On June 27, RA Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hagopian visited the Mekhitarist Educational Complex in the Avan District of Yerevan where she participated in a ceremony wrapping up the student contest called “We Have Existed, We Exist and We Will Exist” and held as part of the events dedicated to the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide. The results were summed up, and the students received their awards.

During the ceremony, the students presented a musical devoted to the Armenian Genocide, as well as the heroic episodes in Armenian history and great Armenians.

After the musical, Abbot of the Mekhitarist Congregation in Vienna, Father, Supreme Archimandrite Gotchanyan, who was attending the event, greeted the participants and called Minister Hranush Hagopian to the stage to sum up the results of the “We Have Existed, We Exist and We Will Exist” contest. Before expressing her appreciation, the minister suggested that everyone respect the memory of the late Catholicos Patriarch Nerses-Bedros XIX of the ArmenianCatholic Church of the House of Cilicia with a moment of silence.

Afterwards, the minister praised and thanked the students and administration of the Mekhitarist Educational Complex for preparing and showing responsibility for the contest declared by the RA Ministry of Diaspora.

“I’m pleased with the fact that this educational complex highly focuses on cultural educationalongside the general curriculum. The musical, which was a combination of music, dance, poetry and acting, showed your knowledge and great aesthetic education. I want you to achieve greater heights. I want you to grow and become good Armenians and good human beings and have your worthy place with your knowledge,” the minister said, adding that only a generation of people with in-depth and comprehensive knowledge can help the Armenians achieve victory with the slogan “I Remember and Demand”.

Hranush Hagopian granted the awards of the RA Ministry of Diaspora to the winning students, including Albert Makarian, Hagop Der-Harutyunian, Aram Khosrovian, Albert Magarian, Sevag Bedrosian and Antranig Panossian.

The story  of  the family of Valérie Toranian , a famous French writer of Armenian

descent and editor in chief of ELLE Magazine, has grabbed the attention of the French public and m e dia.

Toranyan’s “The Foreigner” has won the most important prize of the Madam Figaro literary contest , Nouvelles d’Arménie writes. In her book, Toranian recounts the story of her grand ­mother  Aghavni, who escaped the Armenian Genocide.

Legendary French-Armenian singer Charles Aznavour has confirmed the news about his concert at the Royal Albert Hall of London.
The concert is set to take place on November 3, reports royalalberthall.com.
“Tickets will be on sale starting from July 3rd,” as stated on the website. According to Artsakhpress, Aznavour posted a comment about the event on his official Facebook page.
Stereoboard.com reports that Aznavour’s first concert at the Royal Albert Hall of London took place in 1966. “After that concert, it has always been my great pleasure to perform in London. It’s a real joy for me to return and meet with my fans again on November 3,” Charles Aznavour mentioned.
Notable French-Armenian singer, composer, actor and public figure Charles Aznavour was born on May 22, 1924 in Paris. He has composed and performed various famous songs and has sold nearly 100 million albums. Since 2009, Aznavour has been Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Headquarters in Geneva and other international organizations.

By Mira Yardemian

PR Director

“You will be given what you need to be restored! There is food in the wilderness, wisdom in the silence of God, a mission – your unique mission – before you, and companions along the way to share the burden, the work, and the joy”, said Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus, Coordinator of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance at the Presbyterian Church (USA), to the graduating class of 2015.

Dr. Kraus was the guest speaker at the Baccalaureate Service of Haigazian University, which took place on Sunday, the 28^th of June 2015, in the First Armenian Evangelical Church, next to University campus.

A large number of the graduates, along with their families and friends, participated in this solemn ceremony of dedication and thanksgiving.

The service started with a prelude by students Lori Bilalian on the flute and Nanor Madjarian on the piano, followed by a processional hymn marking the entrance of the graduates, as they made their way through the church.

Many graduating students, Haigazian faculty, staff and alumni brought their participation; faculty member Vera Karageuzian, University Librarian Sonia Sislian, Maya Zeidan from the Center for Continuing Education, alumnus Issa Saddi, and graduate Grace Khoury offered the litany of thanksgiving for the 60 years of Haigazian in service of the Lebanese community, education, peace and prosperity. Graduates Karen Parseghian, Gacia Danaoghlanian, and Patricia Prud’homme read passages from the Old and New Testament. Lars Liechti reflected on his University years, sharing the values Haigazian University has taught him, which are, “integrity, brotherhood, leading by example, truth, freedom and service”. The spiritual choir and band had also their performances, singing Hymns “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” and “For the Healing of the Nations”.

Students Amal el Aridi and Robert Dermesrobian read the pledge of the graduates: “We, the class of 2015 of Haigazian University, in receiving this light, pledge to hold high the light of truth, to defend the light of freedom, and to spread the light of service to our communities, our country and our world. With truth, freedom and service illuminating our hearts, we will challenge each other, and our world, to uphold the worth of each human being, and we will strive for the betterment of society, knowing that this is pleasing to God.”

“This is a time to reflect. By reflect, I do not only mean to think and meditate. Reflecting also means giving back something that has been received, giving back with our words, with our plans, with our voices, feelings and generous attitudes… Our hope is that it was new breath, new light, that you had received and it is fresh breath and light that you will send back to the world”. With these words, Rev. Dr. Paul Haidostian, President of Haigazian University, addressed the graduating class of 2015. Haidostian also underlined the meaning and importance of “gratitude”, saying, “it means that God’s grace has given me gifts and opportunities to grow, to learn, and to share even when I have not been that successful, that attentive or that faithful”.

In her keynote address entitled “What Are You Doing Here?”, Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus emphasized the concepts of “Respite, Response and Resilience”. Kraus talked about the “angels” embodied in the teachers, friends and families, who are there to support during moments of despair. She encouraged students, in the midst of chaos, “to move from a place of reactivity to an attitude of response”, giving the example of Elijah who “stopped listening to the voices of chaos clamoring for his attention, and in the silence found empowerment through the free search for truth”. Finally, Kraus reminded graduates to find their way “from renunciation and fear into a life of resilience and hope”. She concluded her message by saying, “it is the task of every human being to find a way to do that very thing: to keep on shining as light in the darkness, and not burn out along the way”.

Several pastors of the community brought their share in this thanksgiving service. Rev. Meguerdich Melkonian, Head Pastor of the Evangelical Church of Armenia, offered the call to worship. The prayer of dedication was delivered by Campus Minister Rev. Wilbert Van Saane, and the service was concluded by the benediction pronounced by the President of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, Rev. Meguerdich Karagoezian.

Finally, the graduating class of 2015 marched out of the sanctuary, with the recessional, each carrying the light of truth, freedom and service to the world.

Around the world, people have been asking: “April 24th has come and gone. What’s next for the remembrance of the Armenian Genocide?”

Armenia Tree Project has initiated a new campaign called the Living Century Initiative, which enables Armenians to plant trees in remembrance of the Genocide.

“Through the Living Century Initiative, we are establishing 10 forests in northern Armenia that are aligned with the major Western Armenian communities that were devastated by the Genocide,” explains Executive Director Jeanmarie Papelian. “We are inviting Armenians from around the world to sponsor trees in living memory and in honor of their relatives and ancestral communities. LCI provides an opportunity to plant the new Adana, Kharpert or Marash forest, or wherever your family roots may have been.”

ATP has planted more than 4.7 million trees in over 1,000 locations throughout Armenia and Artsakh. These locations include Nor Kharpert, Musa Ler, and Zeytoun–transplanted names from communities in historic Armenia. “We have an ambitious goal to plant 300,000 trees by year’s end, including
250,000 forestry seedlings as part of the Living Century Initiative,” notes Papelian.

The 10 Living Century forest sites correspond to regions in historic Armenia and will be planted in the Shirak, Lori and Kotayk regions of modern Armenia. They focus on areas where ATP has been planting forests since 2004.

“Our team has met with the local community leaders, and they are excited to work with us to establish these new forests as links to our ancestral homeland,” she adds.

Jeanmarie visited one of the new planting sites in May with outgoing director Tom Garabedian. Tom’s grandparents came to America from Kharpert, and the Living Century Initiative was inaugurated by planting trees in the new Kharpert memorial forest in Arevashogh. The site in the Lori region is dedicated to families whose ancestors hailed from Kharpert before the Genocide.

“We hope you will join us in this celebration of life and perseverance through the planting of new forests throughout Armenia,” concludes Papelian.

ATP has launched a new website dedicated to the Living Century Initiative where supporters can read more about the campaign, learn about the historic Armenian communities and make a gift to help populate these new forests. On the website you can select your ancestral city, town or village, or make a general donation to any of these new planting sites. For more information, visit www.livingcentury.org

Every two years the United Church of Christ (UCC) brings together thousands of faithful members for the General Synod.

The UCC has more than 5,100 churches and 1.1 million members across the United States. Many Armenian Evangelical Churches within the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA) are members of the UCC.

This year, General Synod 30 is currently being held (June 26-30th) in Cleveland, OH –the birthplace of the United Church of Christ.  Dr. Peter Makari, Area Executive for Middle East/Europe of the UCC, announced that this morning [June 29th] the Synod adopted the resolution of witness submitted by Wider Church Ministries «Commemorating 100 Years Since the Armenian Genocide.»

During the General Synod, Rev. Dr. James Moos, Executive Minister of Wider Church Ministries, UCC, read the statements of Rev. L. Nishan Bakalian, Pastor of Armenian Martyrs» Congregational Church, Havertown, PA and Rev. Michelle Torigian, Pastor of St. Paul United Church of Christ (UCC) in Cincinnati, OH.

The Armenian Missionary Association of America would like to take this opportunity to thank Wider Church Ministries for their continued support of the Armenians from 1890s to present as well as of human rights causes, including the presentation of the passage of this resolution to the General Synod of UCC for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and for calling on the U.S. and Turkish governments to recognize it as well.