Author: Kajoyan Gevork

PRESS RELEASE
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: 212-689-7810
Fax: 212-689-7168
e-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Contact: Iris Papazian
March 9, 2004
Blessing of Foundation Stones for
St. John Armenian Church
Takes Place in Boynton Beach
NEW YORK, NY-Sunday, February 29, was a memorable day for the Eastern
Prelacy and the Armenian community of South Florida. His Eminence Archbishop
Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic
Church of America, together with V. Rev. Fr. Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar,
and Archpriest Fr. Vazken Bekiarian, blessed the sixteen cornerstones of the
new St. John Armenian Church of Boynton Beach, Florida. Joining the clergy
on this occasion were the deacons, the sixteen godfathers, the major
benefactor, Mr. George Pagoumian and his family, and the Faithful of the
community.
The sixteen cornerstones were purified with water and wine, then blessed
and anointed before being placed into their respective positions. With
everyone’s participation, the Andastan service (Blessing of the Harvest)
took place, beseeching the Lord for peace in all corners of the world,
goodness and glory for Armenia, and for the steadfastness of the Armenian
Church.
Archbishop Oshagan expressed his profound joy and gave thanks to God for
granting him the opportunity to preside over this ceremony. He explained the
meaning of the sixteen cornerstones, which represent Christ’s twelve
disciples, St. Paul, the evangelists Mark and Luke, and the father of the
Armenian Church, St. Gregory the Illuminator. “We are building this church,”
His Eminence said, “so that our lives will be solid and our faith will
remain immovable.”
Srpazan thanked the sixteen godfathers and especially George Pagoumian,
who along with his family, has made this God-pleasing gift in memory of his
father, John Pagoumian, in whose honor the new Church is named.
During the luncheon which followed the blessing of the cornerstones, the
Master of Ceremonies, Bedo Der Bedrosian, chairman of the Board of Trustees,
offered words of welcome and thanks and invited the chairman of the building
committee, Vahram Tanielian, to address the gathering. Mr. Tanielian
encouraged the attendees to continue the good work that has started with God
‘s blessings and to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
Mr. Pagoumian poignantly shared memories of his father. He said that the
building of this house of God provides the opportunity to spread the Lord’s
Word. He said that he considered it vital to put into practice the original
Biblical message, especially because in our modern times various currents
and movements have taken us far away from spiritual values.
Archpriest Bekiarian, who serves the Florida community, expressed his
thanks and emphasized that the building of a church is not the work of one
individual, but rather a collective effort of all of the Faithful.
In his closing words, Archbishop Oshagan extended his words of
appreciation and encouragement and spoke of the importance of this sacred
effort. He gave a brief view of the overall project, which includes the
Sanctuary, the fellowship hall with facilities for Saturday and Sunday
schools, and eventually a gymnasium. “We do all of this with love and
dedication because we believe that it is necessary for our future
generations to have their own home, where they will pray to God, learn their
mother tongue and history, so that they will find their true identity and
live as model citizens, keeping their faith and culture.”
Visit the Prelacy’s web site () for
photographs of the cornerstone blessing as well as up to the minute
information about Prelacy events and activities.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
March 10 2004
PRESS CONFERENCE AT CLERICAL OFFICE OF CAUCASIAN MUSLIMS HELD
[March 10, 2004, 18:18:52]
Chairman of the Clerical Office of the Caucasian Muslims sheikh
ul-Islam hajji Allahshukur Pashazadeh has conducted a press
conference for media to speak of the results of the Inter-religious
Peacemaking Forum in Moscow. Mr. Pashazadeh noted that over 300
religious leaders from CIS countries had participated in the forum.
He said the major purpose of the event was forming CIS
Inter-religious Council to strengthen peace between nations and
religions, to achieve solidarity and stability in the society,
develop dialogue among religious leaders, unite efforts against the
common danger, co-ordinate joint activity for revival of the
traditional spiritual values.
The forum participants elected a Board of the CIS Inter-religious
Council consisted of 22 religious figures. Two of them – Patriarch
Aleksiy II and Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh – were
conferred special powers of honorary co-chairs. An executive
committee consisted of 19 Council members was also elected.
Within the frameworks of the international forum, sheikh ul-Islam A.
Pashazadeh and Aleksiy II held one-on-one meeting and discussed
bilateral relations and main goals facing religious leaders of CIS
countries. Moreover, a meeting of religious leaders of Caucasus
countries – sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh, all Georgian
Catholicos-patriarch Iliya II, Catholicos of all Armenians Garigin II
and Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Aleksiy II – was also held
during the forum.
Within the frames of the meeting the `round table’ discussion mainly
revolved around `Experience of inter-religious cooperation expansion
at the regional level’, `Problems of religious education’, `Religion
and Media’, `Peacemaking efforts of religious organizations’.
In conclusion, head of the clerical office responded to the
journalists’ questions.

The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC), Russia
March 12 2004
Jewish Community of Armenia Helps Musician
YEREVAN, Armenia – Jewish community in Armenia helped in production
and release of ‘Exodus’ CD by Yerevan-based singer-songwriter Willy
Weiner.
This unique album and the upcoming gala-concerts to be given in
Yerevan and Moscow, present an enormous opportunity for the Jewish
community of Armenia and Willy Weiner to raise awareness about Jewish
people and their culture.
While the Jewish community in Armenia is relatively small, it has
established the ‘Menorah’ Jewish Cultural Center, headed by the
composer.
Weiner celebrated news of the album release with the Yerevan Jewish
community, presenting a concert for members based on his latest
project “Jewish Traditional Classical Music in Armenia”.
‘Exodus’ is the latest of three albums by Willy Weiner based on
classical Jewish orchestral pieces, the other two being ‘Chalom’ and
‘Ami’.

Press Herald, ME
March 12 2004
Different countries, same goal
By MATT WICKENHEISER, Portland Press Herald Writer
Staff photo by John Patriquin

Marina Kalysh, who operates a lucrative tile business in Russia, has
been observing business practices at Paul G. White Tile Co. in
Portland. Speaking of the way Dave Beattie, the manager of Paul
White, interacts with his employees, Kalysh says, “He managed to
build a real crew. They lead the business together.” Kalysh is part
of a cultural exchange run by Southern Maine Community College.

Marina Kalysh and Dave Beattie both sell tile, but the similarities
between the two entrepreneurs mostly end there.
She runs a 15-person shop in Smolensk, Russia, that caters almost
exclusively to high-end customers. Her division, Skvirel Stroy
Setvic-Smolensk, comprises designers who only sell tile. They don’t
deal with carpet, they don’t measure rooms for proper fits, and they
don’t install their goods.
Beattie is the manager of Paul G. White Tile Co. Inc. of Portland,
and has 85 people working for him. His shop is full service, helping
customers who might rent a small efficiency in Portland or own a Cape
Elizabeth mansion with everything from choosing tile or carpet to
installation.
Despite their differences, or maybe because of them, the two have
learned from each other during the last month as they worked together
through a Southern Maine Community College program. The initiative
brought 10 small-business managers from Russia to the Portland area.
One of the big things Kalysh learned during her stay was how
salespeople need to focus on politeness and patience with customers
in a shop, she said. Kalysh also sat in with Beattie as he bargained
with suppliers for lower prices, and discussed advertising strategies
with local media outlets. She observed his management style, and saw
how he joked with his staff, making the workplace a bit more
enjoyable.
“He managed to build a real crew,” said Kalysh. “They lead the
business together.”
Since 1995, SMCC’s Community Connections program has brought more
than 200 businesspeople to Portland from countries that were once
part of the Soviet Union, according to Debra Andrews, director of the
Center for Global Opportunities at the college.
“It’s an intercultural sharing,” said Andrews.
The main goal of the program is to show entrepreneurs from the former
Soviet Union how business is conducted in the United States, giving
them ideas on how to strengthen their home marketplaces. In addition
to businesspeople, legal professionals, local government officials
and nongovernmental organization leaders participate.
“In a nutshell, at the end of the Cold War, we didn’t need the budget
to fight the Cold War,” explained Andrews. “The State Department saw
an opportunity to do something proactive instead of reactive: ‘Let’s
help support these former Soviet republics as they’re growing their
economies and creating their constitutional democracies. Let’s bring
them over and show them how things work in this country.’ ”
Andrews has been running the program since 1995. It is one of 50 such
programs across the United States and the only one in Maine.
Participants must speak English and be a manager at a small business.
Andrews and her staff pick the participants, secure for each a host
family where they will live for the month, and identify businesses
that are similar to the ones they run in their home countries. Most
of the companies participating in the Portland area are small, said
Andrews, and receive an opportunity for a firsthand look at another
culture that is often only available to workers for multinational
firms.
“It gives we (Americans) who grew up in the U.S. and thought the
Soviet Union was bad, bad, bad a chance to meet these people,” said
Andrews. “Your world view is broadened.”
Beattie, for example, said his perception of business in Russia was
from television images of long lines at grocery stores that didn’t
have enough bread for their customers. Talking to Kalysh, he learned
she operates a lucrative business in a city of 550,000 people, he
said.
“Things are similar, but dissimilar,” he said.
Beattie said he suggested to Kalysh that to deal with competition,
she find small services that set her apart from the other operations.
For instance, he said, none of the tile shops in Kalysh’s city offers
labor, only sales.
By hiring some tile installers, or even by carrying an area carpet
line, she may boost business, he said.
“If she grasps one of those and makes it work, that will be a major
change in her business,” he said.
For Kalysh, who’s only been in the tile business for a few months,
“any kind of experience is useful.”
Andrews said a group of Armenian businesspeople would be visiting for
a month in April, the first time participants from that country would
take part in the program in Maine. The federal program started in
1994 as “Business for Russia,” with opportunities only for residents
of that country. The program was so successful it was expanded and
renamed, and today also includes participants from Belarus, Armenia,
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Ukraine and
Uzbekistan.
The initiative is fully funded by the State Department’s Bureau of
Educational and Cultural Affairs, said Andrews.
“It beats paying for the Cold War, I think,” she said.
Andrews said the program tries to emphasize four main points to the
businesspeople, and asks the businesses they visit to reinforce them.
Prepare for success with a good strategic plan.
Do well by doing the right things and giving back to the community.
Develop the employee base.
Focus on both external customers and internal customers, such as
employees.
On a recent State Department trip to Ukraine, Andrews said she found
out that the lessons that had been learned in the United States by
previous program participants are paying off.
She contacted a program alumnus whose company makes microsensors that
regulate temperatures in different appliances. Five years ago, the
man spent time with a manager at a local McDonald’s restaurant, and
that experience gave him the motivation to contact the McDonald’s
restaurants opening in his country, Andrews said. Today, the chain is
one of his major clients.
Additionally, Andrews said, the man took the program’s four main
points to heart. He now gives his employees their birthdays off and
offers paid time off when a worker experiences a death in the family
or other personal problem.
Staff Writer Matt Wickenheiser can be contacted at 791- 6316 or at:
[email protected]