Focusing in on Reaching Out

Communication in the Diocese

Communication is a simple word, but encompasses so much. It can mean bringing new immigrants into the life of a parish or spreading the Lord's Word. Communication to some means helping the next generation learn about their faith and heritage, while to others it means teaching today's young professionals how to strengthen the Armenian Church organization.

During the 2003 Diocesan Assembly, each of those topics and many more were the center of discussions, meetings, and panels because this year has been designated by the Diocese as "The Year of Communication: Reaching Out and Bringing In."

"Communication is not simply a pastime or technical matter for the church, to the contrary it is a part of our sacred mission. This is bested exemplified by Christ himself, who not only preached to mankind, but traveled and dwelt among us. His willingness to communicate in this sense was the proof of his love for us," Archbishop Khajag Barsamian told the more than 150 delegates gathered at St. John Church of Southfield, Michigan, May 1-4, 2003

"If we are not sincere in our hearts, if we are not communicating with love and compassion, then all our efforts will be in vain. Real communication begins with an open heart. That is when we are able truly to communicate with God."

Richard Manoogian Reception Hosted at Masco One of the unusual highlights of this year's assembly was a reception at the Detroit-area corporate headquarters of Masco, the international plumbing supply corporation started in 1929 by Alex Manoogian, who had come to Ellis Island nine years earlier with $25. "As we grew up, our parents made sure every member of our family appreciated our church and was aware of our heritage," said Richard Manoogian, Alex's son and the current head of Masco who hosted the more than 150 delegates at a dinner reception on Friday, May 2, during which he also shared his impressive collection of American art, which hangs throughout the complex.

Reaching Out Brings Them In

One of the key aspects of the Assembly was a panel of four Armenians representing various groups within the Armenian Church. They discussed their own interaction with the church community and how an increased feeling of welcome makes parishes stronger.

"In response to the question, 'What draws people to the church,' everyone in this room has someone connected to the Genocide and it is those memories," said Mrs. Gayle Hoplamazian, an Irish-American nurse who married an Armenian, Mihran Hoplamazian, and is an active member of St. John Church of Southfield, Michigan. "If we think about the sacrifices made to keep our faith and we think of the sacrifices made in the Divine Liturgy, those two things have a lot in common. The way the Armenian Church has tied together our heritage, our religion, our faith, all those things are intertwined. But you don't have to be born Armenian to feel connected."

The key to being connected to the church is asking new members to get involved.

"People want to be invited and if anything were possible I would make sure people had a personal invitation," Mrs. Hoplamazian said.

Growing up in Lebanon, Mrs. Lena Kupelian Neau attended a Catholic school, but her family sent her to special Armenian religious instruction as well. Married to a French-American, she is the chairperson of the mission parish of the Armenian Church of Charlotte, North Carolina.

"We moved to the South, I thought there were no Armenians around," she said. "So I took the phone book, and found 20 Armenian names. I called some, I just wanted to hear an Armenian voice. It was in me. I wanted to create an Armenian base, a few years later there were 150 'ian' and 'yan' names."

In 1995 she organized a picnic, and 90 Armenians showed up. From there it snowballed into a fresh church community.

"Our group is diverse. We have American Armenians, former Soviet Armenians, Armenian Catholics, Armenian Protestants, but somehow we come together to worship once a month," she said. "The mailings we send out are not enough, we always follow with a phone call to personalize it. And we get ourselves involved in the lives of the newly arrived immigrants, if we don't show them the way, nobody else will. We have to be inclusive of everybody, and accept them as they are and not as what we want them to be. Hopefully in time they will get to where we are today."

For Richard Norsegian, an American-born Armenian who now lives in Detroit, involvement in the Armenian Church was dictated by the devotion of his parents.

"To my father, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church was home," he said. "What really solidified my faith in the Armenian Church was the model my parents presented to us. Not only were they telling us to go, but both our parents were also there each Sunday. My father was there before the liturgy started, because he said why bother going if you're not going to attend from beginning to end. Family involvement is key."

It is that family feeling that made non-Armenian Kristina Weiss, who is not even married to an Armenian, an active member of the St. Mesrob Armenian Church in Racine, Wisconsin.

She and her husband were looking for a spiritual home after the birth of their daughter, Emily. And her sister and brother-in-law were members of St. Mesrob, and invited the Weiss family to attend.

"We felt a warmth and sincerity that put us at ease. I have never felt the welcome I received at St. Mesrob," Ms. Weiss said. "My children don't care they're non-Armenians in an Armenian Church. They know they're loved there and are accepted there and that's enough for them. I have found my spiritual home where people care about me and my family and more importantly I can care about others."

Mixed-Marriages

The panel was moderated by Dr. Matthew Jendian, a sociologist from Fresno State University, who studies Armenian-American demographics.

He also discussed the challenges in maintaining strong Armenian Churches while facing challenges, such as the increasing number of Armenians marrying non-Armenians. Intermarriage is an example of assimilation into general American culture, he said.

"If intermarriage is a cause or a consequence of assimilation remains to be determined," Dr. Jendian said. "Intermarriage is more likely to occur among individuals who are already assimilated. The less Armenian one's social aspects are the more likely one is to marry a non-Armenian."

He said change in religious affiliation is associated with intermarriage; thought 62 percent of intermarried Armenians in his recent study did not change religious affiliation. According to his study, the key to keeping mixed marriage couples in the Armenian Church is a sense of community.

"Perhaps the results of intermarriage is because of how welcome or unwelcome they feel at Armenian Church functions," Dr. Jendian said.

"Intermarriage among Armenians in America is inescapable, the question is: 'How will the ethnic group, how will the church respond?' Will the church incorporate the new non-blood members into their fold, thereby adding to the group, or not fully accept the new member and risk losing or alienating the blood member," said Dr. Jendian.

"Intermarriage is not necessarily removing Armenians from the church community, that happens more often to the ones who are not strongly connected to the church. It is the church's duty, and each of ours to reach out and bring them in."