ARARAT CONFERENCE CENTER UNVEILED

Clergy Conference tour reveals petential for new facility

What started on the floor of the Diocesan Assembly in 2000, came back home this year, as the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) unveiled its new Ararat Youth and Conference Center to the delegates of the 2004 Diocesan Assembly meeting in Rye, N.Y.

“We have accomplished a significant milestone for our church, our community, and our families,” said Steve Hovnanian, chairman of the advisory committee overseeing the Ararat Center. “We’re excited about having this facility in our Diocese and being able to use it.”

Delegates assembled in April at the Diocesan Assembly viewed before-and-after photos, highlighting recent renovations to the seven buildings on the 65-acre site. Volunteers have been working to get the site ready for its first rental, the Diocese’s St. Vartan Camp.

“This will give us a huge opportunity to bring our young people together,” said Karnig Durgarian, a member of the advisory committee. “This home will be for your children’s children’s children.”

The center is not just for camp and youngsters; it will be used by parish leaders, clergy, and other associations for workshops and retreats. However, the purchase resulted from an initial objective to find a home for the Diocesan Camp programs.

BUILDING SUPPORT

At the 2000 Assembly in North Philadelphia, an anonymous donor made a $150,000 donation to get the ball rolling. She would later give another $50,000. Subsequent to her passing this year, her name was announced as Acabe Boornazian; and her niece spoke to the 2004 Assembly, praising her late aunt.

“She told me that she remembered the light in my nephews eyes when they would come home from camp and she would see how Armenian they were,” said her niece, Anne Terkanian, who has been involved with St. Vartan Camp for the past three years. “Now that I work at camp, I know what it is like to see that light, not only in my children’s eyes but in all your children’s eyes. The light is there. This is an important project. Let’s pay it off.”

While donations have been given to cover much of the purchase price, there is an outstanding balance. The advisory committee also is looking to establish an endowment fund to cover operations at the year-round center.

Rose Najarian Kedeshian, a member of the board overseeing the new Diocesan Ararat Youth and Conference Center, challenged the delegates to support the effort to pay off the site’s purchase. The site had a price tag of $1.2 million, but $850,000 had already been raised.

“We just want to close this gap,” said Najarian Kedeshian, who announced two anonymous donations from St. Leon Church of Fair Lawn, N.J., for $10,000 apiece. She asked delegates to give $1,000 for each of their children or grandchildren who has attended programs that will now be held at the Ararat Center.

As delegate after delegate rose to the microphone to voice their support, more than $100,000 was raised. Many other delegates also made pledges in private throughout the day. The delegates were urged to continue the efforts in their home parishes.

“The point is not the money,” said Fr. Haigazoun Najarian, pastor from Wynnewood, Pa., who made the first pledge to buy a campsite during the 2000 Assembly, setting his fellow delegates on an unprecedented session of spontaneous pledges from the Assembly floor. “When we were walking on the grounds of the site this week, it was so beautiful. The feeling was so good, to feel the earth as if the earth was belonging to us. This was ours. For people who have not always had a home, this was ours now. It’s open to all the Armenian community, to bring them together as a family.”

FIELD TRIP TO ARARAT CENTER

On Wednesday, April 28, the members attending the 2004 Clergy Conference traveled to the new Diocesan Ararat Youth and Conference Center, 30 miles south of Albany, N.Y. For most, it was a first glimpse of the facility.

The clergy toured the property, ate a lunch provided by volunteers from the St. Peter Church of Watervliet, N.Y., and discussed plans and ideas for the center’s use.

“This is such a blessing for our Diocese,” said Fr. Tavit Boyajian, pastor of the Sts. Joachim and Anne Church in Palos Heights, Ill. “It’s going to be a wonderful facility for our Diocese.”

Many of the clergy expressed an interest in bringing parish groups up to the site for retreats and workshops.

“The place is fantastic. I look forward to coming here for St. Vartan Camp and at other times,” said Fr. Tateos Abdalian, pastor of the Holy Trinity Church of Cheltenham, Pa. “I already have two groups in my parish that want to come up.”

Aside from St. Vartan Camp the Association of Armenian Church Choirs of America (AACCA) has booked the facility for a junior choir workshop in August. The St. Vartan Cathedral Avaks group is also planning on coming up for a visit, possibly with their friends from Hartford, Conn. Anyone wishing more information on renting the facilities should contact Frank Avakian-Stoneson at the Eastern Diocese by calling (212) 686-0710.

“This will be used for youth, families, and seniors,” said Archbishop Barsamian. “Sometimes we put so much emphasis on our youth, but we should not forget our families and the elderly. They should be welcomed and encouraged to come up here. This is a new home for all Armenians.”