Fresno State University has been one ofthe five beneficiaries of the Rose and

Yervant Hovhanness Levonian Educa-tional Fund which provides scholarships fordeserving Armenian students since 1985.Yervant Hovhanness Levonian was myuncle.

Each time I receive the Hye Sharzoom listof scholarship recipients, I feel great joyknowing so many students at Fresno StateUniversity are benefiting from Uncle Ed'slife and generosity.

Yervant Levonian was my mother'sbrother. He was born in Aintab, Turkey toHovhanness and Dudu Levonian, wealthylandowners and exporters of apricots andpistachios. He came to the United Statesprior to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 andsettled in Fresno. His parents, a sister (mymother), and a brother struggled through thehardships of the deportation of the Geno-cide and finally arrived exhausted and des-titute in Aleppo, Syria.

Yervant's brother Levon fondly known as"Toh Levon" opened a school in Aleppo forall the refugee children and was revered byall for his compassion and skill as a teacher,musician, and administrator. The funding forthis school came from the sale of hismother's (my grandmother's) gorgeous goldjewelry which she was able somehow toconceal on her arduous journey across theSyrian Desert. ( I prize having the only twomatching bracelets remaining from her largecollection.)

Yervant and his bride, Rose Gagosian,opened a small grocery store, Peacock Mar-ket, on Belmont St. They would eventuallytrade their way up to a third larger marketlocated near Belmont and Blackstone. Theyworked long and hard for their living andlived in a modest house behind the store.Uncle worked and saved eventually buyingsome fruit orchards and after WWII a newhome.

He lived a happy but frugal life that con-sisted of work, friends, relatives, and hislovely wife Rose.

He was like a surrogate father to me, be-ing that my father died when I was an in-

fant. Going to Fresno from Los Angeles overthe old winding 2 lane Grapevine was thebiggest adventure for us especially duringwinter snow storms. I can still rememberreaching in the jelly bean jar at the store fora special treat.

It was to this house behind the store thatmy mother, Zekie Levonian arrived aftersuffering life through the Genocide. An ac-complished pianist and accustomed to theprivileged life, she began working longhours in the hot Fresno packing houses andhelping with cooking chores in the Levonianhousehold which now held two more broth-ers and their families.

When uncle became ill a few years afterthe passing of Aunt rose, he asked my hus-band, Dr. H. Jack Abdulian, and myself foradvice as to the disbursement of his money.

* This article has appeared in HyeSharzoom, the organ of Fresno State Uni-versity Armenian Studies Program.

Rose & Yervant Hovhanness Levonian.

Being that he was childless, we advised himto leave it all to the Armenian MissionaryAssociation of America (AMAA). We knewhis money would be handled properly andincreased substantially due to their exper-tise in these areas. This he did and desig-nated Fresno State as one of the recipients.The rest is history.

Many of Fresno State students are nowbenefiting from my Uncle Ed's generos-ity. It is our hope that the students willappreciate it and use their knowledgewisely. Perhaps in turn, they may help astudent someday. This will be uncle'sgreatest legacy.G


N E W S & N O T E S

AMAA Elects Board Members And Officers

coming year are: Andrew Torigian (Presi-dent) of Paramus, NJ; Robert Hekemian, Sr.(Vice President) of Saddle River, NJ;George Phillips, Sr., Esq. (Vice President)of Los Angeles, CA; Aram RobertMinnetian (Treasurer) of Hoboken, NJ;David Hekemian (Assistant Treasurer) ofHo-Ho-Kus, NJ; Harry Dulgarian (Co-Re-cording Secretary) of Belmont, MA;Lawrence Kalfayan, Esq. (Co-RecordingSecretary) of Glendale, CA; and EileenChopourian Stephey (Co-Recording Secre-tary) of Havertown, PA.G

Clockwise: Andrew Torigian, GeorgePhillips, Esq. and Robert Hekemian, Sr.

Master’s of Art and Master’s of Business Administration stu-dents attended a cocktail reception Friday, February 7, 2003

at Haigazian University The event gathered students of differentclasses, stages and majors together to open up channels of commu-nication among them.

Some of those present are continuing their education for career goals,while others are in the program for personal development. “Both areappreciated and welcome,” said Reverend Dr. Paul Haidostian, Uni-versity President. Dr. Haidostian stressed that professionalism is morethan specialization in a field. “We need to help each other and thewhole society to move beyond getting a degree and a specialization toprofessional behavior and outlook,” he said. Dr. Haidostian encour-aged those present to keep in touch and to express honest and realisticopinion on the program, thus helping Haigazian serve the academiccommunity better. Both faculty members and professors had a chanceto associate with students and discuss with them personal academicand career plans in an informal manner.G

Haigazian Students Value Friendship

The Board of Directors of the Armenian Missionary Association of America

(AMAA), at its meeting of December 14,2002, re-elected Andrew Torigian ofParamus, NJ, as the President of the Asso-ciation for the unprecedented sixth consecu-tive term.

Each year the AMAA mails out ballotsto its members for the election of one-thirdof its Board of Directors. The member-ship, in turn, elects AMAA Board mem-bers to serve three-year terms. The newly-constituted Board then proceeds to appointthe officers of the AMAA for the comingyear.

This year (2002) five incumbents were re-elected to the Board and four new memberswere added. Those elected were Mr. HarryBalukjian of Bethesda, MD; Dr. JohnBezirganian of Trumansburg, NY; JohnCherkezian of Englewood Cliffs, NJ;Charles DeMirjian of Media, PA; PhyllisDohanian of Belmont, MA; David Hagopianof Deerfield, IL; Gary Phillips, Esq. of LosAngeles, CA; Michele Simourian of Do-ver, MA and Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian ofRoyal Oak, MI. The new members areHarry Dulgarian; John Bezirganian, MD;John Cherkezian; Gary Phillips, Esq. andRev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian.

The new officers of the AMAA for the


L E B A N O N

9

Armenian Evangelical Schools In Lebanon

The Armenian Evangelical Schools of Lebanon reopened on Sep-tember 30 for the academic year of 2002-2003. The seven

schools reported an overall increase of 50 students this year. Alarge number of the 1500 students of our schools have flooded intothe various CE programs that the churches offer for them. Somestudents of the higher grades teach in Sunday Schools. Three out of4 highest scorers among Armenian students in the 9th Grade Gov-ernmental Exam are from our schools.The following are some of the major highlights of recent activitiesof the Armenian Evangelical Schools in Lebanon:• Partial joining of Baccalaureate classes in 3 schools has reducedthe financial load and increased the number of high school students.• The AMAA facelift, for the 3rd year successively, helped the im-provement of facilities and has made a wonderful impact on stu-dent and teacher performance.• The Ainjar school opened 2 newly built classrooms dedicated toall past and present teachers.

Haigazian Students Reach Out

Christian and non-Christian students alike decided to bring cheerto underprivileged children in Lebanon, and - in a big way -

planned a carnival for them for Nov. 30, on the grounds of the FirstArmenian Evangelical Church. The university’s humanitarian club,called “Desert Streams,” planned the whole event, found sponsors,prepared gifts and food, helped construct the booths, and enter-tained 600 children from Christian and Muslim organizations, in-cluding a few Armenian institutions. This event attracted the atten-tion of the news media in Lebanon, who praised the students fortheir gesture of good will. We thank God that many of these stu-dents are active Christians on campus and in Armenian Evangeli-cal churches.

Rededicating God's House

Sunday, December 15, the Armenian Evangelical Church ofAinjar welcomed an overflow crowd to the opening and re-

dedication of their refurbished sanctuary. The church roof is nowtiled, a bell tower at the entrance has been added, the interior wallshave been strengthened, the pillars removed from the middle of thesanctuary and new windows were installed along with a new heat-ing system. Other improvements were made as well, through thegenerosity of donors in Lebanon and abroad.

Christmas Programs

All schools in Lebanon held programs and assemblies beforetheir Christmas vacation, and the Lord has encouraged us to

rejoice through these children and youth. In the midst of financialstruggles (more than 85% percent of the students need financialaids) and social problems, the talents and Christian commitment ofthese young people remind us to be joyful in all circumstances.

Some special gifts were: A) toys and gadgets donated by variousorganizations. B) A meal at a fast food restaurant for a group ofvery poor children of Trad School, who can otherwise never eat insuch a place. C) A big Christmas celebration held by the Munici-pality of Bourj Hammoud in the Bourj Hammoud stadium for allthe area schools.

Church youth realized special programs to proclaim the glory ofour Savior’s birth. Of particular note is the newly-formed junioryouth group at the Christian Social Center, Trad, which organizeda dinner and program for their parents, encouraging the fathers es-pecially to see where and how they spend their Saturdays.

KCHAG Summer Camp

At the end of November 2002 KCHAG witnessed a unique Cos-tume Party program with general knowledge contest and dis-

guises, organized by the KCHAG Programs Committee.On January 4, 2003, the ‘Nor-Yerk’ band led a special caroling

night on the occasion of Armenian Christmas Eve. Puddles of water(inside the hall) did not get in the way of the Christmas spirit as morethan 100 people defied the bad weather (outside the hall) and wentup to KCHAG to sing carols and listen to Scripture reading. Theevent was organized by the CE Executive Committee. After the car-oling, the participants were sent home with a traditional Armeniansweet- anoushabour. It is noteworthy that more & more people arecoming back to KCHAG for the first time to rediscover it.

Joint 12th grade of Shamlian-Tatigian and Central High Schools(above). Central High School students in their renovated playground.


Building Excellence In Higher Education

N E W S & N O T E S

Appraising Haigazian’s role in academicand professional education, Haigazian

University President, the Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian hosted a colloquium retreat onMonday, January 20, 2003 headed byLebanon’s Minister of Education and HigherLearning, Mr. Abdel Rahim Mrad, to presentHaigazian’s strategy and contribution tohigher learning in Lebanon. Present wereHaigazian University Deans, Chairs of de-partments and a number of the Administra-tion.

After a word of welcome by the President,each of the Deans presented a synopsis oftheir faculty achievements and accomplish-

The Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian and Minister Abdel RahimMrad: a token of appreciation.

85th Anniversary Of The Armenian Congregational Church Of Detroit

On Thanksgiving Sunday, November 24,2002, the Armenian Congregational

Church of Greater Detroit highlighted the85th anniversary of its founding, held in theChurch Social Hall. An overflow crowd of325 parishioners and friends from far andnear had come to celebrate the church’s an-niversary and its attainment of 85 years ofgrowth and spiritual service to a commu-nity representing more than a score of townsspread out over the greater Detroit area.

The Master of ceremonies of the banquetwas Rodney Keteyian. The banquet openedby the singing of the American and Arme-nian national anthems, sung by April ArabianTini and Gayaneh Kachadourian respectively,an invocation by Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian,followed by an anniversary toast. A verysumptuous traditional turkey dinner, with allits trimmings, was prepared by Moses andMaggie Avakian and their crew.

At the banquet, Rodney Keteyian and Mrs.Rosette Tootikian welcomed all the attend-ees and the special guests. Brief and apro-pos greetings were given by the Minister,Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian, and the Chair-man of the Board of Trustees, Dr. RichardE. Marburger.

The key-note speaker of the evening wasthe Rev. Jirair M. Sogomian, who congratu-lated the church, reminisced briefly abouthis ministry (1970-1975) at ACC, and gavea most timely, thought-provoking and chal-lenging message on the privileges and re-

sponsibilities of the Church at this junctureof history.

The musical program included Armenianselections by Gayaneh Kachadourian andEnglish selections by April Arabian Tini,accompanied by Margaret Benian and MatdeRaad respectively..

Among the highlights of the banquet wasa beautifully compiled 36-page booklet (agift from Ralph and Frances Garabedian),which included letters of congratulationsfrom President George W. Bush, GovernorJohn Engler, Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus,Governor-Elect and Attorney General Jen-nifer M. Granholm, Southfield MayorBrenda L. Lawrence, Executive Committeeof the Armenian Evangelical World Coun-cil, U.S. Senators Carl Levin and Debbie

Stabenow, U.S. Congressman JoeKnollenberg, AMAA Executive Director,Rev. Jirair Sogomian, UAECNE CentralCommittee Chairman, Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian, and from more than fortychurches and lay leaders and institutions fromall over the world. The booklet also includeda brief history of the church and pictures fromyesteryears and the present time, as well as along list of anniversary donors.

Also, on this milestone occasion, as ananniversary memento, a pen, with the in-scription “85th Anniversary of the ArmenianCongregational Church, 1917-2002,” wasgiven to each attendee.

The program concluded with the singingof the Hayr Mér and benediction given byall six attending clergy. G

ments at Haigazian.Following was the

President’s presentation thathighlighted the challengesthat youth and societies faceand how the Armenian Evan-gelical educational philoso-phy responds to it.

In his speech, the Ministerhighly valued Haigazian’sfocus on quality education;the theoretical and practicalmethods used here and the challenges of thefuture.

In return, the Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian ac-

knowledged Minister Mrad and presentedto him the Haigazian University shield, as atoken of appreciation.G

Clergy who attended the 85th anniversary celebrations.


S Y R I A

Re-evaluation Seminar For Teachers Of ArmenianEvangelical Schools of Syria

Under the sponsorship of the ExecutiveCommittee of the Armenian Evangeli-

cal Community of Syria, and organized bythe Armenian Evangelical EducationalCouncil, with the cooperation of the Educa-tional Council of Lebanon, a Teacher Train-ing and Re-evaluation Seminar was heldSeptember 8-12, 2002, at Haigazian Univer-sity, Beirut, Lebanon. The reason behind of-fering this seminar was educational, spiri-tual and intellectual preparation, and increas-ing participants’ development by introduc-ing them to new pedagogical and educationalmethods.

Participating in this seminar were a totalof 64 teachers and principals, coming fromschools belonging to the community (fromAleppo, Kessab and Damascus).

The seminar began with an opening wor-ship service on Monday, September 9, 2002,at 9 a.m., in the audio-visual center ofHaigazian University. The president ofHaigazian University, the Rev. Dr. PaulHaidostian, officially opened the seminar.In his opening remarks, President Haidostiangreeted those present, expressing great ap-preciation for the ensuing program. Hegladly noted and made the observation aboutthe foundational and central mission ofHaigazian University, which is to prepareArmenian Evangelical teachers and leaders.

Thereafter the chairman of the ArmenianEvangelical Educational Council of Syria,the Rev. Haroutiun Selimian, offered hiswords. He concisely presented the vision andmotivation behind the seminar: continuingeducation and renewed energy, and urgedthe participants to remain faithful to theireducational mission and responsibility.

The seminar was made possible throughthe foundational and practical efforts of theEducational Worker of the Armenian Evan-gelical Educational Council of Lebanon,Mrs. Sevan Balabanian. Mrs. Balabanianpresented the details of the program, andcalled the participants to consider this pro-gram an excellent opportunity to benefit asmuch as possible from what Haigazian Uni-versity has to offer.

Throughout the four days of the seminar

classes began at 9 a.m., with the entire groupbeing divided into four sections, each ofwhich studied a specifically-chosen subjectfrom the following list: “The Basic Prin-ciples of Education,” presented by Dr.Hanine Hout (Haigazian University); “ThePsychology of a Child’s Development,” pre-sented by Mrs. Sarar Maalouf (HaigazianUniversity); “The Stages of a Child’s Men-tal Growth, Classroom Behavior, theStudent’s Drives,” presented by Mrs.Shaghig Khodaverdian; “The Use of Mari-onettes and Puppets as Teaching Tools,” pre-sented by Mrs. Liza Hekimian; “The Impor-tant Influence of Arts and Crafts,” presentedby Mrs. Tamar Bakkalian; “Music Educa-tion and Rhythm Classes,” presented by Mrs.Georgia Andonov; “The Computer as aTeaching Tool,” presented by Miss Rima AlHajj. “Modern Means of Managing a Classand Solutions to Classroom Problems” waspresented by Miss Maha Abou Ladan, and“The Student’s Development and Evalua-tion” was presented by Mr. Sultan Nasr el-Din.

Along with the aforementioned class top-

ics, special classes were held for principalsand board members, with an aim towardsimparting information and developing skillsin administrative and organizational matters.

For fellowship and food, the participantswere hosted on the university campus, wherethey had an opportunity to get to know eachother better and be an encouragement to eachother in their sacrificial service.

Seminar participants also enjoyed toursand visits to important places and scenicdestinations in Lebanon.

A period for written evaluation was heldat the close of the seminar, after which theparticipants, in acknowledgement of theirparticipation in 18 working sessions at theUniversity, each received an official certifi-cation from the Union of Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the Near East, given byMrs. Sevan Balabanian and the Rev.Haroutiun Selimian. We thank God for thisunprecedented and unique event, and ex-press our hope that the Armenian Evangeli-cal Schools remain the faithful guardians oftheir mission of educating the hearts andminds of their people’s children.G

by Haroutiun Selimian


Armenian Evangelical College Celebrates 80th Anniversary

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary,the Armenian Evangelical College

(Yeprem and Martha Philibossian School),Beirut, organized on December 7, 2002 aconcert at the Assembly Hall of the Ameri-can University of Beirut under the high pa-tronage of the First Lady, Mrs. Andrée EmileLahoud. The main star of the evening wasformer student Mezzo Soprano LenaKurkjian (Class of 1979 and currently withBern Opera) who enchanted the audiencewith arias from Schubert, Brahms, Alemshah,Gomidas, Ganachian and spiritual hymns.She was accompanied by young virtuoso pia-nist Eva Aroutunian (from Geneva) and theArmiss Choir under the supervision of Rev.Nerces Balabanian. One of the Hymns (Outof the Depths) was especially dedicated tothe 1988 earthquake victims of Armenia.

At the end of the concert, Mr. ZavenMesserlian, principal of the school, thankedthe artists for their generous contribution of

this concert to the school and all the spon-sors who funded the event. Finally, Dr. ArdaEkmekji, President of the Board, offered Mrs.

Lahoud and the artists commemorativeplaques bearing the logo of the ArmenianEvangelical College's 80th anniversary.G

N E W S & N O T E S

A Spring Recital To Benefit Summer Camps In Armenia And Karabagh

The AMAA's Armenia SummerCamp and Christmas Committee

will present a Spring Recital on May 4,at 3:00 PM at the Armenian Evangeli-cal Church of New York, featuring re-nowned pianist Vardan Mamikonian ofParis (Originally from Armenia). Dona-tion: $20 per person ($10 for students).

Your generous donations will enableus to provide for over 10,000 deprivedchildren in Armenia, Georgia andKarabagh to participate at AMAA sum-mer camps and Daily Vacation BibleSchools, where they will enjoy freshair and nutritious meals in a Christianenvironment with Bible stories, mu-sic, drama and outdoor games undercaring supervision.

Forty dollars covers a child's stay atour overnight camps for a week andtwenty-five dollars covers a child's stayat a day camp for a week.

Throughout the year, The ArmeniaSummer Camp and Christmas Commit-tee is faced with the challenge of

fundraising for the children's summercamps and for Christmas Joy Packages.

We thank you for your consistentsupport and hope you will join us onthis occasion.

G I will attend and support the Spring Recital with my donation

of ---------U.S. Dollars

G I am unable to attend but would like to support the summer

camps with my donation of ----------- U.S. Dollars

G I would like to sponsor ------- children @ $40 each for overnight camp

------- children @ $25 each for day camp

Enclosed please find my donation in the amount of -----------U.S. Dollars

Name --------------------------------------------------------------------

Address ---------------------------------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------------------(Make tax deductible donations to AMAA earmarked for Summer Camps and

mail to 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652)

If you are unable to attend andwould like to support our efforts,please fill out the form and mail it tothe AMAA. Your donation will havea positive impact on young lives.G


T U R K E Y

A Historic Ordination In Turkey

by Nishan L. Bakalian

The ordination of Rev. Krikor Agabal-oglu in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday,

Dec. 1, 2002, represented a major event inthe life of the Armenian Evangelical churchworldwide, and a milestone in the spiritualpilgrimage of the ordinand, a dear brotherand dedicated coworker in Christ.

A native of the central Turkish town ofArabkir, Krikor moved with his family toMalatya and graduated from high schoolthere. He did his university education inIstanbul as a history major, but after gradu-ating, marrying and having two children, hislife changed in a totally unexpected way. Acoal-stove malfunction in their home poi-soned the entire family, taking the lives oftheir children. Krikor and his wife, Maria,eventually recovered, but Krikor remainedincapacitated in hospital. Consumed bythoughts of his misfortune, he grew bitterand concluded that there is no God.

In the depths of his despair, searching formeaning in life, Krikor found a Turkish NewTestament—a book unfamiliar to him—andbegan reading it. Although he did not be-lieve in God, it intrigued him, especially theperson of Jesus Christ. As he read he be-came even more interested, and although hewas still angry at God and full of accusa-tory questions, nonetheless God softened hisheart and spoke to him. In the Bible he didnot discover answers to the question “why,”but he realized how great is the grace andforgiveness of the Lord.

Krikor’s faith has since weathered manystorms, whether within the church or in so-ciety at large. His lengthy convalescence,when he was the subject of an experimentaltreatment to avoid amputation of his arm,helped him to see that nothing is impossiblefor God. The joy that he and Maria experi-enced in having two more children taughtthem about God’s goodness. Krikor, recall-ing his childhood questions to his fatherabout why he prayed, remembered hisfather’s answer, “My son, someday you’llunderstand,” and learned about his heavenlyFather’s faithfulness.

Over the years, Krikor shared his faith inhis workplace, as a diamond-setter, and in

the Armenian EvangelicalChurch of Gedik Pasha,which was founded in 1850,became a member of theUnion of the Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the NearEast (UAECNE) in the 1940s,but which had not seen a pas-toral ordination since the mid-1930s. As a lay leader hehelped the church remainfaithful to its calling of sharing the Gospelwith all. Under his leadership, today it is athriving church with four different congre-gations and even more ethnic groups wor-shipping there—Armenian, Turk, Assyrian,Persian, Moldavian, and many expatriateresidents of Istanbul. The church reaches outto refugees and offers temporary shelter tomany. It has Bibles and Christian literatureavailable in a number of languages. Aboveall, it remains a place where people of everyrace, creed and tongue can hear the savingmessage of Jesus Christ, come to faith andgrow as children of God.

Rev. Agabaloglu has become well knownwithin his country through his sermons onone of Istanbul’s two full-time Christian ra-dio stations. His reputation has also grownin the past decade because of his speakingout for minority rights, whether that of hisown people or of other groups within Tur-key. He has done this in major Turkish news-papers, on broadcast television, and beforereligious and civic leaders.

The relationship Krikor and Maria havecultivated with believers throughout theworld has been a mutual blessing. Locally,the Gedik Pasha church has become part ofthe network of Christian churches in thecountry and has served the Lord Jesusthrough its social and spiritual outreach. Atthe same time, Krikor has benefited fromstudies at the Protestant “Bythinia” BibleInstitute, set up by the American Board inIstanbul, in which men and women from avariety of churches completed a short courseof study over a few years. Those fraternalrelations have extended beyond the localscene to include active participation in the

UAECNE and the work of the AMAA.The day of ordination was truly a day of

blessing. Songs of praise and worship inArmenian and Turkish resounded in the his-toric sanctuary, beautiful not only becauseof the recent renovations, but especially be-cause of the unity expressed. Race, age andculture took a back seat to the Lord Jesus,who unites us. The barriers of time and dis-tance were also broken down, as HrantGuzelyan, the eldest member of the Church,now living in France, rejoiced with the newmembers at God’s faithfulness in bringinglife and hope to what was, twenty years ago,a “hopeless cause.” And so as to remind usof his mysterious ways, God led a young Ar-menian man past the church doors during theordination service—a man who had been ayouth under the care of Hrant in the YouthHome (Badanegan Doon) ministry of theGedik Pasha church. Upon hearing Armenianhymns being sung, he stepped in and wasshocked to see his mentor there, so many yearslater. The seed of God’s Word is scattered,and does not return to him empty, but doeswhat he intends it to do! (Isaiah 55.10-11)

And so, the gathering of six ArmenianEvangelical and two western Protestant clergyon that day, along with over 400 worshippersfrom East and West for the ordination ser-vice and laying on of hands was merely a joy-ful affirmation of what God has already beendoing in and through Krikor Agabaloglu. Thepresident of the Union of Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in the Near East, the Rev.Megerdich Karagoezian, conducted the ser-vice, which was nothing short of an offeringof heartfelt thanks to God for his power, hisgoodness, and his faithfulness.G


The Armenia Summer Camp and Christ-mas Committee of the Armenian Mis-

sionary Association of America (AMAA) isproud to present a CD recording of “A ViolaRecital” featuring Gor Hovhanissyan, thegifted violist from Armenia, and the inter-nationally acclaimed pianist, GaryFitzpatrick. The recital was recorded liveon May 5, 2002, and is now available to thepublic for $15.00 per copy. The proceedsfrom the sale of these CDs will be used forAMAA’s Summer Camp projects in Armenia.

The recording features a beautiful vari-ety of pieces ranging from an early Roman-tic sonata of Schubert through the later Ro-mantic sonata of Brahms to the 20th Cen-tury pieces of Max Reger and DariusMilhaud. In addition, the recording boastsof four Armenian pieces by Bagdasarian andGomidas, arranged for viola and piano, andplayed with passion, pathos and elegance.

A Viola Recital - A New CD Released by AMAA's

They are Nocturne by Bagdasarian, andthree pieces by Gomidas- Dzirani Dzar,Keler Tsoler, and Groung.

The Sonata in E-flat major finds Brahmsin a relaxed mood, with the first movementgiving the soloist a beautiful singing tune.The second movement has passion anddrama, and the third movement gives wayto a gorgeous melody. Originally conceivedfor the clarinet and piano, and arranged forthe violin and piano by the composer, theviola version has become one of the crownjewels in the violist’s repertoire.

The Quatre Visages of Darius Milhaud,written in 1943, are representations in mu-sic of four different kinds of girls, from Cali-fornia, Wisconsin, Brussels, and Paris. Theseare a delightful group of movements writ-ten by a prolific composer who was a mem-ber of the diverse group of French compos-ers known as Les Six.

by Ani Chalemian

Please forward -------- CD's @ US $15.00 each for a total of US $-------------

Name -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address ----------------------------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Make checks payable to AMAA in U.S. Dollars)

Accordingto the GroveConcise Dic-tionary ofMusic Max“Reger isconsidered by many to be the most impor-tant composer to elaborate on the stylistictraits of Johannes Brahms and move Germanmusic into the twentieth century.” His stylein the Suite in D Major for Viola Solo is densewith counterpoint, with fast modulationswhich lead to an atonal feeling, although hismusic remains strictly tonal in its harmonicdirection. He was a firm supporter of ‘abso-lute’ music and saw himself in a traditiongoing back to Bach, through Beethoven,Schumann and Brahms. The four move-ments are written without piano accompa-niment and are beautifully played by Mr.Hovhannisyan.

The Schubert Sonata for Viola and Pianoin A Minor “Arpeggione”, was written for anewly devised and soon obsolete stringedinstrument, the Arpeggione. It now providesadditional repertoire for the cello or viola.The partnership between violist and pianistare excellent. There is just the right give andtake and a beautiful lyricism expressed inthis delightful sonata.

It is with great joy and pride that we areoffering this beautiful recording. Please usethe attached coupon for orders.G

N E W S & N O T E S

Armenia Summer Camp/Christmas Committee

This Just In …

With sadness of heart, yet thankfulness for a lifetime of ministry to the gospel of Jesus Christ, we haveheard of the passing away of the Rev. Yura Avanessian, on Wednesday, February 19, 2003. Rev.Avanessian was the pastor of The Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church of Yerevan, President of theUnion of Evangelical Churches in Armenia, and member of a number of important organizations andcommittees. Rev. Avanessian had recently experienced a serious accidental fall resulting in severalbodily injuries, which, though treated immediately, ultimately resulted in his death. His funeral servicestook place on Friday, February 21, followed by a committal service on Saturday, February 22, 2003.

On behalf of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, we express our heartfelt condolences toMrs. Nadia Avanessian and her children, as well as to the Armenian Evangelical Baptist Church Familyin Armenia. A more detailed eulogy of Rev. Avanessian will appear in the next issue of the AMAA News.


A R M E N I A

A Special Christmas Party In Armenia

Belle Ashodian of California is a Chris-tian lady with a heart full of love. A

heart that cares, hurts for the hurting andreaches out.

Several years ago, Mrs. Ashodian wasdeeply moved by the suffering of the manyneedy families in Armenia. She had to dosomething.

She called the Armenian Missionary As-sociation of America (AMAA) and, with tearsin her eyes, offered to sponsor 20 families, pro-viding for their needs regularly on monthlybasis. She gradually increased the number offamilies to 250. This is in addition to the manychildren she sponsors through AMAA’s ChildSponsorship Program.

Mrs. Ashodian is not a passive donor. Shetakes interest in the families she supports,frequently calling them or our office to in-quire about their well being.

Realizing that these needy families can-not afford the holiday table that many take

unique beauty.I had many feelings driving through

Karabagh. I remembered how closely I fol-lowed the war in the news. How sad I waswhen in 1993 I learned that Monte “Avo”Melkonian “Marduni Commander” waskilled. Monte Melkonian grew up in the SanJoaquin Valley and was my age to the year.I remember how happy I was when I heardof the capture of Shoushi and Kelbajar. NowI was going to Stepanagert to observe andhopefully help in the future in the spreadingof the word of Christ.

When we arrived in Stepanagert we wentstraight to the AMAA center and met withArsen, AMAA Representative in Karabagh,who had lived through the almost 4 yearbombing siege of Stepanagert and describedhow they had lived underground for almostthe whole time and how at night when thebombing would let up they would go out andlook for food.

The effects of this bombing are still seentoday. Even though the streets have beencompletely repaired many buildings still

for granted, Mrs. Ashodian once again thisyear sponsored two Christmas parties, onein Yerevan and another one in Gumri, onJanuary 10, and 12 respectively.

135 individuals participated in these parties.They were served traditional Armenian holi-day meals, fruits, and dessert. Most importantthough, they had a great time of fellowship,worship and thanksgiving.They sang, prayed, testified toGod’s loving care, andthanked God for His manyblessings. They were all verygrateful to Mrs. Ashodianwhose caring heart, expressedthrough her generous support,enables them to carry on inthese very hard times.

The AMAA is grateful toGod and is fortunate to havea friend and a faithful sup-porter in Mrs. Ashodian.

carry the scars of those bombings. I alsohad a chance to go to Shoushi the ancientArmenian city with the famous and beauti-ful white marble Armenian Church. Shushiprior to the war was inhabited by 50,000people who were mostly Azeris but duringthe war all the Azeris left leaving Shushimostly depopulated. Today there are lessthan 4,000 people living in Shushi and thecity is in much worse condition thanStepanagert.

Later that day we participated in theAMAA Christmas program and it was greatand really clever. One thing is for sure thehyes sure know how to put on a Christmasshow. After the show the children weregiven gifts from the AMAA Christmas forArmenia. The children who received thegifts were the poorest of the children inStepanagert.

We returned to Yerevan January 9th tiredbut I was very much inspired by the workthe AMAA is doing in Armenia. The AMAAis doing a wonderful job in Armenia. Anyresources they receive are being put to very

good use in spreading the word of God. Iwas very impressed by the dedication of thewhole staff.

But as great a job as the AMAA is doing;the work of spreading the Good News is toogreat for any one Christian group or Chris-tian Church to handle. That is why it is en-couraging to see better and better relation-ships between the Armenian ApostolicChurch and the AMAA. We, as ArmenianChristians, whether Apostolic or Evangeli-cal, all have the same goals of spreading theGood News and promoting and teaching ourArmenian Christian history and culture inArmenia.

It is interesting that many Armenian Evan-gelical Churches in America have forgottenabout teaching our Armenian Christian his-tory and culture but this has not been for-gotten by the Armenian Evangelicals in Ar-menia. It is through the teaching of this his-tory and culture that we as Armenians knowwhat we have suffered in the name of Christand how Christ has blessed our people aswell.G

(PILGRIMAGE TO ARMENIA...Cont'd from page 5)

Her caring andloving heartbrings joy tothe hearts ofhundreds ofpeople in ourhomeland, Ar-menia. G


On Saturday, February 15, the ArmenianChildren’s Milk Fund and “2Mayrer”

presented a fun-filled event for the wholefamily at the National Heritage Museum inLexington, Massachusetts. 2Mayrer’s NvairBeylerian and Diane Haroutounian per-formed favorite children’s songs in Arme-nian to an enthusiastic crowd of more than300 people. Young members of the audiencewere encouraged to participate by dancing,singing and marching along. They werejoined by 2Mayrer’s silly friend, Eshleeg-Meshleeg the donkey. 2Mayrer, who re-leased their first CD in 2002, describe theirmusic as “songs from yesterday, which wesing today, while preparing our children fortomorrow”.

Following the concert, attendees weretreated to a variety of activities, including aclown, face-painting, “Big Al” and his crazyballoon creations, and delicious treats pro-vided by Barnstormer’s Restaurant, GailSelian, and Gary’s Gourmet Chocolates.Adding to the magic of the evening was aspecial performance by noted musicians KenKalajian, Leon Janigian, and Peter, Matthewand Nick Kyvelos, who kept attendees’ toestapping and happily provided hands-on dem-

Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Presents An Evening Of Family Fun

onstrations of their instruments to the chil-dren.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Ar-menian Children’s Milk Fund, which hasbeen providing infant formula to needy chil-

dren in Armenia for more than thirteen years.Through the fundraising efforts of its vol-

unteers, the Milk Fund has helped thousandsof Armenian children get a healthy start inlife.G

AMAA JAMES G. JAMESONESSAY CONTEST OPEN TO HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS

The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) has announced it will once againsponsor the James G. Jameson Essay Contest. Topics should touch upon some aspect of Armenianheritage such as religion, literature, language, history, culture, geography, economy or history. Awardswill be made in two categories: High School contestants and College/University contestants. Thedeadline for entries is June 15, 2003.

All Armenian or part-Armenian students are eligible. Only unpublished entries will be accepted. Thewinner in each category will be awarded $250.00, provided from the income of a special fund estab-lished by Mr. & Mrs. James G. Jameson of Brookline, MA.

The essays should be written in English and have a length of 1,000 to 2,000 words. A contestant isallowed no more than one entry per year, and no more than one member of a family may receive anaward in a five-year period. If no submitted essay is considered sufficiently meritorious, no award will begranted that year.

Entries and/or inquiries should be directed to:AMAA - James G. Jameson Essay Contest

31 West Century RoadParamus, NJ 07652

N E W S & N O T E S

Belle Ashodian


A R M E N I A

My wife Rosie and I had the opportu-nity to travel to Armenia in late De-

cember 2002 to visit some of the ArmenianMissionary Association of America(AMAA) churches and fellowships. It wasa wonderful experience to see first hand thegreat work the AMAA is doing in Armeniato spread the Gospel.

We landed at Zvartnots airport on Decem-ber 28th at 1:00 am. The outside tempera-ture when we landed was approximatelyminus 15 degrees.

After a few hours of sleep, HaroutNercessian, AMAA Deputy Representativein Armenia picked us up at the Ani PlazaHotel for our first appointment at theNubarashen Boarding School #1 for SpecialEducation in Yerevan. At this School theAMAA has started a Christian Educationministry. Also my home church, First Ar-menian Presbyterian Church of Fresno Cali-fornia (FAPC), raised $700 through its va-cation bible school for the purchase of newathletic shoes for the orphans of Nubarashen.

After spending a few days in Yerevan,Harout and myself made our way to Talin tosee the children’s Christmas program by thechildren of the Evangelical Church of Ar-menia in Talin. Regardless of the sub-zerotemperature, as enthusiastic as were the per-formers, the over 300 children and parentsin the auditorium were just as enthusiasticand very attentive. At the end of the pro-gram gifts from the “AMAA Christmas inArmenia” were distributed to the children.

The AMAA was invited to work in Talinby the former Mayor of the city and has es-tablished a church and various ChristianEducation and humanitarian programs. ThePastor of the church is Armen Mickaelian.

The Evangelical Church of Armenia inTalin has about 120 people attending Sundayworship service and about 100 young peopleattending its Christian Education program.They have also started a soccer ministry.

On January 1st Harout, Rosie and I visited3 evangelical families. In Armenia it is atradition that from Jan 1st to Jan 3rd everyhome sets out a table and people visit eachother. Rosie, Harout and I were visiting un-

til late that night on Jan.1st. It was fun and veryinteresting. In Arme-nia, during winter onlyone room is heated inmost homes, so all ac-tivities from eating tosleeping take place inthat one room. Buteven in these conditionsthe people we visitedwere very cheerful es-pecially since they werehaving guests fromAmerica.

A highlight of the tripwas traveling to Talinagain on January 5thChristmas Eve to par-ticipate in the worshipservice at Talin church.The service and sermonby Badveli ArmenMichaelian was veryspiritual and the singingby the choir and theworshippers was reallyinspirational.

After the service Iwent to Badveli Michaelian’s relative’shome to break bread and have fellowship.We also discussed the possibility of FAPCestablishing a sister church relationship withTalin. I am happy to report that our churchFAPC has agreed to enter into a sister churchrelationship with the AMAA church in Talin.

On January 7th Harout and myself left on a 3day trip to visit the AMAA churches in Gorisand Stepanagerd (Karabagh). Going toStepanagert has been a dream of mine for years.

Goris is in southern Armenia and is a 4hour drive from Yerevan. The drive is veryscenic and on our trip we were blessed withgreat views of Ararat. Goris is one of themain cities of the Sunik Region, a very pic-turesque city with houses built on the sideof hills. It is famous for having one of thelargest above sea level coral reefs. Thepeople are poor like the rest of Armenia.

Goris also has a very active AMAA min-

istry and center where Harout and I spent 2nights. Unfortunately the water pipes hadburst due to the cold so we didn’t have anyrunning water but that didn’t stop us fromenjoying ourselves. We arrived there for theAMAA Christmas program. The highlightthough came when Santa Claus came to passthe gifts out to the children. It made me feelgood to know that our church FAPC hadplayed a role in providing these gifts for thechildren.

After spending the night in Goris we setout for Karabagh, the place where so muchrecent Armenian history has happened.

Karabagh is stark and stunning in itsbeauty. Fortunately for us the weather wasclear and we saw Karabagh in all its majes-tic beauty. It is a mountainous country. Acountry of many colors and shades. A coun-try, that must be seen to fully appreciate its

By Bryan Bedrossian

Children of Nubarashen, with shoes donated by funds raisedfrom the First Armenian Presbyterian Church in Fresno Va-cation Bible School (above). Pastor Armen Mikaelian (sitting)and Family with Bryan Bedrosian (standing).

My Pilgrimage To Armenia

(Cont'd on the following page)



W;r1 Parg;u N1 Taragy;an

J;r;us ,at;r piti na.entrhin or ja[oua6mnar |isous orphsxi ga\jak[ouj;an4 wiya-

banouj;an4 ;u bavanoumi gonh mhk kht kampatrouak pakas ellar astoua6abann;rou4;k;[;zin;rou ;u a\sphs kocoua6 fauataz;aln;roumi=;u! O#c-fauataz;al mard;rou famar kar6;s chrbau;r |isouse3 auandouj;an yambow3 9Astou6o\Ordi04 9M;sia04 kam3 9Astoua6a\a\tnoujiun0 endou-nile ;u f5cak;le4 ou takauin3 fauatali kam anfa-uatali fra,qn;r w;ragr;le Ir;n4 ou afa phtq hrna;u endounhin 9m;5a604 9ja[oua604 ou 9;r;q 7r;tq \aroujiun a5a60 ellalou 9a5asp;l0e! |at-kan,akan h4 saka\n4 or Qristosi \aroujiunn hr orwy5akan d;r oun;zau |isousi a,ak;rtn;rounfamar3 wka\;lou |isousi Thr ;u "rkic4 incphs na;uAstou6o\ Ordi ;u Astoua6 ellale! Qristosi\aroujiunn hr or bnoro,;z |isousi astoua6a\in6agoum oun;nale4 inc or f;t;uanqn hr Sourb Fogiinn;rgor6ouj;an3 or fimnowin \;[a,r=;z a,ak;rt-n;roun fauatqe3 Naxowr;zi |isousin nkatmamb!|isousi kra6 carcaranqe .acin wra\4 anor mafe;u \aroujiune omanz famar ke jouin ellal w;r=inarare Naxowr;ziin k;anqin4 saka\n4 Anor a,a-k;rtn;roun4 incphs na;u m;xi famar3 Qristonhakanfauatqi na.;rganqe ke kaxm;n a\d dhpq;re! <atn,anakaliz h P7[os A5aq;ali wka\oujiune a\smasin4 9:jh Qristos \aroujiun a5a6 ch4 our;mnm;r qaroxoujiune (au;tarane) parap h ou ];rfauatqn al parap h0 (A1 Kornj1 ÉÍ1 ÉÌ)!

In6i a\nphs ke joui3 jh m;nq jaqoun end-dimoujiun me ouninq \arouz;al |isous Qristosinkatmamb! |arouj;an t7nin a5ijow k3o[=oun;nqxirar 9Qristos \ar;au i m;5;loz0 \ank;rgekrkn;low tarouh-tari! :k;[;zii b;m;rhn al kelsouin p;rya.7s qaroxn;r oronq ;rb;mn P[ato-nakan fogii anmafoujiunow4 ;u kam fog;kan4 baro-\akan ou axga\in arvhqn;rou \au;rvazoumowk3;xra'akouin! Ardar;u4 |isousi ;rkra\in k;anqe4katara6 fra,qn;rn ou n,ann;re4 anor sqanc;liousouzoumn;re4 no\nisk o[b;rgakan mafe k*endouninqm;rj fiazoumow4 ou m;rj a'sosanqow! Saka\n4a\d bolore go\ouj;nakan farz c;n da5nar4 ou wnasc;n faszn;r m;xi1 o#c al ke .angar;n m;r fangiste!Mius ko[mhn4 y,martaphs \arouz;al Qristos meoun;nale iraphs .5owq ke patya5h m;xi m;ram;n7r;a\ k;anqin4 mtqin4 srtin4 ;u xba[oumn;rounmh=4 ou \stak dirqoro,oum ke pafan=h m;xmh!Mo5nalow4 kam ant;s;low |isousi 'a5auor\arouj;an matouza6 ,norfqe4 ou \auit;nakan

k;anqi \o\se4 m;nq an-fangist ke xganq |a-ro uz;ale m;r ,our=eoun;nalou fauanaka-noujiunow4 ou asika3 Wiq-jor Fiuko\i Van Walvanin(wa[;mi datapart;alme) nman3 or ostika-nap;t Vaw;rin acq;ret;uaphs s;u;5oua6 kexgar ir wra\3 ou Van Wal-van cfangstazau minc;uor Vaw;r an]naspan ellalow m;5au!

Ke patmoui jh m;5a6 mard me \ankar6 kew;rak;ndanana\4 ou ke sksi faroua6;l daga[inka'arice! Daga[e ke bazoui ou marde pi, pi, kena\i daga[e kro[n;roun1 9:s c;@m m;5a604 ke b[auhmarde! Anor ba5;re k*endounouin lou5 tara-kousanqow! W;r=aphs4 daga[in f;t;uo[ sgakirn;rhnmhke ke patas.anh4 9Bar;kam4 bvi,kn;re ;upatou;lin fastat;zin qou m;5a6 ellald4 our;mn4doun m;5a6 ;s m;xi famar0! Ou ke katarouimardoun ja[man part ou pat,ay araro[oujiune!Fauanabar sgakirn;re ja[;zin marde4 orphsxiir;nz k;anqe au;li f;,t enjanar4 ou gi,;row au;lifangist qnana\in111!

Kaska6 cka\ or ,at mard;r a\s7r al anfan-gist ke xgan ir;nq xir;nq3 |isousi \aroujiun a5a6ellalou iro[oujiunow! A\spisin;r j;r;us ke wa.nanir;nz oun;za6 kr7nakan kam ;k;[;zakan f;[ina-kouj;an wra\ or bnakanabar piti ns;mana\|arouz;al Qristosi n;rka\ouj;an mh=! Omanq kemtafogouin ir;nz oun;za6 mtauorakani4 kamastoua6abani fambauow xor krnan korsnzn;l ;jhwka\;n Qristosi marmnauor \aroujiune! Ouri,n;rfauatqi ankar;li ;u anendoun;li martafrauhrime dimaze ke gtn;n ir;nq xir;nq ou t;[i koutann;rqin ou artaqin yn,oumn;roun! Ou takauin4 ,at;r];rbaxatoua6 ke xgan ir;nq xir;nq |isousi 'o.an-za6 au;tarancakan ou enk;ra\in 7gnouj;an a5aq;-loujiunhn4 a\sinqn4 9a,ak;rt;lou a,.arfe4 ;u mkrt;-lou xanonq04 ou manauand3 9a[qatn;roun au;taraneqarox;lou4 kotra6 sirt oun;zo[n;re bv,k;lou4g;rin;roun axatoujiun talou4 ko\r;roun3 t;soujiun4;u farstafar;aln;roun axatoujiun0 f5cak;lou!Anonz famar au;li npataka\armar ke da5na\ m;5a6|isous me qan3 \arouz;al ou k;ndani Qristos me!

~hotor Tosjo\;usqi3 ir glou.-gor6oz 9Qara-maxow :[ba\rn;re0 whpin mh= sqanc;li k;rpow ke

|AROUZ:AL QRISTOSE ENDOUN:LI2 H M:XI FAMAR


A R M E N I A

AMAA Sheen "Shoghig" Camp In Armenia

To many of us adults and young adults,the experience of attending a Christian

summer camp has left an indelible impres-sion on our spiritual life and the way wevalue today a similar experience for our chil-dren and grandchildren! Youthful experi-ences that have shaped our Christian char-acter, whether in Sunday School, Daily Va-cation Bible School or at a Church Camp,often evoke nostalgic feelings and positivereminiscences of events that have shapedand encouraged the commitment of our lifeto Christ.

I believe it is this common and prevalentassessment of a Christian camp experienceamong Armenian Evangelicals that hasshaped AMAA’s traditional emphasis onyouth camps as one of the lynchpins of ourmission endeavors, whether it is in theDiaspora or in Armenia and Karabagh to-day! For the last decade, literally thousandsof children and youth have been granted theprivilege to attend a Christian Camp in Ar-menia or Karabagh, and to experience thehealthy and invigorating physical, social andspiritual atmosphere that is bound to shapeone’s faith or initiate one’s faith journey.AMAA leaders, past and present, whosespiritual lives have been shaped and nurturedin similar experiences, have greatly valuedthis means of evangelism and have, at timesat great personal sacrifice and commitment,promoted, facilitated and supported similarexperiences for today’s youth. The experi-ence has proven even more beneficial and

vital to youth who have beendeprived of a healthy Christianatmosphere at home or atschool.

Each summer, our missionrepresentatives in Armeniahave organized and offeredsummer camp programs in thenorth and central Armenia, aswell as in Karabagh. In mostinstances, especially in Arme-nia, camp facilities have beenrented for five weeks duringsummer to provide an ad-equate environment for aChristian Camp. In the past year or so, how-ever, an opportunity was presented to us topurchase a campsite of our own inHankavan, a bit north of central Armenia,where in time we can develop a model camp-site to benefit thousands of disadvantagedchildren and youth with the wholesome ex-perience of a Christian Camp.

Following an extensive search for a bene-factor who would finance the purchase ofsuch a camp, the Spirit guided us to Dr. andMrs. Jack Sheen, whose ready and whole-hearted endorsement to use the Sheen Fam-ily endowment funds for this noble purposehas made our dream come true. Thanks tothe availability of those funds, first estab-lished by John and Victoria Sheen, the lateparents of Dr. Jack Sheen, the HankavanCamp has been recently purchased by theAMAA and named “Armenian Missionary

Association Sheen ‘Shoghig’ Camp.” Theword “Shoghig”, meaning a little light beamin Armenian, indicates that this camp is forchildren and youth. Restoration and refur-bishing of this twelve acre camp will beginthis Spring to make the camp partially readyfor use this summer, and will continue forthe next two years to bring the whole cam-pus and buildings to a level that will reflectthe high standards of the AMAA.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Dr. andMrs. Jack and Anitra Sheen for their gener-ous gesture, and for their wise investmentfor the healthy spiritual future of our chil-dren and youth in Armenia. May the Lordrichly bless them and the memory of theirparents, and inspire others to emulate theirwise and loving spirit to turn the hearts andminds of our youth in Armenia to the Christof their historic faith!G

Dr. & Mrs. Jack and Anitra Sheen.



};5nadroujiun Isjanpouli Mh=

D;kt;mb;r É4 ÊÈÈÊ4 Kiraki khs7rh ;tq 4Khtik'a,a\i (Isjanpoul) Fa\ Au;taranakan:k;[;ziin mh= M;r]auor Ar;u;lqi Fa\ Au;ta-ranakan :k;[;zin;rou Miouj;an ;u Khtik'a,a\iFa\ Au;taranakan :k;[;zii miat;[ na.a];5-nouj;amb katarou;zau ];5nadrouj;an pa,ta-mounq me masnakzouj;amb artasafmanhn vama-naza6 au;taranakan fowiun;rou ;u patgama-uorn;rou!

Isjanpouli bnakicn;rhn Grigor A[apal7[lou4or ardhn \a\tni dhmq men h Isjanpouli enk;ra\in;u fa\ vo[owourdi farz;rou masin ir oun;za6;lo\jn;row ;u f;5at;sili farzaxro\zn;row4 ];5-nadrou;zau ;u pa,t7naphs sksau orphs fowiu 6a5a-\;l Khtik'a,a\i Fa\ Au;taranakan :k;[;ziin!

Au;li qan ËÈÈ fogin;rou n;rka\ouj;amb tpa-uoric pa,tamounq men hr4 orou enjazqin miasnakana[7jqn;row a,.arfi xanaxan ko[m;rhn vamanaza6fog;uorakann;r4 ir;nz ];5qe dn;low GrigorA[apal7[loui gl.oun wra\4 katar;zin anor];5nadroujiune! Enj;rzoumn;row4 ;rg;row ;u

qaroxn;row pa,ta-mounqin masnak-z;zan W;r1 N,anPaggal;an4 W;r1:oush` Yappour ;uTiar Frand Kiuxhl-;an! M;r]auor Ar;-u;lqi Fa\ Au;tara-nakan :k;[;zin;rouMiouj;an oro,oumekardazou;zau W;r1Mkrtic Garakh7x-;ani ko[mh! };5nad-rouj;nhn ;tq ;[anfa\;rhn a[7jqn;r! W;r1 Alhn MhqQh\n .ra-takann;r touau noren6a\ w;rapatou;liin!Pa,tamounqe ,arounakou;zau ;rg;zo[oujiunn;row;u W;r1 S;rob Mkrtic;ani .7sq;row!

};5nadrouj;an pa,tamounqe auart;zau W;r1Grigor A[apal7[loui gofabanakan a[7jqow!G

(qa[oua6 Isjanpouli Marmara &raj;rjhn)

patk;raznh mardka\in jaqoun kam akn\a\t t;nce3|isouse \auht m;5a6 famar;lou4 ou a\s paraga\in3Qriston;a\ :k;[;ziin ou anor mhk i,.anauorinko[mh! A,.araf5cak a\s whpin 9M;6 Fauataqnnice0fatoua6in mh=3 Tosjo\;usqi ke n;rka\aznhQaramaxow ;[ba\rn;roun ;rizago\ne4 Iwane4 or irmhk banast;[6ouj;an mh= dhm a5 dhm ke b;rh|arouz;al |isouse3 Mi=in Dar;rhn w;rzoua6Kartinali me f;t or Spanio\ S;wi\l qa[aqint.raf5cak M;6 Fauataqnnicn hr! Anor mhk .7sqinwra\ fariurauor 9f;r;tikos0n;r ke frkixouhinziz;rou wra\! Iwan ke =atagowh Kartinalin j;xise3jh |isous s.al era6 hr m;rv;low Satana\inn;rka\azouza6 ;r;q a5a=arkn;re ;rb m;r Thre9anapat0e a5an]naza63 ke mta6hr Astou6o\'rkouj;an 6ragirin ou xa\n gor6adr;lou ;[anakin,our=! Satanan k3a5a=arkhr or |isous dimhr5axmawarakan ;r;q mi=ozn;rou3 ;jh k3ouxhr a,.arfeiraphs 'rk;l4 a\sinqn3 faz tal vo[owourdin4fra,qn;r katar;l4 ;u ;njarkouil Satana\ini,.anouj;an! M;6 Fauataqnnice3 imanalow or |isousw;radar]a6 hr a,.arf ou ke ,r=hr qa[aqin mh=4 ;ubv,koujiun ou bariq ke s'5hr vo[owourdin .onarfdasakargin mh=3 ];rbakal;l kouta\ xa\n4 ou apake bantarkh! Fauataqnnice gi,;row k3a\z;lh |isousebantin mh= ;u .st7rhn ke k,tambh xa\n3 es;low49Inco2u ;kar krkin111irauounq counis galou4 ou m;rgor6e .angar;lou111piti datapart;m q;x ibr;u

f;r;tikos ou wa[e zizi wra\ a\r;l piti tam q;x!Anonq oronq qou otq;rd fambour;zin a\s7r4 im mhk.7sqis wra\ a6ou. piti dix;n zizin n;rq;u1110! M;6Fauataqnnice4 saka\n4 ke 'o.h mitqe4 ou bantindou5e ke bana\1 9Gna#4 ou angamn al mi gar1110 keframa\h! |isous4 or minc;u a\d lou5 mtik k3enhr4 kem7t;na\ Fauataqnnicin4 ou ke fambourh xa\n1110!

M;nq iraphs patra2st ;nq endoun;lou Thr|isousin \aroujiun a5a6 ellalou iro[oujiune!Ard;7q auandakan ou bar;pa,takan t72n men hor ke katar;nq! J;r;us k3oux;nq ,r=anz;l |isousi\arouj;an dhpqe3 tarb;r m;knabanoujiunn;r en;low3orphsxi |arouz;al Thre m;x anfangist cenh4 oucqandh m;r an]nakan 6ragirn;re! Saka\n4 m;nq kemo5nanq - kam3 mo5nal k3oux;nq - jh |arouz;alQristos |isouse 9,norfqi wra\ ,norfq0 ke b;rhm;xi4 ou k3o[=ounh m;x 9>a[a[oujiun ];xi0 es;low4orphsxi .a[a[;znh tarakousanqow 'ojorko[ m;rfogin;re! S;[an ke bana\ mhr a5=;ue3 incphs erauir a,ak;rtn;roun3 \aroujiun a5n;lh ;tq4 orphsxim;x k;rakrh! Ou takauin4 wstafoujiun ke n;r,nchm;xi3 jh takauin ke sirh m;x3 faka5ak m;rj;rafauatouj;an ;u ourazoumin! Saka\n am;nhnxarmanalin a\n h or m;xi phs 9anpitan06a5an;roun - P;trosin 7rinakow - ke wstafiam;nhn pitani ou m;6 a5aq;loujiun me1 9Ara6h#im ga5noukn;rs111Ara6h# im oc.arn;rs!0 9Afa amhn7r ;s ];xi f;t ;m3 minc;u a,.arfis w;r=e!0G


Armenian Children EnjoyingChristmas Hope And Cheer

A R M E N I A

by Harout Nercessian

The Armenian Missionary Associationin Armenia (AMAA) continues its tra-

dition of bringing Christmas joy to tens ofthousands of children and their parentsthroughout Armenia and Karabagh.

During the months of December and Janu-ary, over 20,000 children and their parentsattended the 64 Christmas programs held at54 locations throughout Armenia andKarabagh. 16,000 Christmas presents weredistributed to needy children during theseprograms. Each child received a gift bagcontaining candies, fairy tale literature and“Shoghig”, AMAA’s children's quarterly.

The Christmas programs feature dramas,puppet shows, songs, dance, clowns, SantaClaus and much more. The value of theseprograms however extends beyond the can-dies and the one hour fun that the childrenenjoy. Most of the children are materiallydeprived and are delighted at the thought ofsinking their teeth in the chocolate bars, yetthey learn that Christmas has much morethan taste bud pleasure to offer.

AMAA Christmas programs educate thechildren and their parents on the meaningand message of Christmas. In many loca-tions, this is done through dramas, puppetshows, and songs. They hear of Jesus Christ,God’s great gift to mankind. They learnabout sharing, trusting God and being happyby loving one another.

Furthermore, these programs expose thechildren to the performing arts, culturallyenriching them. Due to financial consider-ations, most would not even consider attend-ing such cultural events.

The “Shoghig” quarterly is a 20-page colorpublication featuring Christmas articles, sto-ries, games and puzzles for children, teach-ing them about the meaning and message ofChristmas. Furthermore, it educates them onArmenian national values and our culturalheritage. Shoghik is the only children’s pub-lication of its kind in Armenia.

In the city of Kapan, Southern Armenia,many approached AMAA staff asking forthe Shoghik quarterly. They said, “we arenot asking for the candies, we wantShoghiks”. These people wanted to hear

about God’s love.In Yerevan,

3,500 children andparents watchedthe drama entitled“chaos at night”.Many in the audi-ence were shed-ding tears as they watched a self-centeredleader change into a caring person after be-ing touched by God on Christmas eve. Thedrama was shown five times to packed au-diences at the prestigious Hagop Baroniantheater.

The blessings of these programs extendbeyond the audience. The performers arechildren who participate in AMAA’s vari-ous children’s programs such as dramagroups, choirs, and Bible classes. The ac-tors and the performers themselves aregreatly blessed as they use their God giventalents to share God’s love with others. Manyare touched by the dramas that they act.

In many towns and villages, the AMAAprogram is the only Christmas activity intown. Shiragamood (formerly Nalbant) is asmall village 10Km West of Spitak. It wasthe very epicenter of the 1988 earthquake.The entire village was destroyed. Here, over300 children and adults (over 10% of thepopulation) attended AMAA’s Christmasprogram. Most came to receive their onlyChristmas gift. Yet, they went home withmore than candy bars and fairy tale books.

The Noubarashen School of Special Edu-cation houses boys that need special supervi-sion. They are either orphans or have parentsthat cannot raise them. Many are sent to thisschool because of petty crimes they havecommitted. AMAA has an ongoing ChristianEducation program for these boys. TheChristmas program at this school was orga-nized by the boys themselves, with assistancefrom their teachers and AMAA volunteers.They performed Christmas songs, recitedpoetry, and acted out humorous dramas andsketches. The teachers and AMAA volunteersin the audience laughed and cried, as theysaw the fruit of their labor. Instead of think-ing mischief, these boys were performing on

stage, using their talents for God’s glory. Eachof the 80 students of the school received apair of brand new shoes, purchased by theAMAA with donations from the First Arme-nian Presbyterian Church of Fresno.

Hundreds of winter hats and scarfs, knit-ted by caring ladies in New Jersey, weregifted to needy children of Armenia. Thesebeautiful gifts brought warmth to the bod-ies and spirits of these children during thisvery cold winter.

At the request of Mr. AnoushavanDanielian, Prime Minister of the Republicof Karabagh, AMAA and the Artsakh Dio-cese of the Apostolic Church distributed10,000 gifts to all Karabagh pupils of Grade1 to 4. The project was jointly funded by theAMAA, Artsakh Diocese and the WorldCouncil of Churches Armenia RoundTable.G


The AMAA Board of Directors and staff wish to extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of the following deceasedfriends whose names were submitted to us for publication in the AMAA News.

* Aynilian, GeniaBeirut, Lebanon

* Chatalbash, TomSaddle Brook, NJ

* Ekmekji, NoubarLos Angeles, CA

* Elias, AstrigWatertown, MA

* Ghazarian, JirairMontreal, Canada

* Gostanian, RuthWarwick, RI

* Memorials were designated for AMAA.


* Hasserjian, MargaretManchaster, NH

* Hovnanian, WilhelminaThousand Oaks, CA

* Jerejian, ArsenParamus, NJNercessian, AvedisN. Hollywood, CA

* Ohanesian, Henriette* Ounanian, Zabel* Paraghamian, Helen

Belmont, MA

";trouar;an Mtoroum

W;r1 |owfannhs N1 Gary;an

* Saxenian, JohnDumont, NJ

* Soukiasian, VahanTenafly, NJTumberian, AlexanAnjar, LebanonVardanian, SamuelYerevan, Armenia

* Yeranian, AraxieSarasota, FL

Auara\r 1 1 1 ! Yakatamart4 fauatarmoujiun4fauatq4 ourazoum4 anmafoujiun4 matnoujiun4 Fa\:k;[;zi4 dau4 |isous Qristos4 =ard4 t7n4 pa,-tamounq4 cqm;[anq4 nafatakoujiun 1 1 1 !

A\s bolore4 fog ch3 fakasan ;u ankap4 ke \ouxhfa\ou fogin amhn ";trouarin4 ;rb fangaman7rhnke \i,oui Auara\ri ba.toro, yakatamarte!

9Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz0 kocoua6 ;k;[;-zakan t7ne ke parxh fauatqi ;u skxbounqi marde4na;u anskxbounq4 \;[\;[ouk pat;fapa,te! An3 orkaro[ h dirq paf;l ir fauatqin ou skxbounqn;rounpa,tpanouj;an famar4 ;u baro\akan snanke3 or4dhmq ke 'o.h fosanqi ouvgnouj;an famaca'4 kefakadrouin! :u farze ke xg;nou baro\akan oukr7nakan fangamanq4 fauatqi farz!

|atkan,akan h Wardananz Sgat7nin anoune1-9T7n Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz03 \ognaki! War-dann;rou t7nn h m;r axga\in kr7nakan t7ne! T7nexofoua6 ;u w;rapro[ martikn;rou! Sourb;ro#u 1 1 1!:[i,h patmicin fama]a\n4 9Wardann;re0 xof touinÉÈËÎ 9sourb;@r0! F;taga\ tarin;roun4 minc;u Nouar-saki da,nagire xof;rou ji2ue 1 1 1 ! Biurauor sourb;r!

9Srboz Wardananz X7rawaraz1 1 10! Our;mn mia\nWardanow ch4 or ke par6;nanq! Fapa Wardann;row4bolor xinakirn;row ou anxhnn;row4 anonzmow3 oronqmartnc;low paf;zin fauatqe! Ke par6;nanq na;uanxhn martikn;rou ,arq;row4 oronq3 mianalowfog;uor fowiu {;uond :rhz Wanand;ziin3 i=anAuara\r ;u4 Au;taranin patgamow ou fa[ordou-j;an .orfourdi matakararouj;amb4 pa\qar;zan

carin ou m;[qin dhm!M;srop Ma,tozi ;u

Safak Parj;ui a,ak;r-ta64 {;uond :rhz ke jo[ouaxga \in -;k;[;zakanpatmouj;an mh= pa\6a5f;tq me! Masnakza63 ;k;-[;zakan .orfrdavo[ow-n;rou4 oronz mh=3 ÌÌÌ joui <afapiuani kar;uor.orfrdavo[owe4 {;uond :rhz ;[a6 h fmout axga\infarz;rou4 ;u anonz a5ncoujiune fa\ vo[owourdinaxga\in-kr7nakan k;anqi a5o[=ouj;an f;t! Anfamoxoua6 hr4 or qristonhakan fauatqinpafpanoume anfrav;,t hr fa\ axga\in nkaragrina5an]na\atkouj;an pafpanoumin famar4 amhnxofo[ouj;an ginow! Auara\ri \a=ordo[ tarin;roun4Parskastani 9nouayo[akan qa[aqakanouj;an0 xofgaza6 h {;uond :rhz4 spannoua63 >orasan a,.arfinmh=4 Nouarsaki da,nagrhn tasn;ak me tarin;ra5a= 1 1 1 !

9Wardananz X7rawaraz0e \ognaki h! Carin dhmpa\qaro[ bolor martikn;re3 bolor dar;rou mh=3masnakiz ;n Auara\ri yakatamartin!

";trouar amise anbarba5 fa5acanqn;row fa\vo[owourdin ke \i,;znh yakatamarte4 or ouvgn7rhnke m[oui tarb;r ;rkirn;rou 9Auara\rn;roun0 mh=amhn tari 1 1 1 ! Ard;7q piti fasni2nq 9Nouar-sakn;rou0! O2ur ;n m;r Wardann;re!

{;uond :r;z4 Wardann;rou ko[qin4 ke .7si 1 1 1 !:rani@ lso[in!G


AMAA NEWS - A publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, Inc., 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652.Tel. (201) 265-2607; Fax (201) 265-6015; E-Mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.amaainc.org

E D I T O R I A L M E S S A G E

"Translating The Resurrection Into The Vernacular"

Rev. Jirair M. Sogomian

The lengthening days of Lent and our eager anticipation of Easter, remind us, once again, of the vital connectionbetween our mission and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mission is based on the resurrection of Jesus,for it was the risen Christ who gave, what we have called, the Great Commission, the marching orders to hisfollowers to “Go … teach, preach, baptize and make disciples.” Without the resurrection faith, our mission workbecomes pure benevolence, aware of the other’s physical needs but totally oblivious of human spiritual needs,without the satisfaction of which there is no hope for our broken world. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in thefifteenth chapter of his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of allpeople most to be pitied.”

Christian Mission participates in the power and realityof Christ’s resurrection, which has once and for all

defeated death. With every breath that expresses and pro-claims the Good News of the gospel – of God’s salvationof humankind through the life, work, suffering, death andresurrection of Jesus; with every deed of love that holdsdeath in abeyance; with every morsel of bread shared, shel-ter provided, healing administered to sustain physical lifeuntil it confesses the Lordship of Christ; mission revealsits partnership in the spread of the resurrection faith andsustains the hope of its ultimate victory!

Popular Christian theologian, C. S. Lewis, once saidthat if you can’t translate stuff into the vernacular, youeither don’t understand it or you don’t believe it. ThoughLewis might have referred to making the gospel under-standable by common folk, I believe that what he saidalso applies to translating the theoretical word into com-mon, everyday action that affects and shapes life. This iswhat John the evangelist says that God did. “And theWord became flesh and lived among us, and we haveseen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, fullof grace and truth.”

Mission is in partnership with God in making God’s loveconcrete in the world. It translates the gospel of Christ toflesh and blood, so that the common folk do not only hear“God so loved the world …” but also see, taste, and ex-perience that love in the rough and tumble of their dailylives … full of hatred, greed, prejudice, rejection and in-justice.

As you read these lines, if you are wondering who I amtalking about, allow me to gently help by reminding youthat I am talking about you! As a believer, you also havereceived your marching orders from the risen Christ, andyou have been challenged to participate in perpetuatinghis unique ministry, so beautifully expressed in the wordsof St. Francis of Assissi:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; wherethere is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury,pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is de-spair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and wherethere is sadness, joy.

“O Divine master, grant that I may not so much seekto be consoled as to console; to be understood as to un-derstand; to be loved, as to love: for it is in giving thatwe receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

As individual Christians, you and I are called to be posi-tive proof that the risen Christ is alive in us and through usin our world. We are called to show by our words anddeeds of love, by our struggle for justice and peace, and byour taking the risk in opposing any worldly power thatclaims the lordship of Christ, to bear witness that becauseChrist is risen, we are citizens of a new world, of God’snew world, already here yet fully anticipated in the full-ness of time! It is only with such a faith that we can greetone another with the words, “Christ is risen from thedead! Blessed is the resurrection of our Lord!” G


O B I T U A R I E S

Artemis Mirak

Artemis Mirak of Arlington, MA, passedaway on January 19, 2003. She was thebeloved wife of the late John Peter Mirak.She was the devoted mother of RobertMirak, Charles Mirak, Edward Mirak andhis wife Susan, and Muriel Weissbach andher husband Michael. She had 5 grandchil-dren, 4 great granddaughters, and severalnieces & nephews. Funeral Services wereheld at St. James Armenian Church, 465Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, on Wednesday,January 22 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers memorial gifts may bemade to The Orphans Fund of the Arme-nian Missionary Association of America,

Florence Sarkissian

Florence Sarkiss-ian passed awayDecember 3, 2002.

Florence wasborn in Lowell,MA., December13, 1910, thedaughter ofCharles and EstherHarpootlian. Sheexcelled in school and even skipped agrade. She had a career with the Common-wealth of Massachusetts.

After WWII Florence left Massachusettsto marry the love of her life, LeonSarkisian, and moved to Detroit to start afamily. She loved life and was happiest inher roles as a wonderful wife and helpmateand as a devoted mother and grandmother.

Florence is survived by daughters,Leanne Sarkisian and Zarie (William)Jones; grandchildren, Brittany Sarkisian,Jennifer and Kevin Jones, sister, BeatriceHarpootlian. She leaves this life to join herbeloved husband, parents, sister, Queenieand brother, Burgess.

Memorial Services were held Monday,December 9th, at the Miami Shores Pres-byterian Church, 602 N.E. 96th Street, Mi-ami Shores.

In lieu of flowers, donations were sentto Harpootlian Family Fund, ArmenianMissionary Association of America, 31West Century Road, Paramus, N.J. G

Samuel Der-Ghazarian

Samuel Der-Ghazarian was born on Janu-ary 24, 1925 in Hayneh, Turkey, son of Rev.Ghazar Der-Ghazarian and MariamSassounian. He comes from 23 generationsof Armenian priests (vartabeds and der-Hayrs), and 2 generations of Badvelis.

He moved to Aleppo, Syria with his fam-ily where he got his education. Then hemoved to Kamishli, Syria, where he be-came a teacher in an Armenian School. Hewas self-educated by reading many Arme-nian books throughout his life. He was veryintelligent, especially in Armenian gram-mar and Armenian History.

He was a proud Armenian. He loved Ar-menians very much and helped a lot of hisfriends and strangers who didn't know howto write Armenian, writing Armenian let-ters to their loved ones in Armenia.

He spoke 6 languages: Armenian, Ara-bic, English, French, Turkish and Kurdish.He was very much loved by the Armeniancommunity in Aleppo and in Kamishli. Hehelped many visiting pastors and preach-ers in Kamishli to visit Armenian commu-nities and families.

He learned from his father, Rev. Der-Ghazarian, good Christian faith and to givea helping hand to others. He was a veryloving, caring and humorous man.

Since his childhood, he had a dream tocome to the United States to join his 4 sis-ters who moved to the States when he was5 years old and in 1986 his dream was re-alized.

In 1993 he became disabled by falling inhis driveway. Ever since his accident, he wasnever able to heal because of his diabetes.He was relocated to a nursing home in1994because he needed intensive care.

Samuel died on November 28, 2002, onThanksgiving Day. He is survived by hiswife, Jeannette, his two daughters, Ani andHouri (Hosdaghian), son in law, MehairHosdahgian and his two granddaughters,Rita and Talene Hosdaghian.G

Litia Pa[tasar;an

Litia Pa[ta-sar;an 6na6 hFalhp4 ÉÑÊÍ-in4|akob ;u ~l7raJo'y;ann;rou;rdikin tak!Na.akrjoujiunestaza6 h Falh-pi Ousoumnasi-raz warvara-nin mh=! Saka\n k;anqi dvouarpa\mann;rou b;roumow4 'oqrtariqhn stipoua6 h ousoumekisat jo[oul ;u A\njhpi ];5agor6fius;low ;u 6a.;low entaniqin7gtakar da5nal!ÉÑÌÎ-in amousnaza6 h >acatour

Pa[tasar;ani f;t ;u entaniqeba.tauoroua6 h fing xauakn;row3;rkou manc ;u ;r;q a[=ik! ÉÑÐÍ-int;-[a'o.oua6 ;n Sitni4 Austra-lia4 mianalou ir;nz faraxatn;roun!Litia ;[a6 h iskakan Fa\ Qris-

ton;a\ an] me ;u nouiroua6 ouxorfoua6 ma\r me! Oun;za6 h sirow;u 7rfnoujiunow l;zoun fogi4 a[7j-qow l;zoun mitq4 ;u ir shre4 vpite;u 6a5a\oujiune ba,.a6 h bolorinan.tir! An ba.tauor ;[a6 h mi,twa\;l;low ir xauakn;roun ou tas-nemhk jo5n;roun shrn ou \arganqe!Minc;u w;r=in 7r;re ir k;anqin anmi,t 'a5q toua6 h Astou6o\3 irwa\;la6 amhn7r;a\ 7rfnoujiunn;roun;u parg;un;roun Famar!w;r=in qani me amisn;roun4 an

;njarkou;zau a5o[=akan 6anr wi-yakn;rou4 saka\n a[7jqow4 fauat-qow ;u famb;rouj;amb \a[jafar;zanonz4 ankar;lin dar]enlow kar;lii!W;ragtn;low ir a5o[=oujiune ;uouve an dar];al otqi kangn;zauou krkin angam wka\;z Astou6o\m;6oujiune ;u 'a5qe!Saka\n4 &gostos ÉÈ4 ÊÈÈÊ-in4 gl.i

6anr kajoua6ow4 Litia ir acq;re'ak;z a\s a,.arfhn! Ir \i,atakeorphs 7rinak;li ;u fauataz;alQriston;a\ mi,t wa5 piti mna\ irfaraxatn;roun ;u sir;lin;roun mh=!9:ran;li ;n a\n m;5;ln;re4 oronq

thro=mow ke nn=;n0 (|a\tn1 |owf1 ÉÌ1ÉË)! A\s h Litia Pa[tasar;anik;anqi wka\oujiune!G

31 West Century Rd., Paramus, NJ 07652;or The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund,POBOX 652, Belmont MA 02478.

Interment was at Mt. Auburn Cemetery,Cambridge, MA.G

Publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of AmericaJAN-FEB-MARCH 2003 - Vol. XXXVII No. 1 (ISSN 1097-0924)

The Rev. Jirair SogomianEditor

AMAA Sheen "Shoghig" Camp in Armenia (Story on page 4)

Armenian Missionary Association of America31 West Century RoadParamus, NJ 07652

Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDParamus, NJPermit No. 55

The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Continues to Make a Difference in the Lives of Armenia’s Most Vulnerable Citizens

The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund(ACMF) is an all volunteer organiza-

tion which was formed by a diverse groupof caring individuals shortly after the tragicearthquake in Armenia in December 1988.ACMF’s mission is to assist those childrenin Armenia who would otherwise not re-ceive adequate nutrition. ACMF accom-plishes its mission through a sustainingnutritional program. ACMF provides soy-based Isomil infant formula to needy chil-dren during their first year of life. ACMFfocuses on children whose mothers areill, absent, or for some reason physicallyunable to breastfeed, and whose families are too poor to purchase formula. During its 13year history, ACMF has helped to give thousands of Armenian children a healthy start in life.Your support will enable us to continue this important work. Please use the form below tosend your donation to this worthy cause. Thank you for making a difference.G

Yes, I would like to support and enable the ACMF to to make a difference in the lives of Armenia's most

vulnerable citizens. Enclosed is my donation of $ ----------------------------.

Name -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(please make your tax-deductible checks payable to AMAA, earmarked for ACMF, and mail to 31 W. Century Rd., Paramus,NJ 07652)

D

Documents

The Armenian Children’s Milk Fund Continues to Make a … · 2016. 1. 21. · Publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America JAN-FEB-MARCH 2003 - Vol. XXXVII No