There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

By Zaven Khanjian, AMAA Executive Director/CEO

Time is mysterious and puzzling.

Wikipedia defines time as “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur apparently in irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.”

So ‘time’ spans from the past to the present to the future.
Nevertheless, a closer look defies the existence of the present as in the pace of this mystical reality every moment in life is either past or future. By the time one thinks of the present it has either passed or is coming.

The Armenian Missionary Association of America is celebrating the Centennial of our foundation. Consequently, there is a ‘past’ spanning over one hundred years of activity that we are conscious of. A ‘past’ that has prepared the Association for its relative future. A ‘past’ where a vision was born and, over a period of time, that ‘vision’ has materialized taking shape, size and a tangible body.

We are indeed proud of a past that engulfs an investment of a conscious realization of a painful reality, deeply anchored faith, unimaginable toil, immeasurable conviction, magically treasured material, and unlimited human resources coupled with wisdom and intellect. All this making up a priceless legacy for us to invest in human life.

Imagine the amount of time spent, the pouring sweat, the abundance of care and compassion, distances travelled, discussions held and the healthy growth of the Association gifted to us. A legendary ‘past’ indeed that inspires and burdens us to anchor the foundation of a future that looks bright and exciting.

Whatever the name, our time is the bridge between the past and the future. Our burden is heavy and responsibilities critical for which we toil and labor hard.

The AMAA Centennial is only a moment of reckoning for us, as at every interval of time there is a past and future but the present is constant. At any time, building on the legacy of the past will reap the blessings of the future.

What are we at the AMAA building?

Not empires nor structures. Simply put our focus is the individual. Building, rebuilding and making a difference in the life of the individual. Our collective act is summed up on how we impact the spiritual and physical wellbeing of our people ̶ one life at a time.

‘There is a time for everything’ says the Bible. So, what is the imperative of our time one would ask? The effort to build a brighter and impactful future, I would suggest. American Computer Scientist, Alan Kay, is quoted, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

We are in midst of our Centennial Campaign inventing our future.

I will spare no effort in walking this journey with you. You will find the AMAA Centennial Campaign program in this issue. I invite you to consider this information and join us in the collective invention of our future. I am ready to answer a call or meet you in person.

“There is a time for everything.”

It is our time to invent our future!

Thank you for your support of the AMAA. May God bless you!

September 2017