Tahoe Daily Tribune
May 4, 2007
Armenian church brings Divine Liturgy to Sierra

On Palm Sunday, April 1, members of the Tahoe, Reno and Carson City Armenian
communities gathered in South Lake Tahoe to celebrate the Armenian Apostolic
Church of Northern Sierra Region inaugural Divine Liturgy. The Armenian
Orthodox Christian Church has been around for centuries and there are
Armenian communities and churches throughout California.

There is old Armenian saying, "Wherever there are three Armenian families
there’ll be a church," and the communities in the Northern Sierra are
holding to that saying. Archpriest Father Sipan Mekhsian flew up from Los
Angeles for the occasion and Deacon Vartan Berberian traveled from El
Cerrito, Calif., to assist him. The congregation was 30 strong and enjoyed
fellowship after the Liturgy. The Holy Badarak was celebrated in the Lake
Tahoe Pizza Company banquet room. The owner, Levon Touryan, is a member of
the congregation and was honored to have the service at his facility.

The parish goal is to celebrate the Divine Liturgy the first Sunday of each
month in Northern Sierra towns in the hope to reach the entire Armenian
community. Services will rotate among Reno, South Lake Tahoe and Carson
City. The next service is scheduled at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 6, at the Plaza
Hotel in Carson City.

For more information contact the parish at (530) 577-1391.

e/20070504/COMMUNITY/105040056
Provided to the Tribune. Levon Touryan, owner of Lake Tahoe Pizza Company,
right, welcomes Deacon Herous Yeghiyaian of Reno, Archpriest Father Sipan
Mekhsian of Los Angeles, Deacon Vartan Berberian of El Cerrito and Deacon
Richard Charshafain of South Lake Tahoe, from left, at the Armenian
Apostolic Church of Northern Sierra Region celebration.