Publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America MARCH/APR 2006 - Vol. XL No. 2 (ISSN 1097-0924) E D I T O R I A L M E S S A G E He Lives... Andrew Torigian “After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. AMAA NEWS Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do is a publication of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652. me.’ “ (Matthew 28:1-10) Tel. (201) 265-2607; Fax (201) 265-6015 E-Mail: [email protected]; “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Website: www.amaa.org Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but The AMAA is a Tax Exempt, not for profit organi- zation under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3) some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of Andrew Torigian, Executive Director Dikran Youmshakian, Field Director all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and Al DePaola Jr. Operations Director of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have OFFICERS commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of H. Steven Aharonian, M.D. President the age.’ “ (Matthew 28:16-20) John Cherkezian, Vice President Peter Kougasian, Esq., Vice President The above verse from the Bible clearly indicates that Jesus Christ Harry Dulgarian, Recording Secretary has been raised from the dead and all authority has been given to Him. Gary Phillips, Esq. Recording Secretary Aram R. Minnetian, Treasurer If this is true, then we all need to believe in Him and be His follower. David Hekemian, Assistant Treasurer Jesus has risen from the dead and is alive with us to the end. EDITORIAL BOARD Jesus had told His disciples in Matthew 17:22-23 “The Son of Man is Andrew Torigian, Editor going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him and on the Louisa Janbazian, Associate Editor, Layout & Design third day he will be raised.” Jesus’ resurrection restored Him to have Dikran Youmshakian & Al DePaola, Advisors authority over all things. Therefore, since He has power over all things, CHANGE OF ADDRESS His cause cannot fail. For this reason alone, we should trust Him and In order to keep our mailing list up to date, follow Him. He has the power to free you from sin. If He is with you to please send all corrections, along with the old address to: AMAA NEWS, 31 W. Century Rd., the end, you will never lose. Paramus, NJ 07652 E-mail: [email protected] For over 86 years, the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) has been touching the lives of Armenians around the world with PRINTING Printsolutions, Englewood, NJ (201) 567-9622 this Good News: He Lives! And 91 years after the Genocide, Armenians continue to experience the power of this resurrection in their lives. COVER PICTURE Qristos \ar;au i m;5;loz1 &rfn;al h \aroujiunn Qristosi! Future Leadership in Middle East - Qristos \ar;au i m;5;loz1 &rfn;al h \aroujiunn Qristosi! Armenian Seminarians at Krisdos haryav ee merelotz orhnyal e haroutiounn Krisdosi. Near East School of Theology (Christ is risen from the dead. Blessed be the resurrection of Christ.) 2 AMAA NEWS, MARCH/APRIL 2006 M I D D L E E A S T A Striving and Surviving Community in Lebanon " ur schools are determined to con- 15-year long civil O tinue to serve our children and youth war. There is total against all odds, but will need your constant uncertainty and the support”, Rev. Megerdich Karagoezian told economy, in gen- the AMAA Field Director, Dikran eral, is at a stand- Youmshakian during their meeting at the still. Union headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon. In the midst of Mr. Youmshakian was recently appointed such uneasy condi- Field Director of the Armenian Missionary tions there is still a Association of America (AMAA) and part vibrant and active of his responsibilities are visits to the mis- Armenian commu- sion field. As such, this was his first trip to nity, with churches, the Middle East visiting Armenian Evan- schools, cultural or- gelical Churches, schools and institutions ganizations, etc. in Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Mr. There are, for ex- Youmshakian was accompanied by Hagop ample, five active Krikorian from Armenia who made a video Armenian Evan- The compassionate care an elder receives at the Old Age Home in CAHL. recording of the mission field and will pre- gelical Churches in Lebanon and seven are under the direct supervision of the Union pare a documentary on the work in the schools. All schools except two are affili- in the Near East – Armenian Evangelical Middle East. The Field Director during his ated with a church as follows: the Armenian Guertmenian School in Hadjin and the Ar- visits to churches in North America will use Evangelical College with the First Armenian menian Evangelical School of Trad. the pictures to create more awareness of the Evangelical Church of Beirut; the Armenian As a result of immigration and due to urgent needs of our communities through- Evangelical Central High School with the Ar- economic restraints, most families are not out the Middle East. menian Evangelical Church of Ashrafieh; the able to pay any tuition and the school popu- The first stop was Lebanon and a meet- Armenian Evangelical Shamlian Tatigian lation has decreased, making it harder for ing with the leadership of the Union of the School with the Armenian Evangelical all schools to meet their needs. Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near Church of Nor Marash; the Armenian Evan- The AMAA, who has been a pioneer in East. The President of the Union, Rev. gelical Torossian Middle School with the supporting needy children, established a Megerdich Karagoezian gave an update and Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church Child Education Sponsorship Program (long described the difficulties faced by our com- (Dora); and the Armenian Evangelical Sec- before the Civil War of Lebanon) to pro- munity in general and in particular with our ondary School with the Armenian Evangeli- vide tuition aid to help needy students. The schools. Unfortunately, political tensions cal Church of Ainjar. The two other schools AMAA remains committed to keep Arme- in the area, in Lebanon in particular, have provide elementary level education only and nian children in Armenian schools and thus prevented the country’s recovery from the are not affiliated with a particular church, but does its best to support the schools finan- Sanjak Camp Rita Lao, social worker in Lebanon, visiting a needy family with a subsidy of food supplies. AMAA NEWS, MARCH/APRIL 2006 3 M I D D L E E A S T cially. The service Armenian Evangelical Schools provide to the new generation is unique as it combines the required local curriculum with both Armenian and Chris- tian Education. During the visits to each school, it was evident that even though the schools were hit hard financially, their academic achieve- ments were excellent. All four high schools ranked high with almost all students pass- ing the Baccalaureate exams. The schools provide a continuous supply to Haigazian University, which is the only Armenian in- stitution of higher education in the Arme- nian Diaspora. The visit to Haigazian University (HU) and the meeting with its President, Dr. Paul Haidostian, was very inspiring. Mr. Youmshakian, a graduate of HU himself, was encouraged to see the buildings reno- KG Students at Trad School enjoying a moment infront of the camera. vated and improved, with a record number of students (over 800 in the spring semes- ate attention is the Sanjak Camp where 18 their roots in the Middle East. The Arme- ter of 2006). HU excels academically and Armenian families still live in very primi- nian community in Lebanon is very active many high school graduates consider it their tive conditions. The camp is the only one both politically and also in preserving the first choice. left from the early years when Armenian Armenian Christian Heritage. Yet today A meeting with Dr. Kevork refugees settled in the suburbs of Beirut. they need our support. Along with our con- Karaboyadjian, the Director of CAHL (Cen- The municipality of Bourdj Hammoud cern and prayers, we should share the re- ters for Armenian Handicapped in Lebanon) would like this area to be developed and sponsibility of helping our brothers and sis- was another great experience.