(Featured Photo: 17th Annual Meeting of the Armenian Evangelical Union held on June 6-9, 1918 in Worcester, MA, where it was voted to establish the AMAA)

By Zaven Khanjian, AMAA Executive Director/CEO

THE ARMENIAN MISSIONARY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA’S CENTENNIAL IS UPON US AND WE ARE IN A CELEBRATORY MOOD!

On June 7, 1918, delegates from the ten established Armenian Evangelical Churches in the United States and twelve mission fellowships voted unanimously to establish the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA). Between 1918 and 1921, the Bylaws were finalized and the AMAA was registered as a public Corporation. The Rev. Mihran T. Kalaidjian gave up his joyful ministry in the Troy Church in New York and served a dual role as the first Executive Secretary and Mission Pastor from 1919-1921.

This gleeful moment we reckon to be ours, in 2018, is actually a gift from those who walked the path before us. We are the blessed recipients of that gift, a gift that encompasses the joy and delight of a century of blessings to our people across the globe, and the burden and responsibility of sharing it with generations to come.

Rev. Mihran T. Kalaidjian, the first Executive Secretary of AMAA

We are cognizant of the many challenges facing our [Armenian] nation. The assault of a demoralized world, the ever-growing necessity to spread the Word of God, the continued threat to the security and safety of our Homeland, the mountain of physical needs of our people, the ongoing geopolitical turmoil and its dire consequences in the Middle East, new waves of emigration of our kin and the radical changes in demographics. These challenges are alarming but our consciousness of and determination to face these challenges in the next century of the AMAA pierces the nimbus of splendor surrounding the Centennial and reckons us with the hard reality of the day.

Our task is set and we are ready to embrace the future. We remain on track with the Centennial Capital Campaign’s priorities and goals, which is raising funds for projects in the continental United States, Armenia, the Middle East and elsewhere in the AMAA mission field.

Thank you to all those who have already made their contribution. If you have not yet made a commitment, visit the Campaign section on our website to review the various priorities and available naming opportunities.