Musical عرس السما‏

Warm greetings. As many of you know, the Bible Society has been partnering with Voice of Charity radio for the past two years to broadcast daily Bible readings and Bible stories. In that respect, the Bible Society has decided to support Voice of Charity radio by booking one evening of their musical عرس السما exclusively on February 28, 2008.

We are seeking to sell 800 tickets at the regular price (LBP 30,000 / LBP 20,000 / LBP 15,000 / LBP 10,000). By purchasing these tickets, you will be supporting both Voice of Charity and Bible Society equally. Tickets can be found in all our centers and with our staff and volunteers.

Please contact us so that we can send you the desired number of tickets.

Thank you for your support.

THE REV. VARTKES KASSOUNI HONORED FOR 50 YEARS OF ORDAINED MINISTRY

On January 20, 2008, the Rev. Dr. Vartkes Kassouni was honored by Morningside Presbyterian Church of Fullerton with a reception, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of his Ordination to the Christian Ministry. Around 200 people gathered for the occasion. Mr. John DeLoof was the Master of Ceremonies, and the presenter of a PowerPoint projection of the span of Rev. Kassouni’s life and ministry, covering all fifty years. Speakers on behalf of the Armenian community were Mr. Jack Loussararian, Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical Social Service Center of Glendale, the Rev. Berdj Djambazian, Pastor of Holy Trinity Armenian Evangelical Church of Glendale, and Mr. Ronald Karabian, an Elder and community leader from the First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno. The Rev. Dr. Steve Yamaguchi, Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of Los Ranchos, spoke on behalf of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Others who shared their thoughts on the occasion were the Rev. Tom Cramer, Associate Pastor, Laguna Hills Presbyterian Church, Ms. Barbara Murphy, Associate Executive Presbyter, Los Ranchos Presbytery, Ms. Sara Caswell, and Mr. and Mrs. George Delanoy, on behalf of the host church. Presentations were also made by his daughter Linda Kassouni Walker, son Timothy Kassouni, and Mrs. Samira Kassouni, his wife, who has labored by his side in all these ministries for over twenty years.

The Rev. Kassouni was ordained on January 20, 1957, by the New York City Association of Congregational Churches in the Armenian Evangelical Church of New York City, which he served as his first parish in 1959. From there he went on to serve the First Armenian Presbyterian Church of Fresno in 1964, and the United Armenian Congregational Church of Los Angeles in 1977. In Fresno he rallied the con
gregation to go ahead with building plans for a new church complex, successfully building two of their three complexes while with them as pastor. During his years of ministry in these churches he helped bring the Eastern and Western branches of the Armenian Evangelical communities into one Union, along with their youth organizations. He also helped in the formation of Camp AREV and the Armenian Studies Program in Fuller Seminary, Pasadena.

While Moderator of the Union in the East, he helped raise funds for the purchase of a building in Toronto for the first Armenian Evangelical Church in Canada, and presided at the ordination of their pastor, the Rev. Dr. Solomon Nigosian. He was a key participant in the planning and successful opening of the Armenian Evangelical parochial school in America, the Charlotte and Elise Merdinian Armenian Evangelical School of Sherman Oaks, CA. His vision and efforts for a new church in Hollywood for the many new immigrants arriving from Armenia culminated in the formation of the Armenian Evangelical Church of Hollywood in 1982, with the Rev. Abraham Chaparian as pastor. In the early and formative years of the Armenian Assembly of America, Rev. Kassouni was a member of the Steering Committee which later evolved to be its Board of Directors. While in New York City, he served on the Board of Directors of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, of Paramus, N.J., and more recently he served on the Board of Trustees of Christian Ai
d Mission, centered in Charlottesville, VA.

(in the picture: Marie Chaparian, Jack & Arsha Loussararian, Phyllis and Sam Hamo, Louis Kurkjian at Morningside Presbyterian Church, January 20, 2008 for the celebration in honor of Rev. Vartkes Kassouni for his 50 years of ordained ministry.)
In 1983 Rev. Kassouni had a change in the direction of his ministry, moving on to pastor Presbyterian churches outside of the Armenian community. He served the Palmdale Presbyterian Church, Tustin Presbyterian Church, Christ Presbyterian Church, Huntington Beach, and then was called to the position of Associate Executive Presbyter, Los Ranchos Presbytery in Anaheim, with a constituency of 55 churches. In this capacity he helped organize four new churches including Laguna Niguel, Rancho Santa Margarita, Yorba Linda, and North Huntington Beach. He retired in 1996, but has continued to serve parishes ever since in the capacity of Interim Pastor. These have included First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove, two years as Interim Executive Presbyter of San Fernando Presbytery, Geneva Presbyterian Church of Laguna Hills, Yorba Linda Presbyterian Church, and most recently, Morningside Presbyterian Church of Fullerton.

Attendees at this reception came from these many parishes and ministries, sharing their love, respect and expressions of congratulations. On this memorable occasion Rev. Kassouni was honored for fifty years of uninterrupted ministry, spanning both the East and West coasts among a score of churches, both Armenian and non-Armenian. His vision and passion is to continue serving where needed for as long as God gives him strength.

The Minister and the Bible

Kuwait, January 2008: The seminar “What the Bible says to the Minister” was recently held in Kuwait in line with the BSG Arabic Program. More than 100 clergy and lay church leaders from the different Arabic speaking congregations in Kuwait attended the seminar. It created an opportunity for the participants to experience the strong “footing” the Bible has in the life and ministry of the church leadership. In his introductory word, Father Yousef Fakhry of the Maronite Church in Kuwait highlighted the word “Minister” within the Biblical text and interpretation. Mr. Yousef Sabry, the Bible Society Arabic program coordinator, delivered two lectures: The understanding of Ministry from the Biblical perspective and The Life of the Minister.
Yousef defined the concepts of calling, purpose in mission, handling resources, the Great Commission, and the implication of the Message, including handling false teachings and interpretations. The seminar dealt with the relations and association of the Church leader to Christ, the Scripture and his/her prayer life.
Sylvia, who attended the seminar on behalf of the Armenian Orthodox church, said, “It was a very effective seminar. Its target was to equip the lay and clergy leadership to serve the church constituencies better. And I think it achieved these goals wonderfully”. Imad, a lay leader in the Catholic Church, said that the timing of the seminar was very good: “As church leadership, we were looking for and exploring new avenues in our ministries. The seminar helped us to be creative and look for new opportunities.”
Virginia, who was recently appointed on the leadership team of the Arabic Evangelical Church, found the seminar very effective: “I realized how important the role of the minister is in his/her church,” she said. Virginia thanked the Bible Society in the Gulf for conducting educational courses and training for enhancement of the church ministry.

We received this news from
Mr. Hrayr Jebejian,
General Secretary - The Bible Society in the Gulf

Chanitz.com not blocked in Syria?

We received this news from Rev. Datev Basmajian, that when we launched chanitz.com, our blog has been unblocked in Damascus.

We do not know whether this is also true in Aleppo and Kessab.

We would be glad to know whether chanitz.com is blocked in Aleppo and Kessab or not.

Administration

"Lebanese Armenians have served as a post-Genocide litmus test", an interview with Gibrahayer e-magazine Editor

Interview with Mr. Simon Aynejian, Chief Editor of the Gibrahayer e-magazine.

.Can you tell our readers when, how and why you started the Gibrahayer Magazine?

Gibrahayer e-magazine began its online publications in the autumn of 1999, when members of the Armenian community of Cyprus had initiated a campaign to assist in the construction of worn-torn villages in Artsakh. Our first "publication" was for a fund-raising campaign for the village of Titsmayri.

.How many readers does Gibrahayer Magazine have?
Next week's Gibrahayer's issue will go out to over 22,000 subscribers, representing a cross-section of diaspora communities as well as Armenia and Artsakh. Although Cyprus is a small community, we are strategically situated in a volatile region in the eastern Mediterranean, surrounded by areas of conflict as well as corresponding efforts for peace.
Our island that recently joined the European Union, is such a region, facing the military and political reality of a regional superpower - Turkey - and at the same time, experiencing and living the daily political conflict-solving efforts both at home and in the international political arena. These issues are also of interest to Armenians outside Cyprus and "dictate the need" to include "local" and regional news in our publications.

.Can you name the countries that subscribe to Gibrahayer magazine?
Our publication goes out to every single Armenian community globally without exception. As magazine recipients can subscribe to our e-magazine without our knowledge, and many of our subscribers forward our magazine to e-mail groups of their own, we really cannot know who else receives our publications, but judging from our correspondence, it has become evident that we also have a sizeable number of non-Armenians receiving our e-magazine such as Greeks, Turks, Americans, Russians, Lebanese, Cypriots (both Turkish and Greek). The magazine also goes out to all of the Greek Cypriot and Armenian press both in the Diaspora and in the homeland.

.Do you publish the magazine alone, or do you have a team?
The e-magazine began as a solo project but like all good things in life, it has evolved into a team effort.
One of the young members of our community - Sevag Devletian - formerly of Reuters Cyprus, has joined our team and is in charge of the News and Sports section.
Professor Hovhannes Pilikian (http://pilikian.blogspot.com) - an internationally acclaimed film producer, theater director, a classical music composer, a classical scholar and social scientist has a permanent column.
A team of twelve "Apostles" across the world provide articles, interviews and images to enhance the quality of our publication.
Our cartoonist Tatiana Ferahian from Limassol, has gained great popularity by her witty and bold approaches. An artist herself - who has represented Cyprus in the international cultural arena - Tatiana Ferahian has brought in a breath of fresh air, with her unique way of grasping the moment with her brush.
Technical support has been provided by Dr. Nazaret Armenagian from Limassol (www.hayem.org), who is also the programmer of the editor/mailer/dispatcher, on behalf of GAP Vassilopoulos E-Media Ltd. - www.gap-emedia.com


.How does the magazine cover its cost?
The magazine does not cover its costs. Far from that. It is permanently in the red. It occasionally receives contributions from enthusiastic subscribers which unfortunately take care of very little.

.You've been accused that you are affiliated with the ARF Dashnaktsoutiun and that the Magazine covers the ARF news more than the rest of the Armenian groups. What can you say about these accusations?
They probably are true. I believe that ARF Dashnaktsoutiun and its affiliate organisations are the strongest driving force behind our political, educational, cultural aspirations and if our e-magazine covers ARF news more than the rest, it is because the activities of Dashnak-affiliated organisations globally and no doubt locally are perhaps more in number, more substantial and also more versatile.
However, our e-magazine is not driven by WHO sends the news. It is driven by WHAT we consider news. We have been successful because we quickly and accurately deliver the news of the day to our subscribers, on the one hand covering issues that we consider newsworthy, and on the other, highlighting issues that we would like them to be important in the life of our readers.
Part of our success is that our publication is in English and is accessible to most readers across the world.

.We have noticed that through this e-magazine, you have assisted young athletes of Armenia...
We were able to put to good use the network of good people of this magazine who volunteered to assist a rising star, Zaruhi Haroutyunyan from Armenia, be that when she went to Bolis to win her first major back-to-back ITF tournaments, when she stayed in England to attend Alan Jone's Academy and later when more than 30,000 dollars was raised to enroll her in one of the most prestigious Tennis Academies in California at Weil.
Zaruhi Haroutyunyan climbed from 1,216 to top 100 in less than a year - defeating top ten players along the way - and at 17 she has received more than five full scholarships from top colleges in the U.S. to study, play college tennis and to continue her professional career.
I would like to thank former Melkoniantsis, Armine Sayan from Bolis and Asbed Pogharian from Los Angeles, as well as the Bedrossian brothers in London and LA, Dick and Haig, through whom we were able to launch a global campaign to raise money for Zaruhi. Special mention and thanks to the Los Angeles contributors.

.What would you like to say to the Armenian community in Lebanon?
Lebanese Armenians have served as a post-Genocide litmus test on the endurance of the Armenian diasporan spirit, during which our nation has re-tested its DNA in suffering, perseverance and recovery and has come out as champions.

.What future plans do you have for the magazine?
Parallel to the e-magazine, we are launching the Gibrahayer website at the end of 2007 and we plan to reach 30,000 subscribers by 2008.

Interview conducted by R. Chilingirian

Update (8 Feb.) - Besides the Gibrahayer e-magazine, it has launched it's website, Gibrahayer.com

WoW! It actually SNOWED in Kchag!

Has it ever snowed in Kchag? Does anyone remember if it has ever snowed there?
I hope I can get answers from our readers who have many sweet, great, awesome, adventurous, and amazing memories and experiences from Kchag.
Kchag, which has a special place in the hearts and minds of many of our readers, some of whom grew up there, and others came to know Christ there, and still others sacrificed their time and even their lives during their ministry, believing in what God has put in their hearts.

Well, the pictures speak for themselves :)







For more information about Kchag, go to: www.kchag.org/

* We received the pictures from Mr. Garbis Deyirmenjian.


Updated (5 February): We came to understand from Rev. Vicken Cholakian who serves in Greece, that it has snowed in Kchag before and that he had seen the picture somewhere.
We would be happy to get the picture, and place it near the ones above.

Internet Blackout!

Many countries in the Middle East and Asia are suffering from internet blackouts.
Internet blackouts are impacting large tracts of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa after four undersea cable connections were severed. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Pakistan and India, are all experiencing severe problems.
Many suspect that these outages may not be caused by an accident.

First EQUIP Graduation

On Sunday, 27 January, during the worship service, 8 committed young men and women received their certifications for completing the EQUIP Leadership training program that lasted for 4 continuous years. The sessions took place in the leadership and guidance of Ms. Sh. Geocherian.
After the church service, the graduates had the nice idea of surprising Shake with a bouquet...

The leaders who committed themselves to this program are:
Mrs. S. (Karagoezian) Basmajian, who was in Syria,
Mrs. J. (Kozman) Ohanian,
Mr. M. Ibitian,
Mr. R. Chilingirian,
Mr. M. Chilingirian,
Ms. M. Dervishian,
Ms. S. Chilingirian, from Marash Church,
Ms. S. Abrilian, from Marash Church











Great NEWS about chanitz blog/website!

With the New Year, comes new achievements!

No more
using and keeping in mind long words!

No more using http://emmanuel-chanitz.blogspot.com!

Welcome http://www.chanitz.com :)

I hope this is good news to you all too and that you are happy with us too!

Note: We are really sorry for all those who tried to access the blog, but couldn't on Friday, Feb. 1