By Lara Kassardjian, Member, AMAC
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On Saturday, July 20, 2024, the 178th Anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church, the Annual Meeting of the Armenian Missionary Association of Canada (AMAC), and the 40th Anniversary of the Association were held in the beautiful town of Gananoque, in Ontario, Canada. The congregants of the four Armenian Evangelical Churches of Canada were excited to be part of this very long-awaited gathering.
The day began with a fellowship hour followed by a worship service at the Grace United Church. Rev. Takouhi Demirdjian-Petro, Pastor of Grace United Church, welcomed the attendees and Rev. Georges Dabbo, Pastor of the First Armenian Evangelical Church of Montreal, gave a short historical background of the founding of the first Armenian Evangelical Church on July 1, 1846, in Istanbul, Turkey. He emphasized how God is still with us, sustaining and strengthening us, as He promises in Hebrews 13:5 and Philippians 4:13. He then welcomed new seminary graduate Sevag Melkonian and led the congregation into a worship service. It was beautiful to see participants wholeheartedly praising the Lord with Armenian hymns and worship songs, such as “Blessed Assurance (Օրհնեալ Երաշխիք).”
Rev. Ara Balekjian, Pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Cambridge, read the scripture passage for the message delivered by Rev. Avedis Boynerian, Guest Pastor of the Armenian Church of the Martyrs in Worcester, MA.
Rev. Boynerian gave a small glimpse into the history of Armenian Evangelicals. Years ago, Armenian Evangelicals were known as the “Open Bible Church,” and even now we still rely on God’s Word, and we witness the power associated with it. Once Mesrob Mashtots discovered the Armenian alphabet, the first book he translated to Armenian was the Bible. He knew there was power to change lives in those words. Rev. Boynerian’s message emphasized the importance of continuing to raise devoted Armenian Christians, including youth and Christian leaders like Vartan Mamigonian, who proclaimed “No one can separate us from our Christian faith.” Rev. Boynerian also emphasized that we need a new generation of parents who will continue transmitting Biblical knowledge to their children. He concluded his message by saying: “The Bible remains a modern book, whose principles still apply even in these changing times and cultures.” His presentation ended with a prayer and a reminder to continue reading the Bible and praying fervent prayers.
Rev. Mardiros Eglenceyan, Pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Montreal, closed the worship service with his remarks on the Armenian Evangelical Movement and the AMAC, followed by a hymn and his Pastoral Benediction.
Following the worship service, AMAC President Raffi Shnorhokian praised the Lord for raising up three new laborers from Canada: Chahe Bakmazjian, Sevag Melkonian, and Zohrab Sarkissian. Rev. Dabbo joined him on the pulpit and shared words of advice and encouragement with them. All the pastors present joined Rev. Dabbo to pray for the new seminary graduates and each graduate received a congratulatory gift of books about Armenian Christianity and the Armenian Evangelical Church.
Following a delicious lunch, some of the attendees went on a boat cruise of the 1000 Islands, while some stayed back and enjoyed time of fellowship with friends they hadn’t seen in years.
During the afternoon session, Mr. Shnorhokian welcomed everyone back to the church sanctuary and Rev. Balekjian offered a prayer before the AMAC Annual Membership Meeting, The AMAC President gave a yearly report and presented the financial report in the absence of the Treasurer Jack Kafesdjian. Mr. Shnorhokian presented the humanitarian programs AMAC is involved in – Armenia, Lebanon, Syria, as well as Canada. He also referenced the two AMAC Benefit concerts which were held in Montreal and Toronto and attended by guest Viktor Karapetyan, AMAA Representative to Artsakh.
True to its mission, the AMAC will continue to implement programs such as Child Sponsorship, support for schools, Scholarships, Project Revive for displaced families from Artsakh with immediate short-term and long-term support, and many other programs.
At the conclusion of the Annual Meeting, new Board members were elected, and the previous ones were thanked for their many years of dedicated service.
Following the Annual Meeting, Salpi Nercessian led the AMAC 40th Anniversary Celebrations and thanked the founders of AMAC. Vanda Aintablian performed Աստուած իմ Երբ Հոգիս Նայի “Asdvadz Im Yerp Hokis Nayi,” a hymn to thank God for the AMAC. Mrs. Nercessian presented the history of AMAA and AMAC, whose objectives were to address the physical and spiritual needs of Armenians in North America and abroad.
The presence of the founding members of AMAC, Mihran Jizmejian and Hagop Basmadjian, was acknowledged. Both have served the AMAC in leadership capacities for many years with great dedication and diligence. Each of them shared memories of founding the AMAC, the challenges they faced, and how the organization persevered, despite the challenges.
Following Raffi Shnorhokian and Karno Simonian performing two hymns on piano and saxophone) Ինչ Մեծ Ես Դուն (How Great Thou Art) and Փառք Տանք Գոհունակ Սրտով (Let’s Give Praise With Grateful Hearts), AMAA Representative in Canada Harout Nercessian made a PowerPoint presentation of AMAC supported projects, in 24 countries. He focused mainly on four areas: Church and Evangelism, Education, Humanitarian, and Youth. Mr. Nercessian emphasized the AMAC’s help for Shamlian Tatigian Armenian Evangelical Secondary School in Nor Marash, Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon and Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar, especially its boarding school. He highlighted AMAC’s efforts to be part of God’s mission to lift up and restore the dignity of the poor, the underserved and the marginalized, as emphasized by Psalm 113:7-8
In her closing remarks, Mrs. Nercessian made an appeal for continued support and prayers and reminded us to look to the future, to continue this mission, and to grow, showing God’s love to everyone.
Rev. Boynerian ended the day with a prayer thanking God for the founding members, for the 40 years of outreach to those in need, and for the current leadership, members, and programs of the Association.
Mrs. Nercessian led those in attendance in singing “Happy Birthday AMAC” as the 40th Anniversary cake was brought in and later cut for everyone to enjoy.
What a nice conclusion to an amazing and beautiful day. We all departed with new memories, as well as a newfound zeal to pursue our individual and collective mission to follow God, as well as love and serve wholeheartedly.
