More than 400 people participated in the Groundbreaking ceremony of the church building of the Armenian Church. The vision of hard working Armenian-American community of Las Vegas was realized on November 1st 2014 with the groundbreaking ceremony for a new church in the heart of the community.
At 12:30p.m., Godfathers, donors, and faithful gathered at the Pre-School building, which also serves as the temporary sanctuary of the church, and were led in a procession to the site where the future church building would be built. With the participation of Archpriest Fr. Arshag Khatchadourian, Archpriest Fr. Nareg Matarian, and Rev. Fr. Nerses Hayrapetyan, the Primate anointed the cross-stones and the foreheads of the Godfathers of the Armenian Church of Las Vegas. Archbishop Derderian congratulated the Godfathers on their God-pleasing endeavor as “church-builders.”
In his address to the faithful community, the Primate said “Beloved faithful in Christ, this historic day marks a new milestone in the life of the Armenian Church of Las Vegas. You have embarked on a God-pleasing journey. You are the living testament of the resurrected Armenian nation. Your commitment to the preservation of our ancestral Christian Faith, our rich heritage and culture is the realization of the dream of our martyred ancestors. I pray that you continue to uphold our sacred traditions and become exemplary citizens of this blessed land of the United States of America.”
Renowned attorney Mark Geragos, who is also the Grand Benefactor of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas, concluded the ceremonial rite with the breaking of the ground.
Diocesan Council Chairman Mr. Antranik Zorayan, Diocese’s Executive Director Harout Markarian, the Rev. Fr. Avedis Torosian, the Rev. Fr. Arsen Kassabian, the Rev. Samuel Agulian, the Rev. Kurt A. Sortland, Pastor of The Lakes Lutheran Church, Father and Son Jerry and Danny Tarkanian participated in the historic event.
The twelve Godfathers (“Pillars – Apostles”) are George Gregory Meguerian, Vahag Stepanyan, Rouben Grigoryan, Vigen Kirakosyan, Edmond Patvakanyan, Levon Akhsharumov, Stepan Gevorgryants, Mesrop Khachikyan, Shavarsh Papazian, Haik Atamian, Gagik Sekoyan and Joseph Djavairian.
The four Godfathers (“Pillars – Evangelists”) are Rouzanna Grigorian, Hovsep Shadarevian, Kevin Setanyan and Mihran Furnchyan.
In the artistic portion of the program, students of the Armenian Dance School of Las Vegas (instructor Las Vegas Isabella Martirosyan) delighted the crowd with exceptional performances of traditional Armenian dances. Saturday School students recited poems by famous Armenian poets. Renowned violinist Samvel Yervinyan displayed a masterful performance of the string instrument.
The event was covered by Las Vegas Channel 13 and was shown on local television at 8:30 p.m. on the same night.
Following the groundbreaking ceremony, guests were treated to a reception. In his remarks, the Primate commended the selfless dedication of Archpriest Fr. Nareg Matarian, Pastor of the host parish, the Parish Council, Ladies’ Society, ACYO and all auxiliary committees of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas. The historic event concluded with Archbishop Derderian’s benediction.
The Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas: A brief History
The Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas was incorporated as a mission parish of Western Diocese in 1992. Over the years, with the significant growth of the Armenian-American population in the Greater Las Vegas area, the Armenian community faced new challenges. The determined spirit of the parishioners and the entire Armenian-American community of Las Vegas realized their vision by taking the first step in establishing a cultural center by purchasing a two acre property in 2011.
The focus of the Cultural Center is intensively directed toward providing residents of the Greater Las Vegas area programs that are specifically designed to address the spiritual, social, educational, and cultural needs of the Armenian-American community in the Greater Las Vegas area.
The cultural center will consist of three buildings, a church, multi-purpose social hall, and an educational building. The center is located in the heart of the Armenian-American community, 6820 Ponderosa Way at the corner of Ponderosa Way and Santa Margarita Street.
The completion of the first phase of construction, the educational building currently used for Saturday School classes and temporarily for Sunday Service, injected a dynamic boost within the community and now serves a maximum capacity of nearly 70 students.
Twenty two years after the formation of the mission parish, the Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas parish hosted the 87th Annual Diocesan Assembly of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America in May 2014.
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