EASTERN PRELACY HOLDS NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY IN CHICAGO
/eastern-prelacy-holds-national-representative-ass embly-in-chicago/
May 27, 2009
GLENVIEW, Ill.-The National Representative Assembly (NRA) of the
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America convened
earlier this month at All Saints Armenian Apostolic Church in Glenview,
Ill. The clergy conference began on Wed., May 5, and the full Assembly
convened on Thurs., May 7, concluding on Sat., May 9.
Elected to serve as co-chairmen of the NRA were Artin Deirmenjian
(Glenview) and Steve Hagopian (Granite City). Elected to serve as
Armenian recording secretary was Rouben Surenian (Watertown, Mass.) and
as English recording secretary Jeanette Nazarian (Philadelphia, Pa.).
Before the proceedings of the NRA began, a video message from
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia,
was shown. His Holiness expressed his best wishes for a successful
Assembly and spoke about the significance and importance of the Year
of the Youth.
Prelate’s Keynote Address
Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate, presented his keynote address
to the full Assembly on Thursday afternoon. The Prelate’s address
focused primarily on the activities of the past year and the challenges
for the coming years, especially the strengthening of the Armenian
Church and Armenian identity. His Eminence also spoke about the youth,
especially young adults, and their special needs.
The year 2009 was declared as the Year of the Youth by His Holiness
Aram I, said the Prelate. "In his message, His Holiness clearly
expresses his expectations from the Armenian youth hoping that the
youth will demonstrate their Armenianness by the healthy formation
of their spiritual and intellectual life, harmonizing and balancing
the national and international, and considering to remain Armenian
as an everyday struggle."
Archbishop Oshagan told the delegates: "It is clear that we want the
young and lively faithful to carry on a role and show vitality in
their work, but at the same time being careful not to hurt, for the
sake of practicality and modernity, our national and ecclesiastical
understanding, traditions, and way of work, which have a foundation
centuries old and which have put a definitive seal on the Armenian
identity and sense of belonging. We commend highly the ambitions
of our young generation and congratulate them every time when they
brighten our ecclesiastical and organizational Armenian life in
general through their useful and constructive thoughts, planning,
and work, in this blessed land of America."
Year of the Youth Presentations
Two special presentations for the Year of the Youth were made to
set the stage for the panel discussions to be held the next day. The
first presentation was made by Nayiri Baljian Bell and the second by
Levon Barsoumian.
Both speakers are from Watertown and both were instrumental in the
organization of the Prelacy’s successful "Linked In" conference held
last year.
Baljian Bell, drawing on her four years of experience as a college
chaplain and on her master’s studies in religious education, presented
three challenges and three opportunities with youth in the current
U.S. social and cultural context. She emphasized the importance of
understanding the nuanced needs and experiences of people under 40,
highlighting in her presentation that young people have a gamut of
socio-developmental needs and have been shaped differently by varying
social and generational influences. She encouraged efforts towards
a targeted youth ministry in the Armenian Church but also called
attention to the idea of cross-generational modeling, (i.e. "the
handing down of the faith," as described in Scripture), which has been
the church’s historical model for the spiritual formation of younger
generations. She called upon the Prelacy to focus attention equally,
if not more, on the spiritual development of parents and current church
leadership in order to facilitate sustained success with the youth..
Barsoumian’s presentation drew from his experiences at his church as
a parishioner and trustee, as well as from having evaluated various
Armenian churches. His presentation’s focus was on the premise that
improving spiritual health and developing a community for the church
has to be the first step in attracting youth to the church. The
spiritual health of the entire congregation has a direct correlation
with the spiritual health of the youth and their commitment to the
church, he said. The second theme of the presentation was the need
for the church to invest in creating and nurturing youth groups. A
long-term commitment is needed by churches to support youth groups
and to start acknowledging and treating youth groups as one of the
foundations to a healthy church, he told the delegates.
Panel Discussions
Break-out discussions took place on topics that included proposed
bylaw changes, auditing and budget, the board of trustees, the youth,
and religious and Armenian education through the Prelacy’s Armenian
Religious Education Council and the Armenian National Education
Committee. The lively discussions resulted in many valid and worthy
recommendations. The chairpersons of the boards of trustees met with
the Prelate and shared problems of mutual concern and exchanged ideas
and solutions. Many of the solutions discussed consisted of measures
to strengthen communities and generate excitement in parishes. The
panel on the youth and the religious and Armenian education panel
explored similar opportunities and identified numerous projects and
parish strengthening program that would engage, educate, and nourish
our parish members and the community at large.
Web Page and Forum Series
Karen Jehanian, a member of the Executive Council, gave the delegates
a preview of the new Prelacy webpage that will be launched in the
coming weeks. The delegates were quite enthusiastic about the new
design and had the opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions.
Jehanian also introduced a seven-minute video from the latest of
the Quarterly Forum series that took place on April 16 and featured
Yeretsgeen Joanna Baghsarian and 13 of her Youth Bible Studies
students from Providence’s Sts Vartanantz Church. The students have
been immersed in a project to remember the clergymen who were martyred
during the Armenian Genocide and the Stalin era purges. The short
clip was received with high praise. It was noted that this type of
project is educational as well as good leadership training. Jehanian
noted that the entire presentation would be professionally recorded
and made available to the parishes.
Banquet
Delegates and community members attended the NRA banquet Friday
evening, during which a number of awards were presented.
Jack Mardoian, chairman of the Executive Council, was honored by
His Holiness Aram I with the Knight of Cilicia medal. His Eminence
read the Catholicos’ encyclical before presenting Mardoian with the
distinguished award. In making the presentation, Archbishop Oshagan
praised the devoted service that Mardoian has given to the Prelacy
for many years. The Prelate emphatically said, "This honor is not
an ending, but a reminder of the greater work and involvement that
faces you now and in the future."
Congressman Mark Steven Kirk was presented with the "Spirit of Armenia"
award. Congressman Kirk, who represents Illinois’s 10th district,
is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. The
Congressman thanked His Eminence and expressed his wish to work
with the Armenian community toward the passing of the genocide
resolution. "We will eventually reach our goal," he told the gathering.
Andranik Ovassapian, honored as the 2009 "Man of the Year," was
described as an individual who is completely devoted to the Armenian
Church and community. "He is a very humble person," the Prelate said,
"who is devoted to the values of the Armenian nation and a believer
in family values. And he has raised his children and grandchildren
with these values in mind."
In keeping with the 2009 Year of the Youth, the Executive Council
collectively honored the community’s youth organizations with the
Youth Leadership Award. Representatives from the local AYF, Hamazkayin,
and Homenetmen were on hand to accept the awards. Archbishop Oshagan
praised these organizations, which he said kept the youth within
the community, and instilled in them the rich history and culture of
their ancestors.
Elections
Jack Mardoian was re-elected to the Executive Council and John Daghlian
and Raffi Manjikian were elected as two new members of the Executive
Council. Rev. Fr. Aram Stepanian and Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aktavoukian were
re-elected to the Religious Council.
Heartfelt thanks were expressed for the services of two outgoing
members of the Council, Noubar Megerian and Bedros Givelekian.
Twelve individuals were elected as delegates to the World General
Assembly, which convenes every four years at the Catholicate in
Antelias, Lebanon. Elected were: Jack Mardoian, Stephen Hagopian,
Richard Sarajian, Dertad Manguikian, Michael Hagopian, Hagop
Khatchadourian, John Jerikian, Sarkis Ohanessian, Noubar Megerian,
John Daghlian, Karen Jehanian, and Raffi Ourlian.
Closing Remarks
In his closing remarks, Oshagan Srpazan expressed his admiration
of the commitment, love, and respect that the Executive Council
members have for each other. He told the NRA delegates that they
are the ambassadors of the Prelacy and should give a full report to
their respective parishes. He discussed the richness of our church,
its history, traditions, and mission, suggesting that new ways and
methods for conducting the business of the church must complement,
not contradict, the core of our mission. He expressed joy about the
role of our young people, and looked forward to their growing numbers
and their desire to serve the church according to its traditions and
national values.
http://www.hairenik.com/weekly/2009/05/27