Hamahavak in Marash Church

On Nov. 2, 2007, the youth from Marash Church, Emmanuel Church, Ashrafieh Church, Anjar Church, First Church, and youth from Armenian Evangelical Churches in Syria (Aleppo, Kessab, Damascus) joined together and gathered in Marash Church to have their awaited Hamahavak.


The Kordzatir Marmin (Executive Body) of Lebanon organized the Hamahavak, which started with a time of worship and singing and prayer, led by Mr. V. Khederian. After which, the chairman of the Executive Body, Rev. R. Messerlian, shared with the youth the message of hope and commitment; committed to Christ and hopeful in Christ.
Rev. V. Ekmekjian, co-chairman of the Executive Body, presented about the Badkamavoragan Joghov (Representative's Meeting) that will take place tomorrow. He explained that their representatives come together to discuss their issues, and to suggest new procedures and elect the new members for the Executuve Body.

We appreciate your support

I would like to write this post to show my gratitude to friends who have been supportive in our endeavor and encouraged us to keep this website updated and alive.
  • Rev. Hovannes Sevajian (our pastor), has been one of the very early supporters, and recently took the initiative to edit the blog's Armenian posts.
  • Mr. Hrayr Jebejian (Bible Society Gulf), is very appreciative of our enthusiasm and hard work, adding that we are doing a very good job in keeping the communication lively.
  • Mr. Hrant Guzelian (the hero who passed away recently in France), was very quick in responding to our emails and encouraged us dearly to continue in our endeavor.
  • Ms. Nora Parseghian (Aztag editor), is supportive, and has encouraged communication and participation in Aztag. She has also encouraged us to be more accurate in using our language.
  • Mrs. Rita (Lao) Manjelikian (Social Worker of the Armenian Evangelical Social Center, Lebanon), is very supportive of what we're doing through this blog and is a strong believer in the work.
  • Rev. Nshan Bakalian (Armenian Evangelical Church, Philadelphia, USA), is still supportive, gives us feedback regarding the website's accessibility and usability.
  • Mrs. Maria Bakalian (Rev. Bakalian's wife), encouraged us and pushed us to write better and suggested corrections and changes wherever needed.
  • Rev. Raffi Messerlian (Armenian Evangelical Church, Anjar, Lebanon), supports our team and has been very quick in sending us a letter of encouragement.
  • Rev. Calvin Sagherian (Armenian Bretheren Church, California, USA), from the moment we told him about the launch of the youth website, he sent us an encouraging letter, and still supports the youth here.
  • Mrs. Maral Haidostian (wife of the president of Haigazian University), supports us with her kind words and smile, whenever she gets the opportunity.
  • Rev. Vahan Tootikian (Executive Director of Armenian Evangelical World Council), never hesitated to give us from his valuable time and always replies back.
  • Rev. Nerses Balabanian (Armenian Evangelical Calvary Church, San Francisco, USA), helps us morally and practically. Whenever we are in need of him, he is always ready.
  • Pastor Datev Basmajian (Armenian Evangelical Church, Damascus, Syria), is supportive of our work and the hours spent in keeping up this website.
  • Pastor Sevag Trashian (Armenian Evangelical Churches, Kessab, Syria), whenever we ask for his help, he's ready.
  • Pastor Sebouh Terzian (CEO UAECNE, Lebanon), is supportive of our work.
We are also appreciative of the many encouraging comments that we received and still do receive from many people from different sectors of the Lebanese community, from different groups, clubs and individuals within our Armenian community here in Lebanon and abroad.

I also do not want to forget the chanitzagans, most of whom were supportive. And also, to all the youth, pastors, preachers, church members and friends of Chanitz who kept their subscriptions.

Update (Nov. 8): Just recently, we also received an encouraging letter from Rev. Mgrdich Melkonian, the pastor of First Armenian Presbyterian Church, Fresno. Also, from Rev. Aren Balabanian, the associate pastor of the same church.

God has called YOU!

In His eyes we all have a ministry. Many serve Him in a local church through a variety of ministries, such as music, teaching, youth work, or by being a part of the church staff. Others serve on the mission field, on the job, at school, or at home.

God knows you and He knows your heart desires to serve Him. You are someone that He will use to make a difference, to share His love, and to touch the hearts of others. What has qualified you for this high privilege of being used by Him? Is it your talents, your personality, your education, your influence, or your resume? It is none of these; rather, it is the response of your heart toward Him. God is always searching for those whose hearts are yielded to Him so that He can work mightily through them.

Sometimes we can be led to think that God's work is dependent upon us, upon what we do, and upon what we know. The truth is that God wants us to be totally dependent upon Him. He is the Treasure, we are the vessels; He is the vine, we are the branches; He is the living water, we are the channels through which He flaws.

The apostle Peter was someone who needed to learn this important truth. Jesus taught him the futility of trying to get results through his own efforts by allowing him, an expert fisherman, to labor all night and come up empty. Afterward, after he followed Jesus' word to cast out into the deep, Peter pulled a catch that was beyond his dreams.

It is our prayer at DaySpring that God will encourage you today as you faithfully serve Him, and that He will use you to bring encouragement.

Roy Lessin, Co-Founder DaySpring cards

THE HISTORIC VICTORY by Dr. Gevork Kherlopian

October 10, 2007 is registered in the history as a great day, as a Great V Day. It symbolizes the victory of great humanitarian expectations born more than a century ago. It realizes dreams drawn decades ago. It unites people of good will scattered all over the world. It is the victory of good over evil.

The Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106) of The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is the victory of all diplomats and pressmen (American, German, English, Italian, Russian, Austrian, French, Spanish, Latin American Swiss and others) accredited in The Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic who in the duration of their services reported detailed information about the atrocities of the Turkish Governments committed in regards to their subjects. They not only took photographs of the sceneries of torture not only reported the facts, but also systematically recorded them creating the objective history of Turkish atrocities. The majority of the diplomats in the bottom of their hearts believed that their work will in the near future be gratified by the civilized world, by historians, politicians, diplomats, jurists and sociologists of future generations.

The Resolution is the victory of all those missionaries, religious and medical workers who endangering their lives reported about the cruelties they witnessed in Turkey during the last decades of the 19th and the first quarter of the 20th century.

They depicted the discriminations, persecutions, mass deportations, massacres and the Genocide of the Armenians living in the Empire. They gathered the Armenian orphans in orphanages giving them the chance to speak to the world about their great tragedy and odyssey. They bravely witnessed before legal, political, religious international organizations about their experience.

The Resolution is the victory of all those courageous leaders and followers of the Mohammedan faith who openly condemned, criticized the Genocide of the Armenians perpetrated by the Turkish Governments. They confessed that their religion has nothing in common with the teachings of the Genocide perpetrators.. The Sharif of Mecca and the King of the Arab Lands Al Husayn Ibn Ali in 1917 issued a decree in protection of the Armenians. Many Islam even execrated and anathematized the leaders of the organization Union and Progress who declared Jihad.

The Resolution is the victory of those citizens of Turkey who ignoring the political limitations sanctioned by the government and the severe punishments imposed, revealed their non-Turkish and non-Islamic origin, the odyssey of their alienation, and the tragedy of the loss of their national identity. They actually depicted all the elements of Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish elite. They also witnessed to the world the existence in Turkey the presence of millions of forcefully converted citizens who confess their Armenian, Greek, Assyrian identity.

The Resolution is the victory of all those individuals, groups, parties and organizations who, despite all odds, believed in the victory of democratic principles, high moral values, truth and justice. Thousands of Turks, Albanians, Arabs, Armenians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Hungarians, Jews, Rumanians, Serbs and representatives of other nationalities fought and died for the establishment of a democratic Turkey, for the Westernization of the country. Many minorities in Turkey struggled for the recognition of their national, religious, social and economic rights. The Armenians for decades organized their community life in Turkey lead by western ideas of democracy, human rights, social justice, self determination and freedom. The Turks “punished” the Armenians as aliens, as Westerners. The Armenians were firm in their beliefs. During WWI Turkey proposed the Armenians to use the Diaspora Armenians as an organized net of spies working for Germany and Turkey and against USA, UK, France. The Armenians again did not give up and remained the trustworthy ally of the andante. After the War the allies forgot the 14th ally and betrayed them, though the Armenians did not betray their own traditions and promises. The Resolution is the victory, the blessing, the crown of the firmness and the persistency of the Armenian and other nations’ democratic devotions. During WWII Armenians were fighting in the allied armies on all fronts (Pacific, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, Asian, European, African )and in The Resistance, The Turkish Government was receiving bribe from the allies in order not to take sides with the enemy in case of critical moments. The negative tradition is alive today. Turkey is demanding bribes from the American Government in order to keep his promises of alliance.

Thousands of survivors of the Genocide were welcomed by other countries and nations of Asia, The Far East, Europe, Africa, Latin and North America. The Armenian immigrants received shelter, possibilities to work, study and organize their religious, social, economic and school life. Soon they became devoted and respected citizens of the country with equal rights, things that they were deprived of in Turkey. Strong ties of friendship were established between the newly hosted Armenians and the hosts. Armeno-Arab, Armeno-Greek, Armeno-Bulgarian, Armeno-Hungarian, Armeno-Polish, Armeno-French, Armeno-English, Armeno-Italian, Armeno-Spanish, Armeno-Canadian, Armeno-American, Armeno-Argentinean, Armeno-Uruguayan, Armeno-Brazilian friendship became one of the constant and major sources of development of those countries and people. That friendship helped the Armenians to find solutions to many of their historical problems, one of them being the recognition of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Governments. One after the other the friendly people officially, on the state level accepted the historical fact and contributed to the development of The Armenian Republic. This Resolution is the victory of Armeno-American friendship which has strong historical background.

This Resolution has two specific features: First. It is the Resolution of the House of the strongest, richest and greatest power of the world, the bastion of democracy and human rights. The acceptance of the Genocide perpetrated by the Turkish Government will help the normalization of Armeno-Turkish relations. It will have a decisive positive impact on the liquidation of Genocide on our planet. Second. The USA Government is one of the great powers that subordinate historical truth to political and strategic demands of the day giving a sense of duality and hypocrisy to its foreign policy. The latter will definitely decrease the positive role of moral diplomacy in world affairs and ignore the role of the objective factor in political relations. In all cases the method of threads applied by the Turkish Government in political and diplomatic relations with USA brings a dangerous discord and disharmony in modern life.

The Armenian American organizations and their friends, in their struggle for justice and liquidation of the possibility of Genocide were motivated and inspired by the abovementioned factors and achieved this historic Resolution.

Glendale, Oct. 11, 2007 Dr. Gevork Kherlopian