At its Annual Banquet, to be held Saturday, October 22 at 6:00 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott West, 111 Crawford Avenue, West Conshohocken, PA, the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) will honor three distinguished individuals, Albert Momjian, Esq. (posthumously), Set Momjian and Rev. Dr. John Markarian, for their many years of faithful and dedicated service to the Armenian Community. The theme of the AMAA Banquet will be Faithful to the Legacy.

Albert Momjian, Esq., who passed away July 11, 2016, served the AMAA as a member of the Board, on various committees and as Board President.  His astute and wise leadership, dedicated and sacrificial service, focused and undivided attention, uncountable gratuitous professional services and boundless Christian love all contributed to the recent history of the AMAA.  The AMAA is what it is and where it is today because of his towering presence at the helm of the organization for so long.

For many years, Set Momjian audaciously served the Armenian Community at large in the United States.  His love of Christ and his people was instrumental in raising Armenian national interest to the highest levels of attention in the White House and to the political leadership of the country.  His service as the U.S. Representative to the United Nations General Assembly, as the White House Representative to the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, as a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and his fervent struggle as a human rights activist have earned him the reverence and respect of his people all across the globe.

In 1955, the AMAA, with the collaboration of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, established Haigazian University in Beirut, Lebanon.  Rev. Dr. John Markarian’s pioneer leadership as the founding President of this jewel educational institution, the one and only Armenian University in the Diaspora, had a tremendous role in the overwhelming success of this beacon of light, educating young men and women, preparing a leadership in the Middle East, exporting well rounded professionals across the oceans and dispersing ignorance and darkness wherever its rays rested upon.

The Banquet’s Master of Ceremonies will be Mark Momjian, Esq. Mr. Momjian is a graduate of Columbia Law School. He is an active leader in the Armenian-American community, having served on boards with the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian Missionary Association of America, and the Armenian Sisters Academy.  For the past four years, Mr. Momjian has served as a member of the United States Advisory Committee of the Jinishian Memorial Program.

The Banquet will also feature Soprano Anush Avetisyan, a third-year Resident Artist at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia studying with Voice Instructor Bill Schuman. Ms. Avetisyan has performed internationally throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East.

The 97th Annual Meeting of the AMAA will be held on Saturday, October 22 at 9:30 a.m. at the Armenian Martyrs’ Congregational Church of Havertown, PA.  All AMAA members are encouraged to participate and to review both the activities and the financial reports of the Association.

The Annual Meeting Worship of Praise will be held on Sunday, October 23, at the Armenia Martyrs’ Congregational Church of Havertown, PA at 11:00 a.m. The service will include a moment of remembrance dedicated to those AMAA members who concluded their earthly pilgrimage during the past year and joined the heavenly audience. The service will conclude with the installation of the newly elected Board Members.

The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) serves the spiritual, educational and social needs of Armenian communities around the world.  The AMAA was founded in 1918 in Worcester, MA and was incorporated in New York in 1920.   The AMAA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Those who are interested in attending the AMAA Banquet or participating in the Annual Meeting activities may contact AMAA Headquarters at 201-265-2607.