Press Release
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America
138 East 39th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 689-7810
Fax: (212) 689-7168
Email: email@armenianprelacy.org
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Contact: Iris Papazian

October 13, 2009

Eastern Prelacy Hosts Second Annual Linked In Gathering for Young Adults

NEW YORK, NY-The second annual Linked In Youth Gathering, hosted by the
Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America, took place the
weekend of September 25 to 27, at the Holy Virgin Mary Spiritual Vineyard in
Charlton, Massachusetts. Forty-one young professionals and college students
from the Mid-Atlantic and New England communities participated in a weekend
filled with education, spiritual enrichment, and bonding with peers. The
overall general theme for the weekend was "Know Your Church."

The gathering of the young adults began Friday evening. Participants were
welcomed with group ice-breakers, enjoyed dinner together, and then focused
their attention on the encyclical issued by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos
of the Great House of Cilicia, declaring 2009 as the Year of the Youth,
which was presented to them by Archpriest Fr. Aram Stepanian, pastor of St.
Asdvadzadzin Church in Whitinsville, Massachusetts. The evening ended with
Peace Service and then bedtime to be rested and ready for a full schedule of
activities beginning early Saturday morning.

Saturday morning, following morning services, Professor Michael Papazian,
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chairman of the Religion and
Philosophy Department at Berry College, Rome, Georgia, presented a lecture
on "Leadership in the Church." Participants were given insight into the
hierarchy within the Church and the various ways one can participate within
the Church to insure its longevity. Professor Papazian explained that "our
notion of leadership must change to conform to the Christian understanding
of leadership. A leader is a model of service, one who serves in a
commendable and outstanding way. And that kind of leadership can be
exercised regardless of one’s position or office in the Church. That kind of
leadership exists within all of the orders of the Church."

Bishop Anoushvan Tanielian, Vicar General of the Prelacy, provided the
attendees with an understanding of the Armenian Church’s place within the
larger Christian community with a presentation about the similarities and
differences between the Armenian Church and the Eastern Orthodox and
Catholic Churches. Bishop Anoushavan drew attention to the areas where there
is unity within the churches with respect to theological teachings, while
pointing out the Armenian Church’s position with respect to the differing
doctrines.

To help the youth understand how they may use their faith to be pillars of
both the Armenian Church and of their own Armenian families, Archpriest Fr.
Antrang Baljian, pastor of St. Stephen’s Church in Watertown, Massachusetts,
focused on the youth as pillars of family and church. He spoke about the
difficulties faced by the younger generation in today’s society and offered
ways to implement Christian values at home to counteract those difficulties.

The final lecture of the day was given by Yeretzgin Margaret Stepanian, who
discussed "Inward and Outward Dimensions of Mission." She focused on both
the philanthropic missionary work the youth may participate in, and the
inner mission to strengthen their Christian faith in their daily lives.

In addition to the enlightening and thought-provoking lectures during the
weekend, the participants had the opportunity to engage in small group
discussions, thereby facilitating dialogue about issues covered by the
lectures, and other concerns. The discussions were lively open forums where
the participants could express themselves while learning from one another
and helping one another understand and address various ideas and concerns.
The weekend also included an engaging bible study session led by Rev. Fr.
Stephan Baljian, pastor of St. Gregory Church in Granite City, Illinois, a
spiritual fellowship hour with the singing of Armenian hymns (sharagans) and
contemporary Christian songs led by Denise Borekjian, and meditations
offered by Ari Nalbandian, Tamar Harutunian, and Jeanette Nazarian.

Prior to the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, Bishop Anoushavan offered a slide
presentation on "Bible, Theology and Art in the Divine Liturgy." The
presentation focused on vestments and liturgical items used at the altar and
their theological meaning. This information enhanced the experience and
participation in the Liturgy that followed with Rev. Fr. Stephan Baljian
officiating. The Liturgy was followed by brunch, and then the concluding
event which was a wrap-up of the weekend with feedback, evaluation and
recommendations.

Although Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Eastern Prelacy, could
not attend personally, he expressed his thanks to the participants and the
presenters for making Linked In a spiritual, educational and social weekend.
"We must continue to sponsor retreats like Linked In for different age
groups of our youth. They must become an integral part and participating
members of our church. If we do not serve our youth, we will lose them and
have only ourselves to blame."

Before departing, participants offered their assessment of the weekend.
Nevair Oranjian from New York offered this comment: "This was my first year
at Linked In. It was a new experience for me. Although the duration was
short, the information I received was very influential. I benefited from the
lecture topics such as Armenian Church vs. Greek Orthodox and Catholic
Churches, Pillars of Family and Church; and most of all, Bible, Theology,
and Art in the Divine Liturgy. I would like to thank the Linked In committee
for providing the new generation with the opportunity to get together on a
meaningful and intellectual level."

Ari Nalbandian from Rhode Island made this observation: "This is the second
year I have been attending the Linked In weekend retreat, and have come out
of it both times with renewed faith and dedication. It gave me a chance to
ask questions about my religion and church to those who have spent many
years studying our faith. Basic and essential questions were answered, such
as the differences and similarities between the Armenian, Eastern Orthodox,
and Catholic Churches, and the origins of the church hierarchy. The weekend
gave all those present the chance to make connections, learn, and grow in
faith within the environment of the Armenian Church."

Jasmine Yedigarian, from the Washington DC area, described her experience
with this comment: "This is my second year attending the Linked In retreat,
and I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Linked In satiates my need to
spend time with God and with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We
came together this year and sat cozily together to hear the most edifying
talks about leadership in the church and how to lead others by example. For
me, personally, it was exactly what I needed to hear. Through listening to
these talks and praying together, I have come to realize that God is calling
me, along with many others, to serve Him and His church in a small, yet
amazing way. I look forward to learning more next year at Linked In and hope
to keep in touch throughout the year with the people I met. I am so
grateful to all those who serve God and us by making this retreat possible,
so that we too may learn to serve starting tomorrow."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress