AMAA Executive Director/CEO Zaven Khanjian’s Message at AMAA’s 100th Annual Meeting Banquet held at Westin Waltham Boston Hotel on Saturday, October 19, 2019.

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Good Evening Massachusetts.

It is such a pleasure to see the larger family of the AMAA from coast to coast and our esteemed guests from around the globe gather here tonight, in this great State of Massachusetts, where 100 annual meetings ago, the AMAA was lovingly and by the grace of God, delivered into existence by the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches of the East Coast.

For a long weekend, we enjoyed the warm hospitality of two amazing committees, Host and Banquet.

Since early 2019 and under the direction of Co-Chairs John and Michele Simourian, an ingenious and hard-working Banquet committee has been diligently planning, toiling and preparing this beautiful evening for us to enjoy.

Thank you John and Michele. Thank you every single member of the committee. May God abundantly bless you.

A special ‘thank you’ to John Simourian for masterfully delivering the warm and pleasant atmosphere experienced and shared by all this evening.

Thank you Armenian Memorial Church Host Committee and Badveli Avedis Boynerian. In the warm, colorful and boundless spirit of the Boston Common, you embraced us in your midst with love, care and attention, extending every imaginable door to door service. May God bless your ministry.

Thank you Badveli Stephen Carlyle and the Armenian Church of the Martyrs. I know you are prepared to welcome us, the pilgrims of the 100th annual meeting, who will head tomorrow to Worcester, to remember, reminisce and praise the Lord for the birth of the AMAA. May God bless the memory of the visionary founders and your ministry at the Armenian Church of the Martyrs.

I salute and thank our globally dispersed staff and partners in the Mission who have traveled the Oceans to join us today.

I salute and thank the AMAA staff in Paramus, Glendale and Armenia who graciously stand behind every effort made to advance every AMAA event, activity, service or program. Thank you staff.

It should not be taken granted. I like to a take a moment and thank my wife Sona, whose un-wavered support and encouragement is what makes this ‘energizer’ going, going and going. Thank you Sona and thank you all spouses, men and women, who are equally in the position of support and encouragement.

I am often asked the question of what my challenges are on the job.

A challenge that I struggle with is the difficulty in conveying a well-deserved gratitude to righteous men and women who fly on the wings of goodness in life. It is humbling to hear these Good Samaritans shrug off such attempts, rejecting ownership of the goodness and the extended honor that follows, faithfully directing it to God, the spring of eternal goodness.

A challenge that leaves me speechless.

In two weeks a symposium on the Post Genocide endeavor to save the remnants of the survivors will convene in Armenia.

Organized by the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Foundation and sponsored by the Armenian Missionary Association of America, the Symposium will honor and bring to light the many heroes who miraculously embraced the orphaned Armenian Children and widowed mothers, sheltered, healed, fed, educated and lovingly shielded them from the killing fields of Der El-Zor.

Standing tall among them were Rev. Aharon Shirajian and Rev. Hovhannes Eskijian the products of Armenian Evangelical colleges and seminaries in Turkey.

It is a historical irony that at the threshold of this symposium, the region witnesses yet another aggression by the same unabated power in the Near East, causing death and destruction behind.

Once again, anguished civilian masses, including our kin in Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ayn, Kamishli and other towns and villages in North Eastern Syria hit the road of deportation leaving behind, homes, orchards, acreage and belongings.

The plot to dismember Syria is beyond us. The clear victim is the Syrian people including the progeny of the survivors of the Genocide saved by Reverends Shirajian and Eskijian.

Despite serious obstacles the AMAA will reach out.
We will embrace our people, move the willing to the Homeland, Armenia and while Turkey destroys we shall build where they are.

God has called on the AMAA to face the spiritual and humanitarian challenges of our people and assume a leadership role.
We have collectively and positively answered the call.
And through your righteous giving you continue to make it happen.

You are an integral part of the legacy of Love, Faith and Service

As our eyes look up at the Great Commission of “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” Mark. 16:15, the march goes on.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS EVENING WITH US.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT and May God bless you all.