PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-0710; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
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December 9, 2009
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AT THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES ASSEMBLY, ABP. AYKAZIAN REFLECTS ON HIS
TERM AS PRESIDENT
The National Council of Churches’ annual general assembly met November 11-13
in Minneapolis, Minn., under the joint presidency of Archbishop Vicken
Aykazian, NCC President and Legate of the Diocese, and Bishop Johncy Itty
(who chairs the board of directors of the NCC’s outreach arm, Church World
Service).
The meeting marked the last time the country’s largest ecumenical
organization would gather under Archbishop Aykazian’s presidency. Elected to
a standard two-year term of office in 2007, he is the first Armenian
clergyman (and the first of the Oriental Orthodox family of churches) to be
elected to head the NCC. Archbishop Aykazian also serves on the central
committee of the World Council of Churches, and is an active figure in the
national and international ecumenical arenas.
The 2009 NCC assembly took its theme from one of the Pauline Epistles
("Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances," I
Thess 5:16-18), but also called upon member churches and world governments
to advance toward more universal justice and peace.
The Rev. Michael Kinnamon, the NCC’s general secretary, and the Rev. John
McCullough, executive director of Church World Service, made forceful
presentations on combating poverty, and on addressing reform of the U.S.
healthcare system.
The General Assembly also issued a statement on the massacre at Fort Hood,
Texas-which had occurred days prior to the gathering-which called for "all
Christians and religious communities of good will to reach out to one
another through personal dialogue, local awareness-building, national
advocacy advancements, and other means of fostering relationships of trust
and mutuality."
Other statements coming out of the assembly revolved around nuclear
disarmament and gun control.
The NCC affirmed its role in advocating awareness of historic and current
genocides, and in seeking progress for a Middle-East peace process which
acknowledges the rights and historic presence of the region’s beleaguered
Christian minorities. Archbishop Aykazian has been a vocal proponent for the
latter causes during his tenure as NCC president.
A whole new level
The Armenian Church has been very active in the ecumenical movement for
decades. The church entered the arena under the pontificate of Catholicos of
All Armenians Vasken I, and ecumenical engagement has been nourished and
advanced under his successors Catholicos Karekin I and Catholicos Karekin
II.
In America, the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church has had a long and
influential relationship with the NCC, and the Western Diocese likewise.
Armenian representatives at the 2009 NCC assembly included the Very Rev. Fr.
Aren Jebejian (of Chicago, Ill.) and Yeretzgin Arpi Kouzouian (of Cambridge,
Mass.) from the Armenian Church of America’s Eastern Diocese, and the Rev.
Fr. Vartan Kasparian (of Yettem, Calif.) from its Western Diocese.
Building on this long history, the 2007 election of Archbishop Aykazian to
the NCC presidency brought the Armenian Church’s interaction and influence
"to a whole new level," in the words of Fr. Aren Jebejian. "He was an
excellent president to the NCC, because of his national and international
connections."
Regarding his term as president, Archbishop Aykazian does not look upon it
as a personal achievement. "The NCC elected the participation of the
Armenian Church in ecumenical life here in the U.S. and around the world. It
was a sign of appreciation for the work that our church has done so far."
He stressed the importance of bringing churches together and getting
involved in the social lives of people: helping the hungry, the
poverty-stricken, those affected by HIV. "The NCC is the voice of the
voiceless," said Archbishop Aykazian. "As the most prestigious Christian
organization, its role is to find unity among the churches and then to use
that unity to make the world a better place."
Archbishop Aykazian will finish his two-year term as president on December
31, 2009. But when he steps down he will remain a member of the NCC’s
executive committee. The installation of the new president, Rev. Peg
Chemberlin, currently the executive director of the Minnesota Council of
Churches, took place on November 13, as part of the general assembly.
"As president of the NCC, it was a blessing to be able extend friendship to
people in the Middle East and Far East, and to meet with religious leaders
in those parts of the world," reflected Archbishop Aykazian. "My role will
not change much once I step down."
He believes that the challenges now faced by Christians in the U.S. relate
primarily to interfaith dialogue, and to creating an environment within
which peace can develop and flourish, here in the U.S. and around the world.
"We can only create more opportunities for dialogue. The NCC supports
interfaith dialogue, and will continue along this path."
Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ
in the USA has been a leading voice for ecumenical cooperation among
Christians in the United States. The NCC’s member faith groups include
various Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic
African-American, and "Living Peace" churches.
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Photos attached.
Photo 1: Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, NCC President and Legate of the Eastern
Diocese, and the Rev. Michael Kinnamon, the NCC’s general secretary.
Photo 2: The Very Rev. Fr. Aren Jebejian (of Chicago, Ill.) and Yeretzgin
Arpi Kouzouian (of Cambridge, Mass.) at the NCC annual general assembly in
Minneapolis, Minn.