BY DORIS MELKONIAN

An evening of glorious music filled the beautiful sanctuary of United Armenian Congregational Church on Saturday, May 23, 2026, in celebration of the 180th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church. The program included Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cantata No. 80, Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott (“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”) and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in d minor, Op. 107, “Reformation” Symphony. Both works were based on the Lutheran chorale, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” a hymn that was composed by the architect of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther. These orchestral works were composed for the commemoration of the Protestant Reformation and were featured at our celebratory concert for the 180th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church.

Under the baton of Maestro Garo Avessian, the former conductor of the Lebanese Philharmonic and the Armenian Evangelical Armiss Choir, the orchestra and choir soared to the heavens, lifting our spirits in praise.

Prior to the concert, Doris Melkonian gave a pre-concert lecture providing the background to the composition of these works, their place in the repertoire of classical music and their place in the history of Christianity. Underscored was their significance for us today, on the 180th anniversary of the Armenian Reformation.

Rev. Vicken Cholakian created a video presentation of our Armenian Evangelical Churches and Institutions for this anniversary celebration. The video of historic and present-day images underscored adherence to the Bible, the cornerstone of Armenian Evangelical faith. The video was projected to the accompaniment of the Orchestral Medley of Protestant Hymns arranged by Maestro Avessian. Both the video presentation and the medley inspired pride in our Church and reinforced our faith.

Maestro Avessian arranged the orchestration of the Doxology (Park yev Badiv) for the celebratory concert. The world premiere of this orchestration was electrifying as Maestro Avessian led the congregational singing of the Doxology.

We acknowledged the pastors’ wives and pastors’ children by inviting them forward and showing our appreciation for their support of our pastors. We recognized the sacrificial contributions of pastors’ wives and families.

A bountiful reception followed in Avazian Hall that was spearheaded by Garine Abajian and Catherine Koundakjian. The celebratory evening continued with members and friends reminiscing about to the Armenian Evangelical Church.

The concert was livestreamed and can be seen below.

https://asbarez.com/180th-anniversary-of-the-armenian-evangelical-church-celebrated-with-a-grand-concert/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSVoaRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe23KmKcNIFOmFlC-xOltR86cEMWJALfqdwYJvseolGx6m7qkbNwbQZvFcYh4_aem_atlXzfIy_D9BVIEiCLqp9A

Private ‘Under the Stars’ reception in Tarzana marks the beginning of ACF’s 50th Anniversary, and the countdown to a December Gala Celebration

TARZANA, Calif. – On the evening of Thursday, June 4, the Armenian Cultural Foundation gathered more than 80 of the community’s professionals, entrepreneurs, and longtime supporters at a private reception entitled “Under the Stars,” hosted by the partners of Keosian Law LLP at Harout and Kristine Keosian’s residence.

The intimate dinner was the first in a series of gatherings the ACF will hold across the region over the next six months, building toward its 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration Event to be held in December 2026 – to highlight the 50 years of community service accomplishments and look ahead to the coming years.

ACF Chair Harout Keosian Steve Dadaian Vache Thomasian Master of Ceremonies Melkon Melkonian

For an organization that has spent half a century working tirelessly, the evening was a deliberate first step in reaching out to the community to mark 50 years of service and look forward to the future. The program ran under thirty minutes by design, trading speeches and slideshows for something closer to a conversation among friends – many of them learning, for the first time, the full scope of what the ACF has consistently built since 1976.

The evening was emceed by Melkon Melkonian, Esq., co-chair of the ACF’s 50th anniversary committee, who framed the night around a single, familiar question.

“When you leave everything behind and arrive somewhere new, what is the first thing you look for? You look for community. You look for a home,” Melkonian told the room. “Anyone can find a home in one of these centers. We’ve been writing this story for 50 years, and we want every single person here to write the next pages.”

Over the past five decades, the ACF has built 18 community centers and served as the financial backbone of schools, churches, and organizations across the Western United States of America – from Homenetmen and the Armenian Youth Federation to the Armenian National Committee of America, Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural Society and the Armenian Relief Society. Today the Armenian Cultural Foundation with all of its community centers and areas of reach, operates as a nonprofit that by design, is totally service oriented rather than driven by any profit related considerations: nearly every dollar that comes in is reinvested into the community.

Steve Dadaian, Esq., a longtime ACF member, traced that history for the guests – from the founding of the original Armenian Center in Los Angeles in the late 1940’s, throughout the establishment of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian School, the first Armenian day school in America, to the 1975 decision that created the ACF itself, all carried forward by the sustained organizing of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and the Armenian Relief Society. He closed with an image that gave the evening its emotional charge.

“The Armenian Cultural Foundation is our seed vault,” Dadaian said. “It is the palace where we preserve our identity, and where we grow our community and our youth so they remain committed to our nation here in America. We stand on the soldiers of those who came before – but we cannot move forward without patriots like you.”

After Dadaian’s spoke to the past, Vache Thomassian, Esq., the ACF 50th anniversary committee’s other co-chair, turned the room toward the present and the responsibility it carries.

“The difference between a diaspora and an immigrant community comes down to two things: a diaspora keeps its heart connected to its homeland, and a diaspora is organized,” Thomassian said. “For 50 years, visionaries built the centers and institutions that served us – thanklessly, never asking for credit, driven only by the knowledge that they were serving the future. The ACF is the engine running the vehicle that is our diaspora. And you are the fuel.”

That work continues in concrete form. Just months ago, the ACF opened the Sarkis & Suzanne Kitsinian ACF Center in the heart of Encino – a long-time shuttered city firehouse, secured through a decade of advocacy by the local ACF Chapter and a roughly $1 million federal HUD grant, and constructed below cost by the Nazerian Group and through the generosity and volunteer efforts of community members. In its first months alone, the center has already hosted a county voting site, youth programming, an art exhibit, a medical career day, and a summer camp – a preview, organizers say, of what the next 50 years can look like with sustained support.

ACF Chairman Harout Keosian, who hosted the reception alongside his Keosian Law LLP partners, closed the evening on a note that was equal parts celebration and challenge.

“Tonight is already a success – because almost everyone I spoke with didn’t know half of what the ACF has done, and what they do now,” Keosian stated. “My hope is that this is the start of a very successful six months, where we don’t just raise money but we inform, so that people truly understand what we do. Then the support will inevitably follow.”

The reception raised more than $150,000 toward the campaign – the first of what the Armenian Cultural Foundation hopes will be a series of milestones on the road to December. Guests enjoyed dinner under the stars with live entertainment from Element Band.

Organizers will carry the “Under the Stars” model to other gatherings that are planned in the months ahead, each building toward the 50th Anniversary Gala Celebration planned for December 2026. As always, the ACF is open to the entire community, and everyone should understand that each member is a stakeholder, with the responsibility to care for all that has been built in the past, to look forward in expansion and continued service, to participate in a collective that is larger than any one individual.

After 50 years of community service, the Armenian Cultural Foundation is continuing to step forward – and inviting the next generation to step forward with it.

The Armenian Cultural Foundation preserves and advances Armenian heritage through community engagement and stewardship. ACF empowers organizations and initiatives that enrich Armenian life, address evolving community needs, and create opportunities for future generations. By honoring our past and investing in our future, the ACF helps ensure that Armenian culture, identity, and community continue to thrive.

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