ARCHIVES from 2003

If you were with him, he'd offer you a cup of joe,  but here on the web... well, pour yourself a cup, sit down and read some,  

"Thoughts along the way..." by Fr. Vazken

Continuing Meditation: People were bringing little children to Jesus in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. - Mark 10

Some notes prior to DV's Notebook

On Preston platform do your soft shoe shuffle dance. Brush away the cigarette ash that's falling down your pants. And you sadly wonder does the nurse treat your old man the way she should. She made you tea, asked for your autograph what a laugh.

Well the lush separation unfolds you and the products of wealth push you along on the bow wave of the spiritless undying selves. And you press on God's waiter your last dime as he hands you the bill. And you spin in the slipstream tideless - unreasoning - paddle right out of the mess.

Written for your convenient reading pleasure in reverse chronological order (the latest entry is up on top). The entry process is a slow one, but ignore the lateness of the dates, more to come soon...

May 3, 2003

A Tribute to Archbishop Vatche Hovsepian

April 10, 2003

We’re working inside the new building – cleaning and preparing for our opening this weekend. An Armenian mother, at least 80 years of age, comes to the doors of the church and peaks in. I greet her and welcome her in. She hesitates and quickly asks what kind of church we are? I answer, ‘An Armenian Church.’ She puts on a smile. I feel good that our church will be able to reach out to the community. I invited her to attend the Badarak. She then said, “Oh, you are an Apostolic Church.” She quickly drew the boundaries, “I am Armenian Evangelical,” she said, “Thank God I have a church to worship at.”

It was a sad commentary on where we are as a community. How quick we are to establish our divisions and separations. It gave me a moment to pause and reflect. It reminded me of the great work that is ahead of us.

April 9, 2003

Today we entered into the church. We took the items that would make up our work space in the new church and center. We’re working diligently with a small group of people to make this new building the center from which all of our activities will be facilitated. Walking into the new space which will become a living Armenian Church is awe inspiring – an awe which allows us to lift up our praise to God.

April 8, 2003

This is the third building project I’ve been involved in. The first was at St. Andrew, Cupertino where we built a new sanctuary and center from ground up. The second was at St. Gregory, Pasadena. Today, the new youth center is built in Glendale. It took 40 days – from the beginning of the Lenten Season to today – the end of Lent.

What is most striking about the building process here is that there is complete trust among the participants and  delegation of responsibility. There is a benefactor, a contractor and a priest. Each understood themselves as part of the whole, without crossing over each other’s territory. The donor is a business man and understands the nuances of funding a project. The builder understands the elements of construction. The priest presents the plan for a church. Together the project happens.

A building has to be an outward expression of our faith. There is no sense in building something that stands as an empty monument. Our Lord Jesus cautions us, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matt 23:27)

Today, many churches are erected as whitewashed tombs – beautiful on the outside but rotted on the inside. The building has to facilitated the needs of a living community for it to be worthy of the title of church.

6 April 2003

The Armenian School students participate in an Armenian history competition at the Ararat Home. Our kids, Sevan, Hrand, Cynthia and Sossi made up the team from the Hovsepian School.

It was a healthy competition. We truly have a remarkable history as Armenians. So many small events with big implications. Most of it contains all that elements necessary to keep a people going – believing in tomorrow. Almost out of necessity for survival – we cling to a history rich in triumphs – even during our darkest moments.

3 April 2003

We received word that we’d be able to enter our church/youth center on Palm Sunday. We had been working toward this target date and again, God has brought us to another weigh station – to evaluate our progress and know we’re headed toward the goal.

Many people are stopping by the building now and looking in. Many are amazed at how quickly the progress is going. When you have a mission and the parties involved are cooperative, God blesses that with success. Our Lord Jesus teaches us, “He who has been faithful with a little, even more will be entrusted.” It is obvious that our mission is now expanding and the new church will give us the means to give our best to the youth and the Youth Ministry.

30 March 2003

Costa Mesa – St. Mary Armenian Church, I offered the sermon for the day. We heard the youth choir at this parish. This was the third youth choir that I heard during the last few months. Each one of them is worthy of our support and encouragement. Behind each one is a priest who sets a tone and a vision for the group. These priests need our prayers and our support for them to continue in the direction that will bring children closer to God in the way of the Armenian Church.

23 March 2003

We unveiled the center to my closest workers – my kids. I brought a small group over to the center so that they can see with their own eyes the progress of the construction and have hope for tomorrow.

This is the group that have been with us through the trials of the last month and understand their place within the Armenian Church on a broader scale. We sat and talked. We discussed our plans. Their input is the most important to me at this point. We’re moving forward with plans to touch the youth. Unless we’re open to their thoughts and dreams, we will be kept in a state of slumber as a ministry. To realize a dream, you must first wake up. And that we did with the kids.

They were all moved by the magnitude of the promise through the center. We’re working feverishly now so that we begin use of the building by Holy Week this year.

22 March 2003

We held a “Badarak 101” class at the Fresno St. Paul Church. This was organized by the Central Council of the ACYO and we had a very low turn out. What would you expect on a Saturday. But we went ahead with the class and by the end of it, all the participants agreed about the importance of these types of educational.

Here was a switch – one of the participants said, “We liked this class, because in our Sunday Schools we only get Bible lessons and nothing about the Badarak.” Ah… I recall just a few years back when the complaint was, “Where’s the Bible, all we get is Armenian Church tradition!”

  Today’s lesson – focus on quality, not quantity.

21 March 2003

Met with the ACYO Central Council today. Still not all of them as a whole, but with minus one, it was about as good as it was going to get. We talked, introduced and discussed. Basically, wanted to present my vision for the Ministry and where we’re headed with our efforts. Hopefully, this meeting will yield some more honest cooperation between the Department and the ACYO. I’m hopeful.

20 March 2003

The War against Iraq began. We’re bombing. Hopefully soon it will be over. Kids are apprehensive. We’re addressing this through our Sunday School emailing. Perhaps the greatest mistake we can make will be to ignore the obvious and not discuss this with our kids. I’m directing the Sunday School teachers and workers to open up with the children and have their express themselves in the light of this.

Beyond the killing and the ugliness of hatred is the message we are now sending out clearly – conflicts are resolved by force. He who has more force and might will win. Not really the Lenten message of choice for us!

19 March 2003

It is the mid-point of Lent. It has been exciting this year. We have been filled with prayer for our Ministry, in the meantime the Ministry has been expanding.

I was asked to speak at the St. John Armenian Church in Hollywood for their Hsgoom service and Michink. It was refreshing to hear the hymns of Hsgoom sung by a group of people who had checked their egos at the door. I had been to the church the Sunday earlier, and enjoyed the voices of their youth choir. The music should elevate people to fly with the angels. It had been years since I had heard such sincere and uplifting music and expression in church.

Fr. Manoog Markarian, the pastor of St. John made an observation worth repeating here. He said that Lent is not merely a time, but is a time of year with purpose. He was commenting on the use of the word Lent by many secular organizations in the Armenian community – who would tie the word with secular events. “Lenten Meal” but with butter on the table! “Lenten dance” – self explanatory. “Lenten Sale” is probably up and coming in America. It is tragic that our churches even fall into this trap by offering fish fries as a way of coping with Lent. How about fashion shows? (Another one that needs no explanation.)

Lent is a period of reflection. It is a time the Church has set for us to retreat and come down to the bear essentials. Lent has to have purpose in our lives – not merely a time where we give up.

I watched an on-line discussion the other day where the main question/answer and focus was the outward practices of Lent – what to eat, how to eat, how to observe, etc. It was never the will of our Church Fathers for us to put form before content in observing this holy time.

15 March 2003

Every day we’ve been monitoring the progress on our church building. Every day we see hope and find new ways and means of using this facility. We met with Jouliet Ghazarian. She will be leading the mentoring and tutoring programs for our ministry. It is refreshing to find young people with this sense of commitment to offer back to the community. I’m looking forward to working with her and having her on our team.

We attended a class at Hoover High School at Linda and Jose’s invitation. It gave us a chance to see and work with young people at a very vulnerable time in their lives. It gave us a picture of the work that is out there and in need of addressing, especially by the Armenian Church. I’m very optimistic about the work we’re embarking on.

The location of the building – strategically across the street from Hoover High and Toll Middle School – is not by accident. The ministry is being brought to the people and for that reason alone we should be sure that God is working with us.

13 March 2003

I had a designer/architect with me at the site yesterday. She gave professional opinions about the use of space for our church and ministry. It was a means by which God was reaching out to our efforts her. Only a little over a week into the building project and we’re forming and molding the walls – both physical and spiritual – to accommodate a people who will be impacted by the work coming from this church.

Her contributions were more than those sketched out on paper and napkins. It was reminder of the different talents that God has endowed each of us with. The uniqueness of this project is that each of us on the building team knows what we are and who we are in the equation. The builder builds, the donor provides, the priest envisions and the architect places the form. This is the model for the rest of our operations, where we can begin looking to the talents of each in their own specialty.

12 March 2003

Lecture at CSUN. I was invited by Professor Hermine Masseredjian to address her class about the changing role of Armenian women. Naturally, I chose to go in a tangent about the role of women in the church. This topic has held personal interest to me ever since the ordination of Seta Simonian back in 1984. Being the sponsor of that ordination and subsequently working on recruitment of other girls for a broader role within the Armenian Church, I am always ready to discuss this issue.

What is fascinating to me is the attitudes that are so prevalent among the youth. You might expect it from an older generation, but today you have young people who are older in spirit than their parents. It is confounding in many ways when you encounter a narrow minded spirit in the young people. They foster prejudices that have been handed down to them – women are unclean, women can’t serve God outside the kitchen – and they defend those prejudices despite the illogic.

It was a hard crowd this day.

3 March 2003

Lent has begun. I just returned from Phoenix. What a wonderful group of people. The young people were excited to learn and hear of our ministry. They were extremely receptive and opened up their lives to us.

I have big hopes for this community. It has not been corrupted by the baggage that comes with organizing a formal parish. It also shows how important the role of the priest is within a faith community. There is a trend around the Armenian diocese – both here and in the Eastern Diocese – to bypass the priest – to believe that a parish can be maintained by the efforts of a Parish Council alone. Some pastors have contributed to this notion by not going beyond the Sunday-to-Sunday routine. But mostly, because we have over emphasized the role of the councils within our structure, there is a trend to ignore the cleric.

In communities such as Phoenix, where you see the people rallying around the church and that, because a group of dedicated people have put the Church above their egos, you understand that the addition of a clergyman will give a new sense of direction according to the Gospel teaching.

I was truly impressed by all the work done by the Phoenix community and look forward to spending more time with the youth there. They had a lot of energy in them.

Also had a chance to meet with Gita Saraydarian. She running the Torkom Saraydarian University a ways up from Phoenix. Her father, Torkom, was my teacher. He was a priest of the Armenian Church, who understood himself in broader terms which ultimately impacted the lives of many through his teaching and writings. He has an incredible number of books and I was inspired –as always –from our meeting with Gita.

28 February 2003

The building – the new home for the Youth Ministries – is now under construction. The negotiations with Mr. Mehrabian have proved to be painless. He is truly a gentleman with a purpose and a commitment to what he believes. Most remarkably about his style is that he comes to the table with respect in his heart. In return, he gains all of our respect.

The plan is this – make this new building at 632 W. Stocker into an Armenian Church that has a focus on Armenian youth. It will be the centerpiece for the Youth Ministries from which we can reach out to our community and our youth. It will facilitate our outreach to the ACYO, Sunday School and Camp program.

The time line is by Easter. Its hard to believe that this old building – with stories of faith in the walls – will now be transformed to be a new addition to the 2000 year history of the Armenian Church.

Our youth have been alerted. The prayers have begun and the hammers are pounding.

27 February 2003

We celebrated Vartanantz at the Hovsepian School. It was interesting that the school remembered the church’s hero while the church was busy making plans for dinner party the next night. I understand, Vartanantz is passé. There aren’t too many people who appreciate the magnitude and implications of this event.

 For this reason, I initiated a competition for the children of the school – to write about the importance of the Vartanantz today. We offered a small cash prize to stimulate participation. We had quite a number of entries, many clichés, but still healthy. A young girl from the 8^th grade one. I promised I’d place the entry on our website for all to read.

 Vartanantz is a strange one event for kids to understand – we’re celebrating a loss! We lost the battle but won the war, we say, but the real war is being fought. In every real sense, it’s a battle that is still being fought and each generation has the opportunity to decide who is the victor and who is the victim.

25 February 2003

This week we began a new service for the Sunday School teachers – and hopefully for everyone to also use – an electronic messaging service to supplement our now-suffering and aged curriculum. It received some good reviews. It will also give me a chance to keep a pulse of what’s happening in Christian education – in and out of our diocese and Church.

 There are some real concerns that we should all share, namely, what do we have to offer our children by way of a Church. Its okay to speak the rhetoric, but it won’t buy us much. In a very real sense, Sunday School has failed its mission. If it had done its work, it would have produced a new generation that would be filling our pews. Much like the ACYO, which has now probably worn out its welcome. When Abp. Tiran Nersoyan first established and envisioned the scope of the ACYO, the complexion of the community was much different, it was more homogenous. We have many factors competing and vying for our children and their attention.

 Today, we’re looking at the entire picture for our youth and see this Ministry as a way of addressing not only by stop-gap measures but also by addressing ills that are plaguing the entire Church.

24 February 2003

The 30 Hour Famine is over. I can’t think of not doing this event. It always gives me a boost and faith that our efforts are not in vain. A drum-circle was added to our activities this year. I brought in Gregory Beylerian – who has a deep love for art is manifest in every avenue of his life – and it reflects beautifully in the way he approaches and works with young people. He’s a blessing to know and have in our community.

 We collected $16,000 for the poor and hungry. Not a bad feat for 38 kids. There is strength and power in our youth. I’m proud of them. This year we also felt the ugly head of prejudice rise one more time. You can only feel bad and pray for them – it is their loss when they disconnect with the love these children have. 

13 February 2003

I met with Sebu Srpazan – the Primate of Gougark (Vanadzor) and we established a sister-camp venture with him. We will be providing much needed funds for the orphans and abandoned children who make use of the camp in Vanadzor. To this day, our ACYO kids through the 30 Hour Famine have provided for the needs of this camp and now we will increase the funds by going to a diocesan level of sponsorship.

9 February 2003

My father passed away 12 years ago today. We went to the gravesite. I mention it here, only because the Youth Ministry was something he truly believed in. I know he would have been one of my biggest supporters today. He supported the Armenian Schools, not with money alone, but by sending his children there. He knew the value of innocence in youth and how that innocent mind needed nurturing.

8 February 2003

Just returned from a retreat with the Hoover High School 9th Graders. It was a means of reducing prejudice and getting youth started on the right footing. The principal of the school Mrs. Hasmig Danielian lead the group. She received well deserved respect from the kids. Linda Maxwell lead some of the workshops which dealt with stereotypes. 

This was the beginning of good things to come. It is obvious. I hesitated to take the laptop with me on this one. I wish I had. I have a lot of handwritten notes which will now have to be transcribed and added here later.

Came back to an ACYO Central Council meeting. As mentioned earlier - this will be the challenge for us.

5 February 2003

I met Bishop Sebu Chouljian, the Primate of Gougark (Vanadzor, Armenia). He expressed his appreciation for the work we had done in securing funds for his diocese and most especially for the orphans and homeless now within his care. Most of the money was collected through the efforts of our youth - in the ACYO. 

It is a natural tie of youth with youth that makes these types of programs doable and attractive. I met with some of the ACYO members who had assisted in the past, and they are ready and eager to help. They are repulsed by the idea that the parish council members at their church have even suggested that their efforts to collect for the poor are in vain, that there are more important things to do as Armenian Church youth. The efforts of the simple minded cannot hamper the progress of God's work. 

We began finding means of further assistance to our brothers and sisters in Vanadzor.

2 February 2003

Its been said, "Be careful what you pray for, you may just get it!"  And so... the Department of Youth Ministries is born and growing by leaps and bounds. 

God's calling is loud and clear. He's asking us to reach out to the youth of our communities in a special way. We're up against materialism, apathy, hopelessness, to name just of few of our enemies. These aren't new ails; every new generation has had to react to the difficulties of the day. But fortunately, we're armed with the same weapon that has combated these challenges throughout the centuries: The Armenian Church.

We're all aware that the Armenian Church comes with a lot of baggage. Its 2000 year history can work against it in terms of relevancy to our youth. It's only when we look deep within the Armenian Church - at its core - and find that it IS the Body of Christ - it is part and parcel the One who can NEVER lose relevance - that we understand Her power. Herein lies the challenge for this ministry - to make the Love of Christ accessible to a generation in need of love, faith and hope.

Thanks to the countless number of people who have been praying for this ministry. Here's your invitation to join in one of the most dynamic areas of our Armenian Church today. We'll be building resources during the next few weeks. I hope you'll get involved on the ground level. Drop me a line and let me know how you can help. Together, we'll be rising to the challenge and answering the call of God.

January 31, 2003

One of the giants of the Armenian Church during the last century was Archbishop Shnork Kalustian. He was a primate of the American Diocese and later became Patriarch of Istanbul. I had several occasions to meet with him. The most memorable for me was a couple of days we spent together in 1984 while I was a priest in San Jose.

He was a spiritual man in many ways. His work speaks for itself. He was a deep man. Strangely, his most popular achievement was a small paperback book called Saints and Sacraments. It was originally published by the ACYO in the 1950s. Subsequently, it has become a staple in the Sunday School classroom and in the world of Armenian Church newsletters.

No other book (Bible included) is more quoted in parish newsletters than Saints and Sacraments. Its ease of use and clear writing style has made it indispensable for the parish newsletter editor who is looking for filler and/or a spiritual message amid all the barren pages advertising kufta dinners and kebab picnics. Its interesting, because religion and spirituality has become an after-thought in our churches. Newsletters, which reflect the pulse of a community/parish, will fill their pages with secular events and then, quite obviously, will search for a message of spiritual comfort. Enter Saints and Sacraments – a compendium of Christian Armenian instructional literature. Its a fantastic book because it speaks in an accessible language. Furthermore, it's focused on its mission - to present a brief overview of the saints and sacraments of the Armenian Church. 

Producing content has always been a challenge for us in America. The Eastern Diocese has been at the forefront of content-production for years. Preparing content for a new generation is a challenge that this ministry will focus on. Through this electronic medium, we hope to archive a general sense of where we are headed as a ministry and the direction for the Armenian Church.

30 January 2003

Met with Linda Maxwell of We Care for Youth. She is an inspiration. She was the one who first alerted me to the growing need for spirituality among the youth of our community many years ago. We outreached to the community in the past. Now we share a common target area.

Her offices are in Hoover High School in Glendale. Its across the street from our new proposed center of operations. We'll be working together for the benefit of our children. Add an additional dimension to the Youth Ministry which keeps expanding daily and exponentially. 

Remarkably - every day I run across people who join on the bandwagon. Not only are they not scared by the work ahead of us, but they jump on wanting to take on the hardest tasks. This is a God ordained ministry.

27 January 2003

We had a briefing with the Sunday School Central Council. Of the operating Sunday Schools in the Diocese, volunteers are the backbone of the program. The curriculum, 'We Believe' continues to be used, but is tired. Teachers are asking for more relevant material. 

24 January 2003

Tried to get in with the ACYO Central Council, but understand some challenges to overcome. 

20 January 2003

Martin Luther King Jr. Day in America. It was another opportunity to focus on the road ahead. During the height of the Civil Rights Movement in America, King answered a pressing question, "Why we can't wait." There is no time to wait around for nonsense which shackles people to a slavery of ignorance and death. 

There is a parallel question plaguing the Armenian Church. There is no longer any time to wait to move forward. The people have lived in the darkness of superstitions and fear for too long. There is no time to wait. The King holiday should challenge us to look within - whereas the Civil Right Movement liberated many, there needs to be a liberation of sorts in our Church. The people we are touching are ready for it.

17 January 2003

A gentleman offered us a church to facilitate our ministry. It sits across the street from a cluster of school in Glendale - the largest population of Armenian youth outside of Yerevan. Is there a more appropriate place for an Armenian Church which focuses on youth?

God is giving us the strength and the resources to now touch the community in a way it has never experienced before. 

15 January 2003

A new day. The Department of Youth Ministries has been established by His Eminence Archbishop Vatché Hovsepian. We refrained from using the title "Youth Director" because herewith we have an opportunity to create a ministry - one which focuses on the needs of the youth.

The Sunday School, Camp and ACYO - all well established within our Diocese - will be the targets of this ministry, but far more, we have now a tool to touch the unchurched within our communities.

Prayer is the cornerstone to the success of this ministry. I ask that we pray that God's blessing shower upon us as we embark upon this new mission within the Armenian Church.

© 2003, Fr. Vazken Movsesian. No part of this content may be reproduced either physically or electronically, nor used for any purpose without the expressed permission of Fr. Vazken Movsesian.