Hamazkayin Cultural Forum
10 Rue Hussein Beyhoum
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: +961 (1) 37-24-55
Email: [email protected]
Web:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2006 Hamazkayin Student Cultural Forum completes in Armenia.
On July 30, 2006 the Hamazkayin Educational and Cultural Society
successfully completed its 12th annual Forum with the departure of the
participants back to their countries.
The Hamazkayin Cultural Forum is an annual event that started in 1995 with
the aim to unite young Armenians from around the world to learn more about
Armenian art, history, culture, society, and modern life in the homeland. It
is a unique opportunity for people to visit Armenia for the first time?or as
a returning visitor?and meet with fellow Armenians from around the globe who
are interested in learning more about their people?s past as well as where
they are headed.
The 2006 Forum had over 50 participates from Canada, Cyprus France, Lebanon,
Syria, UK and the United States. Although the arrival of the participates
from Lebanon was hampered by the bombing of the Beirut airport, 3 of the 6
registered students managed to find their way to Yerevan and took part in
the event. During the event, former Forum participants who happened to be in
Armenia also took part in the various events hence creating a sense of
continuity between current and former Forum participants.
The Forum kick-started with an opening dinner at a traditional Armenian
restaurant, where the participants ate and danced to Armenian folk music,
creating their first connection with Armenia. Before that during the day the
Forum participants had an opportunity to take a tour of Yerevan to get to
know its major landmarks and get orientated in the city.
During the next two weeks the program included a balanced mix of lectures
and excursions both within and outside of Yerevan. The Forum participants
had an opportunity to visit institutions of higher education such as Yerevan
State University and the American University of Armenia where they were
greeted by top ranking administrators to explain to them about their
respective universities. The excursion portion of the agenda included trips
to Garni, Geghard, Sevan, Ejmiadsin, as well as visits to Genocide museum
and memorial in Dzidzernakaberd and to Sartarapat. Other than sightseeing,
the Forum also aimed at introducing the participants to various aspects of
Armenian life by taking them to visits to an Armenian summer camp for
orphans/needy children in Dzaghkatsor, a visit to a school in the village of
Aramous and a visit to an army barracks.
The museums, galleries and concerts livened up the cultural life of the
Forum by allowing participants to enjoy museums by day and concerts and
other cultural activities by night. During the evenings most participants
spent their time dancing or with evening walks around Yerevan with
occasional relaxation in many of the city?s cafes.
The Forum?s educational component included a variety of lectures on issues
such as pilgrimage to Western Armenia, an introduction to the origins of
Armenian letters?both presented by Dr. Herand Markarian; a lecture on the
Armenian Genocide and the latest ?awakening? of Turkish intellectuals
delivered by Prof. Richard Hovanissian; a round-table discussion on the
issue of Armenian upbringing and identity and many more issues. One of the
highlights of the Forum was the screening of the movie ?The Genocide in Me?
with the presence of the director Araz Artinian who talked about her movie
and participated in a lively discussion with the participants about the
meaning of genocide and its impact on one?s life.
The closing ceremony of the 2006 Forum included a talent show presentation
where the participants?who had been training for 2 weeks in Armenian dance
and theater?presented a very diverse entertaining program to sum up their
experience in Armenia during the Forum.
At the conclusion of the scheduled program of the Forum, many participants
went on a tour to Artsakh while others remained in Yerevan to spend the rest
of their summer vacation.
To learn more about the Forum and how to apply for next year, visit
You can also send an email to
[email protected] with specific questions.
Hamazkayin is a worldwide organization with chapters in many countries that
aims to preserve and promote Armenian art, history, and literature. Its goal
is to educate people about the humanities relating to the Armenian people
and perpetuate Armenian culture.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Once a gamer, always a gamer
Inside SOCAL
Long Beach Press-Telegram (Long Beach, California)
8/16/2006
By Doug Krikorian, Columnist
Haig Kelegian is seated coolly behind the huge desk in his
well-appointed second story office above the sprawling casino at the
Bicycle Club, a picture of practiced calm and self-assurance befitting
a man who owns a majority piece of the famous card emporium in Bell
Gardens and is its CEO and president.
He is 73 even though his unlined face doesn’t betray it, and he got
into the card wagering business in 1982 when he bought a share in a
new establishment called the Commerce Casino.
He had become rich in insurance, but left it all behind when he found
out there was more money to be made in the gambling industry.
He would retain his small interest in the Commerce and would go on
to open Ocean’s Eleven Casino in Oceanside and then with a couple of
partners would take over the Bicycle Club from the U.S. government in
April of 1999 and would triple its business and double its profits
within a year and would even recently with son Mark purchase the
Crystal Casino in Compton.
And during most of this span, as he sold his lucrative insurance
business and retired, as he came out of retirement and quickly began
ascending the gaming ladder, as he became a powerful figure in the
state’s card casino landscape, Haig Kelegian somehow also found time to
attend dozens of boxing matches locally, nationally and internationally
as one of Jose Sulaiman’s top lieutenants in the World Boxing Council.
As a member of the WBC’s executive council, as well as its
international secretary and treasurer, Kelegian was involved in a lot
of high profile matches and even served as the fight supervisor in
promotions involving the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler,
Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Salvador Sanchez and Oscar De La Hoya.
Between 1982 and 2002, there wasn’t a big fight in Las Vegas that
was sanctioned by the WBC – and most of the big ones were – that Haig
Kelegian missed, as he was always a visible presence at the weigh-ins
and at press conferences and at the various pre-fight instructional
meetings.
“In those days, I was always going to fights,” says Kelegian, who
became involved in the sport after the then California governor,
Jerry Brown, appointed him to the State Athletic Commission in 1979
and who will be honored for his role in it by being inducted Saturday
into the California Boxing Hall of Fame at the Sportsmen’s Lodge in
Studio City. “I’d go to the Forum on Monday evenings and to the Irvine
Marriott on Thursday evenings and Las Vegas on the weekends. It seemed
like in those days there were fights going on all the time.”
Haig Kelegian pauses, as his cell phone rings.
“It never stops,” he says with resignation as he picks it up and
apologizes for the interruption.
He listens patiently for a moment, and says, “I’ll call you back
later on the matter.”
“Who was that?” I ask with curiosity.
“Oh, it was just a credit issue,” he replies matter of factly.
The walls of Kelegian’s office are dominated by large photos of Frank
Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. and Marilyn Monroe and others who were
in their primes when the pictures were taken a long time ago.
“Time passes,” I say. “A lot of the people in those photos are gone.”
Haig Kelegian nods.
“Yeah, they are,” he says. “Sinatra was a huge boxing fan. Used to
attend all the fights in Las Vegas.”
Son of an Armenian immigrant who came to America in 1919 from eastern
Turkey and settled in Milwaukee, Haig Kelegian attended the University
of Wisconsin at Milwaukee for a couple of years where he played
baseball, did a two-year Army hitch, majored in English literature
at Wayne State University, married a George Washington University
graduate named Argine (Jean) Bagramian in 1958, and got started in
insurance during college when he went to work for Prudential.
He would move his family to Southern California in February of 1962 –
he had a young daughter and son at the time and later would have two
more sons – and soon would open his own insurance firm that would
evolve into such a profitable enterprise that he decided to sell it
in 1991 and lapse into leisurely retirement at the modest age of 58.
“I was making very good money from my investment in the Commerce by
this time, and so I decided to take it easy,” says Kelegian.
At the time, he was living in Montebello where he long had been one
of the leaders in the local Armenian community, heavily involved in
its church and school activities.
But in 1997, Haig Kelegian found dabbling in real estate, hitting
golf balls and playing cards – he’s a poker devotee to this day –
didn’t sate his ambitious inclinations and that’s when he and his
partners opened the 47-table Ocean’s Eleven and then a couple of
years later successfully took over the Bicycle Club.
“I just wish I would have gone into the gambling business earlier
in my life because it’s so exciting, as well as quite profitable,”
he says. “I’ve been pretty fortunate.
I have been privileged to attend a lot of great fights all around
the world. And now I’m involved in a business that is equally
entertaining. But what I’m most blessed in his having a great family.”
Haig Kelegian’s face glows when he speaks of his nine grandchildren,
his daughter, Michelle Shrikian, an attorney, and sons Mark,
also an attorney and president of Celebrity Casino Inc., Haig
Jr. vice-president of Celebrity Casino Inc., and Andrew, president
of Pacific Coast Propane.
“You couldn’t ask for better kids, and all are married,” he says
proudly.
Naturally, Kelegian has a litany of notable memories from his lengthy
involvement with boxing, the defining one coming on the evening of
May 18, 1995 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
“Jose Sulaiman had me present Muhammad Ali with certificates honoring
his achievements that were given to him from both the U.S. Congress
and Senate,” says Kelegian. “It was the first time he was officially
honored by those bodies.”
Haig Kelegian and his wife now live in Newport Beach in the same
upscale vicinity where Kobe Bryant resides, and they also have a home
in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe.
He no longer is officially involved in boxing, but has remained
friends with Jose Sulaiman president-for-life of the WBC.
“I’ve made a good living from insurance and gambling,” he says. “But
I’ve met so many unforgettable and famous people from boxing. Boxing
is like the gambling business in one respect. Once it gets into your
blood, it’s there for good. . .”
Doug Krikorian can be reached at [email protected]
telegram.com/sports/ci_4193453?source=email
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Calling Nature’s Caretakers…
By Ben Jolliffe
CEPF In Focus Features
August 2006
Vardges Gharakhanyan is a man who gets things done.
As curator of the Arpi Sanctuary in Armenia, he enlisted the help of
the local bishop to bring an end to the illegal tree felling, cattle
grazing, and smuggling of endemic plants that were devastating this
area of semi-desert and mountain steppe.
“We have been able to protect species such as the lesser kestrel, the
Armenian mouflon, and a number of remarkable bats,” Gharakhanyan said.
Born and bred here, Gharakhanyan finds inspiration in the area’s many
caves, plunging canyons, and open juniper woodlands. But sometimes,
like the many other conservationists working in remote areas across
the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot, even he needs the help of others
to continue.
Support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has now
enabled BirdLife International, an international nongovernmental
organization (NGO), to provide that assistance by expanding its
1,500-person “caretaker network” from Western Europe to include four
countries in the Caucasus Hotspot.
Working through NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey,
BirdLife has recruited 31 local conservation heroes as caretakers
at targeted sites – known as Important Bird Areas or IBAs – critical
for the conservation of globally threatened or unique bird species.
Establishing the network forms an important part of CEPF’s strategic
direction of strengthening mechanisms to conserve the biodiversity
of the Caucasus Hotspot with emphasis on species, site, and corridor
outcomes.
Targeting Outcomes for Species, Sites, and Corridors
Some of the caretakers, like Gharakhanyan, are professionals with many
years of experience in local government, NGOs, or other civil society
organizations. Others, like Mustafa Sari, a shepherd in the uplands
of Turkey’s eastern Rize province, are new to organized conservation.
Yet all of them bring intimate knowledge of the area, and, just as
important, good relations with the people who live there. Sari’s
familiarity with the region’s local species has made him invaluable
as a guide to birders from all over Europe who are coming to the area
in growing numbers, helping to boost the local economy.
Caretakers’ responsibilities include monitoring bird populations,
identifying actual or potential threats, liaising with local
authorities and communities, promoting environmental awareness through
flagship species, and, as they gain experience, developing site action
plans and carrying out site conservation actions.
> > From October 2005 until April 2006, national coordinators at
BirdLife’s partner NGOs received comprehensive training in all these
tasks that they are now passing on to the caretakers themselves.
To encourage sustainability, the project also includes a small grants
component that will support specific conservation actions at the
sites. Once caretakers have established what their particular needs
are, the coordinators will help them apply for grants.
“It’s a very useful training exercise,” said BirdLife’s European
funding development manager, Umberto Gallo-Orsi, who is managing the
overall project. “Caretakers will be in a better position to apply
for funds themselves in the future.”
As a scientific researcher for almost 25 years at Azerbaijan’s
Gyzylagach State Reserve, Alim Talibov has already been carrying out
many of the tasks required of a caretaker in his daily activities.
But he has now developed a wider informal network of colleagues,
rangers, and schoolchildren to monitor the 80,000-hectare reserve,
a seriously threatened area of lagoons and semi-desert on the coast
of the Caspian Sea.
“Local people will now come to me if they see anything unusual,”
Talibov said.
Scaling up the Network
In other areas, such as Georgia’s mountainous Samtskhe-Javakheti
region, the network is helping to catalyze relationships between new
and existing organizations to extend its impact even further.
The Georgian Center for the Conservation of Wildlife (GCCW), a BirdLife
affiliate, selected Giorgi Janashvili as caretaker here partly because
of his many years of experience as a senior outreach officer in the
region with sustainable development NGO Cooperative Housing Foundation,
also known as CHF International.
In 2002, Janashvili set up a new conservation NGO called Orbi, named
after the Georgian word for the Eurasian vulture (Gyps fulvus). By
working through contacts and colleagues with GCCW, CHF International,
and Orbi, he is able to extend his caretaker network over as many as
10 IBAs.
“We have an extraordinary diversity of habitats here, from mountainous
volcanic regions more than 3,000 meters above sea level, to mixed
forest, subalpine meadow, wetlands, and semi-arid [areas],” Janashvili
said. “But not many people live here so we need to enlist everyone
we can.”
Janashvili’s exposure to the caretaker network is also helping him
to continue building Orbi’s local capacity and strengthen its impact.
National Cooperation
BirdLife is also helping the selected NGOs in each country to build
up their existing capacity.
In Georgia, Zurab Javakhishvili used to focus primarily on field
work. But after receiving training from BirdLife under this project,
he was appointed the IBA coordinator at GCCW. He is now managing the
caretakers at the local level as well as fundraising and liaising
with his regional counterparts.
Furthermore, BirdLife’s international expertise has enabled the
organization to leverage more than $500,000 for the network from
international sources, essential when there is so little funding
available at the national level and so many different IBAs to oversee.
“Our caretaker network is almost as diverse as the habitats we cover
– policemen, teachers, hunters, restaurant owners, shepherds. It’s
remarkable,” Gallo-Orsi said.
“But seeing how they work together and learn from each other as
they help to conserve so many globally threatened species is more
remarkable still, particularly in areas where historically there has
been so much mistrust and conflict.”
For more information, contact:
Luba Balyan, IBA Coordinator, Armenian Society for the Protection
of Birds
Onder Cŷrŷk, IBA Coordinator, Doða Derneði Turkey
Umberto Gallo-Orsi, European Funding Development Manager, BirdLife
International
Shahin Isayev, IBA Coordinator, Azerbaijan Ornithological Society
Zurab Javakhishvili, IBA Coordinator, Georgian Center for the
Conservation of Wildlife
s/2006/august_feature.xml
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Andrew Souvall
July 26, 2006
or Heather Lasher Todd
(202) 225-4671
PALLONE URGES SENATE TO BLOCK NOMINATION OF ARMENIAN AMBASSADOR
UNTIL GENOCIDE IS RECOGNIZED
Washington, D.C. — Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ,)
co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, made the
following statement yesterday on the floor of the House of
Representatives regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s
consideration of the Bush Administration’s nomination of Robert
Hoagland as US Ambassador to Armenia:
“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concerns with the nomination
of Robert Hoagland as US Ambassador to Armenia. Many questions
regarding US policy on the Armenian Genocide remain unanswered and
key Senate Foreign Relations Committee members continue to have
serious misgivings about the nomination.
“Two weeks ago, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee considered Mr.
Hoagland’s nomination. During the hearing, Mr. Hoagland failed to
adequately respond to the questions asked by the Senators, including
not clarifying the US policy’s denial of the Armenian Genocide. In
many instances, he did not respond to specific Senate inquiries. He
diverted his answers by responding with what seemed like prepared
talking points, and went to extreme lengths to avoid using the term
“genocide.”
“Additionally, in a response to a written inquiry from Senator John
Kerry concerning Turkey’s criminal prosecution of journalists for
writing about the Armenian Genocide, Mr. Hoagland referred to these
writings as “allegations.”
“The US has historically taken a leadership role in preventing
genocide and human rights, but the Administration continues to play
word games by not calling evil by its proper name. Instead, they
refer to the mass killings of 1.5 million Armenians as “tragic
events.” This term cannot be substituted for “genocide” — the two
words are not synonymous.
“Mr. Speaker, there are historical documents that cannot be refuted.
Yet, somehow the Administration continues to ignore the truth in fear
of offending another government.
“The Administration has not offered a meaningful explanation of its
reasons for firing the current US Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans.
In fact, the State Department’s assertion that it did not receive any
communication from the Turkish government concerning Ambassador
Evans’ February 2005 affirmation of the Armenian Genocide is simply
not credible.
“Official Department of Justice filings by the Turkish government’s
registered foreign agent, the Livingston Group, document that there
are at least four different occasions of communication with State
Department officials following Ambassador Evans’ remarks. Still, the
State Department refutes these claims.
“This lack of honesty has been all too common practice of the Bush
Administration. The American people and this Congress deserve a
full and truthful account of the role of the Turkish government in
denying the Armenian Genocide.
“Our nation’s response to genocide should not be denigrated to a
level acceptable to the Turkish government. It’s about time this
Administration started dictating a policy for Americans — not for a
foreign government.
“Mr. Speaker, I fear that sending an Ambassador to Yerevan who denies
the Armenian Genocide would represent a tragic escalation in the
Administration’s ignorance and support in Turkey’s campaign of
genocide denial.
“The State Department has reported to Senate offices that they expect
Ambassador-designate Hoagland to be confirmed during a business
meeting early next week. I urge the Senate to block his nomination
until the Administration recognizes the Armenian Genocide.”
###
ss/nj06_pallone/pr_jul26_genocide.html

“AZERBAIJAN CAN NOT START WAR IN COMING 20 YEARS,” POLITICIAN LEVON
MELIK-SHAHNAZARIAN STATES
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The process of the Karabakh
settlement entered at present a new stage when the Co-Chairmen’s
“imagination run short” and the problem is put on shoulders of the
three parties: Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Politician
Levon Melik-Shahnazarian expressed such an opinion at the August
25 press conference. In his words, today “the economy of Azerbaijan
was so involved in the European economy” that the country lost its
independence and may not “make any decision.” The speaker mentioned
that till now the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen’s task was not to
allow re-start of the war as it is not advantageous for big states
having their own interests in the region. And, as the Baku-Jeihan oil
pipeline will be the property of the British Petroleum company till
2026, according to the politician’s words, Azerbajian can not start
a war in coming 20 years. In his words, Baku was simply prohibited
to make even an attempt to solve the Karabakh issue in the military
way. Touching upon return of territories being under control of
the Armenian armed forces, in the name of peace or defining the
NKR status, the speaker said: “The only reasoning based on which a
territory may be returned, is the one that no Armenians have lived
in those territories during the recent few dozens of years. If we
may lead negotiations for returning land based on that reasoning,
then it means that we give up, from the legal and moral viewpoints,
all those territories where no Armenians live, both in Western and
Eastern Armenia.” In L.Melik-Shahnazarian’s words, in the 20th century
the Armenian people three times struggled with the Caucasian Tatars:
in 1904-1905, 1918-1920 and 1988-1994, and “three times we reached
successes in the war field, but then, at the negotiations table, we
lost territories, so, our every victory ended with loss of Armenian
territories.” According to the speaker’s words, Armenia must take
lessons from all those, and now, when Azerbaijan is not ready for a
war, the Armenian side must make its demands stricter at the expected
September meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
L.Melik-Shahnazarian expressed an opinion, that Armenians, as an
eastern people, must see in the role of a strategic partner such a
country which has rich civilization. Responding the question “Can
Iran be such a country?” the politician said: “The Persian nation is
our natural ally but we have religious problems with Persians which
are artificially strained in our days in all over the world.”
He stated that besides Iran, Russia, Belarus, Syria as well as Iraq
can also be potential allies of Armenia.

18TH STAGE OF CHAMPIONSHIP DOES NOT MAKE CHANGES IN TOURNAMENT TABLE
YEREVAN, AUGUST 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The 18th stage of the football highest
group championship of Armenia finished on August 24. The following
results were fixed: “Banants” – “Mika” 1:0, “Cilicia” – “Pyunik” 0:3,
“Ulis” – “Shirak” 1:0 and “Gandzasar” – “Ararat” 1:3. No change was
made in the tournament table of the championship. The Yerevan “Pyunik”
is the leader with 47 points.
“Banants” with 37 points is on the second place, “Mika” with 34 points
is on the third place. “Ararat” has 30 points and closes the leading
four. Meetings of the 19th stage are scheduled for September 9 and 10.

FM Vardan Oskanian to participate in the “Caspian prospects 2008” conference
ArmRadio.am
26.08.2006 11:16
August 27-28 in Bleduam (Slovenia) RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
will participate in the “Caspian prospects 2008” conference organized
by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia and the Institute of
Strategic studies.
Discussions on the geopolitical importance of the South Caucasus
and the Caspian region for the EU as well as economic, strategic and
political prospects will be held in the framework of the conference,
dedicated to the relations between the European Union and the South
Caucasus.
Heads of states, Foreign Ministers, Special Representatives of
NATO and EU to the south Caucasus, high-rank representatives of
international organizations, celebrated international experts and
political scientists will participate in the conference.
RA Foreign Minister is expcted to deliver a speech during the “Caspian
prospects 2008” conference.

NKR applying every effort to maintain the cease-fire
ArmRadio.am
26.08.2006 14:46
NKR Military leadership is applying every effort in the direction of
maintenance and reinforcement of the cease-fire regime at the contact
line, Head of the Press Service of the NKR Defense Ministry Senor
Asratyan told ArmInfo correspondent in Stepanakert.
In his words, the reports of the Azeri media on the truce violation
by the Armenian side are nothing more than the propaganda. “These
steps pursue the aim of misleading the international community,”
Senor Asratyan underlined, reminding about the cease-fire violation
y the Azerbaijani side, in the result of which serviceman of the NKR
Defense Army was wounded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NASA map misrepresents Azerbaijan’s territory
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Aug. 26, 2006
[ 26 Aug. 2006 15:57 ]
US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
misrepresented Azerbaijan’s map.
APA’s Europe bureau reports the regional map presented by
NASA, which has created analogue of Google Earth program on
, shows Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic as territory of Armenia.
This mistake was not in the Google Earth program. Taking into account
that NASA is a state agency, this is a quite a serious mistake.
Azerbaijani youths in Belgium started protest campaign regarding
this misrepresentation. Letters of protest can be sent to

CanWest News Service, Canada
Aug. 26, 2006
Workplace worship
In office towers across Canada, workers openly exploring spirituality
Richard Foot, CanWest News Service
Published: Saturday, August 26, 2006
On Tuesday mornings, inside a corporate boardroom at BCE Place in the
heart of Toronto’s financial district, David Ekmekjian and two dozen
other Bay Street businessmen gather to talk — not about portfolios
or profits, but about God.
Amid a panorama of glittering skyscrapers, where millions of dollars
in hard currency is traded each day, a group of smart, confident
people come to pray to a mysterious spirit they cannot touch or see.
“We don’t just meet in that boardroom to talk about money,” says
Ekmekjian, an investment dealer with Blackmont Capital, the Bay Street
firm that hosts the meeting.
“We study the Bible and pray for those that are less fortunate
than ourselves, for the sick and the afflicted. We also pray for
spiritual guidance and wisdom. And somehow, everybody comes out of
there fulfilled and happy. It’s incredible.”
Most unusual about the prayer group is that many of its members,
including Ekmekjian, rarely set foot inside a church. Although their
faith is deep, few attend traditional Sunday services or belong to
a mainstream denomination.
“In our boardroom meetings, some go to church, but many don’t,” says
Ekmekjian, an Egyptian-born Armenian who immigrated to Canada in the
1950s. “I prefer to practise my faith on my own terms, because I find
it infinitely more fulfilling.”
Ekmekjian and many of his Christian colleagues are part of an emerging
cohort of Canadians who lead spiritual lives without any adherence
to an organized, institutional religion.
At the country’s main Christian denominations, attendance is shrinking
and many old church buildings that once boasted thriving congregations
are now being closed for lack of interest.
Yet many Canadians aren’t simply turning away from God, they’re
exploring their faith in unusual ways and unlikely places. One of
those new spiritual frontiers is the office.
“There is a real awakening, where people are being drawn to God in
the workplace,” says Bruce Smith, who leads the King-Bay chaplaincy,
a spiritual gathering place for office workers in downtown Toronto.
King-Bay has been running for several decades, but in recent years
it has been joined by similar downtown chaplaincies from Vancouver
to Montreal to Halifax, and by a burgeoning array of consultancies
and centres catering to spiritual needs in the workplace. All of it
is fuelled, says Smith, by “the growing desire of people who are not
interested in organized religion, but are interested in a relationship
with God.”
The rise of the “office church” cuts across business lines into
government and also the worlds of education and health care.
In Toronto the King-Bay chaplaincy welcomes more than 200 business
people, civil servants, retail clerks and health care workers through
its doors in a typical week.
Sherry Connolly, a King-Bay alumni, once earned a six-figure salary as
a senior manager at the Royal Bank’s head office in Toronto. She gave
that up to open the Centre for Spirituality at Work, which offers
programs and seminars to office workers hungry for metaphysical
meaning in their lives.
Connolly says the Anglican Church of the Redeemer, a large downtown
church, is transformed on weekdays into a noon-time sanctuary for
office workers, not all of them Christian, who use the church as a
quiet place to sit and pray or think during the lunch hour.
“I’ve started a noon-hour meditation on Thursdays at Redeemer,”
says Connolly. “Most of the people who come aren’t even congregation
members of the church.”
In some cases, companies themselves are encouraging employees to get
in touch with their spiritual sides.
At Toronto’s Caldwell Financial Ltd., a securities and investment firm,
chairman Tom Caldwell is organizing an in-house “Alpha” course —
an introduction to Christianity — for any employees or colleagues
who want to come, with lunch included.
While Caldwell is a regular member of a Roman Catholic parish, he
says many of those who’ll attend his company’s Alpha meetings won’t
be regular church-goers.
“There are tons of Bible studies in offices all over Toronto,” he says.
“For many office workers, they’re like an oasis of sanity in a
fast-moving and hard-driving world.”
In Vancouver, Telus Corp. has rooms on its office premises set aside
where workers can pray and meditate.
In Edmonton, the Capital Care Group recently put some of its nursing
home employees through a “spirit at work” program that while not
explicitly religious in nature, taught the same kind of values —
kindness and consideration for fellow human beings — that religions
espouse.
In Halifax, management consultant Martin Rutte recently established
the Centre for Spirituality and the Workplace at the Sobey School of
Business at Saint Mary’s University. Since 2004 the centre has been
hosting conferences and seminars on spiritual matters at work.
“There’s a renaissance of spirituality in business, in the public
sector, and in health care,” says Rutte, a Toronto-based Jew who
decided to start talking about spirituality in business after
experiencing his own religious epiphany about two decades ago.
At first, says Rutte, his colleagues warned him not to bring spiritual
matters into the office. Talking about golf was OK, but God was
off limits.
“Everybody in those days in Toronto said, `Don’t talk about this,
you’re crazy, you’ll lose your reputation.”‘
Today, says Rutte, although some North American workplaces remain
wary of spiritual matters, the stigma is washing away. One reason is
that Baby Boomers have turned to religion as they have grown older.
Rutte also says a decade of lost innocence in the workplace — thanks
to rounds of corporate layoffs as a result of technology advances,
outsourcing and cost-cutting — has shattered employees’ faith in
job security and “driven many people into the arms of spirituality.”
Rutte now lectures on the subject at workplaces around the continent.
“I can’t tell you how many times in talks I’ve given, where working
people have come up to me and said, `I thought I was the only person
in the world having these thoughts.’ Over and over I’ve heard it.
“That hunger for spiritual meaning — to know that your life makes
a difference — is part of the human condition,” he says, “but we’ve
not thought it possible until recently to have that talked about and
nourished in the workplace.”
At Blackmont Capital, David Ekmekjian is convinced that his office
prayer group does far more than nourish only the souls around the
boardroom table. He says his group prayed for many weeks for a little
girl, known to the group, who was born with a hole in her heart.
“About a year ago the hole began to close up, and cardiologists at
the Hospital for Sick Children said they’d never seen anything like it
before,” says Ekmekjian. “Strangely enough, our prayers got answered.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress