Joint Effort by Diocesan Dept. of Mission Parishes and St. Nersess Seminary Delivers Programs on Faith and Heritage to 6 Blossoming Parishes

The Diocesan Department of Mission Parishes and St. Nersess Armenian Seminary co-sponsored a very successful missionary enterprise in six Armenian communities in the southeast region of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. With the blessings of the Primate, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, the six-member team visited the following communities between January 10 and 18, 2000: Charlotte, NC; Atlanta, GA; Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando and Naples, FL.

"Mission Team 2000" was capably organized and led by Fr. Simeon Odabashian, coordinator of the diocesan mission parish project, and Fr. Vahan Hovhanessian, dean of St. Nersess Seminary. Other participants included Fr. Daniel Findikyan, seminary instructor, Fr. Nersess Jebejian, coordinator of the Florida mission parishes, and seminarians Patrick Kaprelian and Hratch Kasarian.

The mission team traveled by van from community to community, proclaiming the good news of the birth and baptism of Christ our God. In addition to their celebration of the Divine Liturgy and Blessing of Water in each place, the team had opportunities to visit the homes of the faithful and conduct the traditional blessing of home service. The clergy and seminarians presented interesting and entertaining programs after each liturgy, consisting of talks about the seminary experience, the work of the department of mission parishes, spiritual messages, Bible studies and, perhaps the most popular, sing-alongs. On two occasions the seminarians led special educational programs for the youth.

Although the ride was long and at times seemingly endless, the effort paid off one hundred-fold as these six communities received a shot of inspiration, as it were, and an opportunity to become further excited about being members of the Armenian Church. "Mission Team 2000" affirmed that both the Diocese and Seminary are working hand-in-hand for the spiritual edification of the faithful—no matter where they live, reaching out to all, both near and far.

The comments that followed "Mission Team 2000" were overwhelmingly positive. Here are some excerpts from a letter received from Maida Domenie of Naples, FL: "We are eternally grateful to you . . . for taking the time from your schedule to visit us at the bottom of the state and honor us with your very inspiring service." "I could see the glimmer in everybody’s eyes when they were trying to follow you with the songs they had not heard for many years. One lady told me ‘. . . these were the songs that my mother used to sing and now I find that I know some of the words . . .’"

Perhaps the only regret was that the itinerary did not permit the team to spend more time in each community. In response to the truly appreciative reception enjoyed by "Mission Team 2000," the Diocesan Department of Mission Parishes and St. Nersess Seminary are committed to planning and executing similar programs in the future for those Armenian Church communities that are in their formative stages.

The team is especially appreciative to all the individuals who contributed financially to make this project possible. For more information on the Diocesan Department of Mission Parishes, contact Fr. Simeon Odabashian at the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, 630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016; Tel: (212) 686-0710; or E-mail: dmp@armeniandiocese.org.