Living the Big Picture of Serving in our Community


Each hour that you pour yourself into the lives of the youth, remember that you are snatching an hour from their experiment with drugs, violence, addiction, street fights, emptiness, boredom... Many of our youth today have an emptiness, and lots of questions. They are aware of the outside dangers, however, once they find a relationship that can fill their emptiness, they will go for it. This is why we need to keep our hearts open for the youth, to be with them, and allow them to make mistakes, to help them stand up again and continue the path of their faith, to maturity.
However, we need to believe that we are the salt and the light, and that we are doing His work, His will, and that we serve His big vision. The hour that we're spending with the youth, specially junior youth, is not in vain, it is for the development of the spiritual dimension, for the special and personal relationship with God.

That is the big picture that Christ invited us to share when he narrated about the Good Samaritan, the great question of Who Is My Friend? The kids, the youth have the thirst for relationships, for grown-ups to spend time with them, to love them, to advise them. They are not shy about it as we were in our times. Today, they come to you and they tell you that they want to spend their time with you, to learn from you, to become your mentee. You are special in their lives.

Along this path, we are not perfect and we will never be, and they need to see that you are not perfect, however, what they need to see more is that you are working on yourself, you are thriving to be better, to walk your talk, and keep your faith alive. You are part of His vision, and we are not alone in this path. Our relationship with Him will reflect in our relationship with our youth.

Raffi Chilingirian

Emmanuel Church's Khnamagal and Hokapartzou Members Meeting with Rev. Nerses and Sevan Balabanian

The past and present members of the Khnamagal and Hokapartzou committees met with Rev. Nerses and Sevan Balabanian, at the Sulahians, who opened their house and hosted everyone. The gathering was special, remembering the old times, past events, and it was time for sharing and fellowship.
The Balabanians have served in the Armenian Evangelical Anjar Church, then in the Armenian Evangelical Emmanuel Church, and now serve in the Armenian Evangelical Calvary Church in San Francisco, USA.


(L to R): Mr. Samuel Svajian, Mrs. Ani Chalekian, Mrs. Araxi Mazmanian, Mrs. Sevan Balabanian, Mr. Levon Bedigian, Rev. Hovhanness Svajian, Rev. Nerses Balabanian








We kept our promise Rev. Nerses :)


The Sulahians in the middle with Mr. Aram Churukian and Ms. Ani Baboghlanian on the right.

Thou Shalt Not Kill


It is written in the Holy Scriptures that one should “subject to the governing authorities.” It is also written “to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.” How have these commands had implications in the life of the Church in specific and the lives of people in general?

Two cataclysmic events would mar the age of inventions, discoveries, human progress and intellect with blood. They would mark the beginning of the 20th century.

The very first of these calamities was the systematic annihilation of Armenian people from Western Armenia in the year 1915 and the second was the catastrophe of the 1940s with the reign of Hitler over Germany and the arrest and execution of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who defied his own government and dared to participate in the underground resistant movement that would plan to kill Hitler by devising a bomb in the plane that was to carry him.

During the horrendous events of 1915, many European and Turk families refused to obey the orders of the Turkish government of the day to inform authorities of any Armenian living among their neighborhoods and decided instead to hide Armenian families at the cost of losing their own lives. After twenty-four years, the same kind of ethnic cleansing would take place when this time French, Dutch, and Swiss families would fervently protect and aid great number of Jews to escape the terrible fate that befell on the people.

However, it is a known fact that many churches and nations at the time decided to “subject to the governing authorities” and never bothered themselves to interfere or even complain about the horrible atrocities and massacres that were taking place. This very disposition leaves me wondering with the following question:

Why did some Christians at the time decide to love their neighbors as themselves and risked their own lives to help those in great need, while others remained ardent believers in pacifism and obeyed the command in the Bible of subjecting to the governing authorities and hence turned their eyes away from the devastating events?

To this day many do not comprehend or understand how a religious man like Pastor Dietrich Boenhoeffer decided to take part in killing another human that cost him his life and was eventually hanged only few months before Germany’s surrender.

Therefore, how are we to understand these two commands from the Bible and if – God forbid – another human disaster falls among us, what will be our stand?

ManoChil

DVBS 2009 Graduation!

It was a great night! The leaders had prepared a two-hour graduation event for the parents. This event was held for the first time in the life of Emmanuel Church and the DVBS.
Congratulations to the parents, the leaders and the Emmanuel Church for their trust, encouragement and support. It is through them that Emmanuel Church's DVBS continues its mission of being Christ's light in the life of the community.



(L to R): Mrs. Silva Avakian-Maamarbashi, Ms. Nara Kouzikian, Mrs. Vera Svajian and Rev. Hovhanness Svajian