Bourj Hammoud - A Busy Town Longing to Breathe

Bourj Hammoud


A Busy Town Longing to Breathe


2010 has been declared the International Year of Biodiversity. The Armenians have also chosen this year to be the Year of the Woman.


The two vital elements, the female and biodiversity, are important pillars of the existence and development of all kinds of life on our planet: the female creates and shapes lives; biodiversity ensures the sustainability of life. It is these two important facts that are behind the grand decision of the Bourj Hammoud artisans to celebrate and participate in the Garden Show & Spring Festival 2010.
Nature, much like a fertile woman, carries the secret and the power to generate life. The interactions between factors that transfuse life into nature play an important role in regenerating life and ultimately in the preservation of the biodiversity. This requires the protection of animal and plant species as well as the sustainable development of cities, while also respecting the cultural heritage of such life.


With the rapid expansion and development of Bourj Hammoud and its neighboring areas, almost all the cultivated green areas – the wild plants and large trees, such as mulberry – have all but disappeared. The blue of the sea and the flowing river have been shunned from the urban landscape. The area itself has become densely populated and human activity in all of its guises, from coastal industries to urban decay and traffic, has imposed negatively upon the environment. Yet, the area itself and its people have managed to retain an atmosphere of hospitality.
To this very backdrop and keeping in mind the very people for whom it is responsible, the Municipality of Bourj Hammoud has adopted the following action plan:
• Reintroduction of nature into the city by creating playgrounds for children, planting the sidewalks and the beautification of central squares.
• Establishing a sustainable development strategy that addresses socio-economic and environmental issues.
• Development of a comprehensive master plan for the seafront and the coastal area to avoid the development of polluting industries and to provide quality public spaces for leisure, cultural and touristic activities to the inhabitants of the region.
In this spirit, our exhibition area at The Garden Show & Spring Festival 2010 emphasizes the importance of factors which contribute to the preservation of biodiversity. It includes spaces for animal and vegetal world as well as the cultural heritage of Bourj Hammoud district which carries aesthetic and moral values and is where the Armenian woman acquires an essential place.


Arpi Mangassarian
Chief of Technical & Urban Planning Office
Bourj Hammoud Municipality

The Exchange Program Between the French and Lebanese Youth

During the month of August 2010, a group of French young men and women came to Lebanon as part of the Exchange Program between French and Lebanese youth.
This program was organized by the EUL (Equipes Unionistes Luthériennes) in partnership with the ACO (Action Chrétienne en Orient). A team of four coaches were responsible for the organization: Annelise Deiss (Director), Marion Heyl, Anne-Catherine Weiss, Gauthier Feuga (facilitators).


The group worked at Kchag, cleaning the area next to the playground. They also visited the various Armenian Evangelical churches and their corresponding youth groups; they also had lots of touristic acitvities like going to Chouf, Beiteddine, Cedar Reserve in Chouf. They visited Tripoli, Byblos, Jeita, Farayya, Harisa... as well as universities in Beirut, like Haigazian Univerisity, NEST Theological School and the American University of Beirut.


At Kchag with Badveli Sebouh Terzian

At NEST (Near East School of Theology)

With the chanitz youth of the Armenian Evangelical Marash Church


With the chanitz youth of the Armenian Evangelical First Church

Visiting Beiteddine

Visiting the Cedar Reserves









At Kchag, with the big Armenian Evangelical family

At kchag, during sharing time and discussions

The French group cleaning the area next to the playground at Kchag

* Photos courtesy of Betty Kechejian and Luder Artinian

What Haigazian University Went Through During Its Years of Service

This is a very interesting article that sheds some light on the troubles that Haigazian University went through, coming out of the ashes to rebuild itself again in the cosmopolitan area of Beirut.



You can read the article (originally written in French) at: Université Haïgazian - La grande aventure
The English translation can be found at: Haigazian University - A great adventure

Getting to know each other - UCJA (Union Chrétienne de Jeunes Arméniens)



The Christian Union of Young Armenians (UCJA) is founded in 1949. As part of the Armenian Evangelical Churches of France (EEAF), it aims to follow the development of youth in a spiritual point of view, physical, cultural and social development.


Each year we organize camps for teens and youth in both summer and winter. We offer sporting events, cultural activities, trips, spiritual retreats. Within each church, youth also meet every weekend.


Through each of these activities, we take time apart to study the Bible together, but also topical. We also wish to promote and share our Christian faith through evangelism.

EQUIP Leadership Training, Volume II, Notebook 6 - TALENT IS NEVER ENOUGH

October-2010: For the third consecutive year, the International EQUIP training took place in the beautiful town of Harissa. The participants came from Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, and they all completed this last leadership training and received their diplomas.
Mr. Tom Atema, the speaker presented most of the lessons, and assisting him was Rev. Khalil, from Jordan, who presented some of the lessons.

The title of the Chapters:
1- Become a Talent-Plus Person
2- Talent Plus Initiative and Focus
3- Talent Plus Preparation and Practice
4- Talent Plus Perseverance and Courage
5- Talent Plus Teachability, Character and Responsibility
6- Talent Plus Relationships and Teamwork

Participating from Lebanon:
Ms. Shake Geocherian (Emmanuel Church),
Mr. Serop Ohanian (Emmanuel Church),
Mr. Mano Chilingirian (Emmanuel Church),
Mr. Raffi Chilingirian (Emmanuel Church),
Ms. Silva Chilingirian (Marash Church)

Participating from Syria:
Pastor Datev Basmajian (Damascus Church),
Mrs. Sirag Karagoezian-Basmajian (Damascus Church).




(L to R): Silva Chilingirian, Serop Ohanian, Shake Geocherian, Raffi Chilingirian, Sirag Karagoezian, Mano Chilingirian, and Badveli Datev Basmajian at the back.








The worship leaders

The participants received Tom's newly published book: Leadership in Blue Jeans

Who is the Fisherman?

Luke 5:1-11

I don’t know anything about fishing. Once I tried it with a friend in Beirut and I realized it was not my gift. You have to sit calm for hours in order to possibly get a small fish. They say it is relaxing. For me it was frustrating and time wasting!

That was not the case with Peter. He loved fishing and spent most of the time fishing. Jesus knew that fishing had a special place in Peter’s life so he approached Peter from a fisherman’s perspective.

Jesus got into Pater’s boat. Jesus will use whatever you have. Each of us has something, a craft, a talent, a gift, a job, a family, anything. God will use anything you have.
“He (Jesus) got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat” (3). Teaching was usually done in the Temple or at the synagogue. On that day, Jesus used the boat as his pulpit. Jesus used such an unusual setting for his teaching.

Offer whatever you have to be used for God’s Kingdom. Use whatever you have to spread the Good News.

One thinks that the climax of the story is the miracle that Jesus performed. Yes, Jesus took the boat to an unusual place for fishing. Everyone who fishes knows that one cannot find fish in deep waters, yet Jesus said: “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (4)
“They caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break,” says Luke. It is like, “We made it. We hit the jackpot!” Some see the climax in this event but I see it in the events following this one.

What was Peter’s response? He said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”(8) “I cannot handle this, Lord. I am a sinful person face to face with God. Fish don’t matter to me anymore.”
This was a very important turning point in Peter’s life. Peter went fishing, instead he was caught! He met the Lord and became a fisher of men.

The invitation of Jesus is always there. It could be your “boat”, which means your heart, your talent, your passion, everything. The problem is that we are frightened when we face the “sea” or the world. God is ready to use anything that you have. The young boy had two fish and five loaves of bread. Anything you have can be used.

Have you offered your boat to Jesus?

Rev. Nerses Balabanian,
Calvary Armenian Congregational Church, San Francisco