STEWARDSHIP FOCUS CONTINUES

The last day of the 102nd Diocesan Assembly in Rye Town, NY, started on Saturday, May 1, 2004, with a prayer led by Fr. Hovsep Karapetyan, pastor in Richmond, VA.

"Whatever gift we give to God is greatly multiplied and will come back to us in unexpected ways," he said. "May the blessings of the Lord come upon us, and may we find many stewards for our faith for generations to come."

The delegates than began to complete the business of the Assembly. First on the agenda was the completion of the report by the Diocesan Council, which the delegates have been discussing over the past three days. Discussion focused on the need to continue supporting the Midwestern Hye Summer Camp.

"Hye Camp should be supported with as much vigor as we can," said Diocesan Council Chairman Haig Dadourian.

Archbishop Khajag Barsamian told the delegates that the Diocese was working to offer scholarships to children from the Midwest and South to enable them to attend St. Vartan Camp, which will be housed this year at the Diocese's new Ararat Youth and Conference Center, 30 miles south of Albany, NY.

"We support Hye Camp. We support St. Vartan Camp. And, hopefully, we will begin a camp in the South," the Primate said. "Our goal is to strengthen our camps and hopefully if we can enlarge our camps."

Delegates also discussed the Diocese's communication and stewardship efforts. Delegates were concerned that the Diocese -- because of budget considerations -- had cut back the publication schedule of it's The Armenian Church magazine from quarterly to twice yearly and urged the Diocese to produce more issues.