PRESS OFFICE
Department of Communications
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 160; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: jakeg@armeniandiocese.org
Website:
December 20, 2006
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YOUTH TURN OUT TO FOCUS ON FUTURE OF ACYOA
Thirty young people from four parishes from four different states gathered
at the St. Mary Church of Washington, D.C., to discuss and strengthen their
personal faith and to focus on the future of the Armenian Church Youth
Organization of America (ACYOA).
It was the second regional conference sponsored by the ACYOA this winter on
Saturday, December 2, 2006, that brought together young faithful from the
St. James Church of Richmond, VA; the St. Thomas Church of Tenafly, NJ; the
Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, PA; and the host parish, the St. Mary
Church of Washington, DC.
WANTS AND NEEDS
One session of the day-long conference, titled "Why do I need the Church?,"
was conducted by Lucia Seyranyan, a marriage and family therapist for the
Department of the Navy working in Washington, D.C. During the interactive
session, which included small group work as well as individual reflection,
participants focused on needs and wants of individuals and how it relates to
the church.
"We all have needs and wants," Seyranyan said. "The question each of us
must ask ourselves is which one is motivating our relationship with God and,
by extension, the church."
Participants identified ways the church fulfills an individual’s wants and
needs. They discussed whether or not these needs could be met by other
institutions, concluding that while many of our needs can be met elsewhere,
our need for salvation can only be met by the church.
CHRISTIAN HABITS
Participants also explored the daily habits of Christians during a session
titled "What is a Christian: The Habits of a Disciple," which was led by
Daron Bolat, youth director at the St. Mary Church.
After consulting a dictionary, participants discovered that the definition
of a Christian and the definition of a disciple are one and the same. They
were then challenged to make a list of what Christians do and compare it to
a list of what Christ did. This, Bolat said, is what we are called as
Christians to do — to imitate Christ in our actions and service to others.
"Do not rely upon the vain hope of the foolish, who say the true faith alone
is enough to save a Christian from suffering and make him worthy of the
kingdom," Bolat said quoting St. Nersess Shnorhali."
TOUGH QUESTIONS
Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian, pastor of the St. Mary Church, participated in the
whole day of discussions, and led one of the last sessions of the day: "Hot
Topics," a question and answer session where participants were able to ask
him questions about the church openly and anonymously.
LOOKING AHEAD
During the second half of the day, participants joined ACYOA Central Council
members — attending the session at St. Mary was ACYOA Chair Greg Andonian,
Secretary Sarine Zenian, Program Coordinator Talin Hitik, and ACYOA
Executive Secretary Nancy Basmajian — in exploring the future of the
organization.
In an effort to be more effective in reaching out to young adults, the ACYOA
Central Council has been working on a survey to gather information from its
members. One of the first questions asked during the session was "What is
the purpose of the ACYOA?" The Central Council was very heartened with
responses that included: "to bring Armenian Church youth to Christ," "to
teach youth what it is to be Armenian," "to provide experiences in
leadership and fellowship" and "to give youth a voice in the Church."
Other areas discussed were how the Central Council can communicate more
effectively with its members and how it can promote the growth of the
organization and its programming efforts.
"The conference was an over all great success because the Central Council
was able to collect a lot of feedback about the organization, what the
members want, and how to better serve the youth of the Armenian Church,"
Andonian said. "Some great ideas were shared. There is a very clear and
strong direction that the ACYOA is moving in. These think-tank sessions
provide the essential element for the growth of our organization."
— 12/20/06
E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,
PHOTO CAPTION (1): Daron Bolat, youth director at the St. Mary Church of
Washington, D.C., leads a session discussing the habits of Christians during
the ACYOA Mid-Atlantic regional conference on December 2, 2006.
PHOTO CAPTION (2): Participants in the ACYOA Mid-Atlantic regional
conference discuss the needs met by participation in church life.
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