The 64th Annual Ladies Assembly was held on Thursday, May 5, 2016 under the presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. Chaired by Ladies Society Central Council (LSCC) Chairlady Mrs. Lena Simonian, close to 45 Ladies Society delegates from parishes throughout the Western Diocese took part in the assembly at the newly consecrated St. Geragos Armenian Apostolic Church of Las Vegas.
Other LSCC members taking part in the Assembly included Melene Ouzounian, Aida Sethian, Aida Askejian, Arpi Barsam and Lillian Bezdikian. The Ladies society delegates and parish priests convened to review the past year’s activities, discuss present issues and challenges, hold new elections, outline the vision of the Ladies Society, and prepare for upcoming challenges.
The Assembly opened with prayers and the spiritual message delivered by Very Rev. Fr. Pakrad Berjekian. Fr. Pakrad spoke from the book of Romans, Chapter 12, Verses 5-8, which emphasizes the different gifts bestowed upon the faithful of Christ, and for each individual to use his or her God given gifts to form one Body of Christ, to serve the church, and the Motherland. Our gifts include to prophesize, give, teach, encourage, and be merciful.
The newly assigned pastor of St. Geragos Church, the Very Rev. Fr. Sasoon Dz. V. Zumrookhdian delivered his welcoming remarks to the Assembly. He spoke about the example we are to set for the newly assembled church and its ladies society members by always leading Christ-centered lives and having the Church, the Body of Christ, as our protector and the friendship as our spirit of ethnicity.
Chairlady Lena Simonian welcomed the delegates with enthusiasm and love by sharing Peter 4: 8-11 which says: Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and knowing that your labor is not in vain”. She said added “our feminine instinct, love, care and selflessness are the most tangible assets that we have to invest for the well-being of our people, and especially for the continuity and prosperity of our younger generation.
The highlights of the program included a power point presentation on the mission and certain by-laws of ladies society. As well as panel discussion on preparing and mending generational gap with family being reflection of Christian Community; Aida Sethian, former Chairlady of St. Gregory Church, Pasadena elaborated on formation, challenges & successes of Jr. Ladies Societies. Yn. Anahid Ohanian, St. Vartan Church, Oakland & Lillian Bezdikian, Chairlady of St. Andrew Church, Cupertino discussed on how to attract new young ladies. Darlene Chardukian, Chairlady of St. Paul Church, Fresno talked about her role as a young career ladies society in the life of her church.
LSCC chairlady who also serves as the Chair of the Religious Education Annual Retreat spoke about the mission and purpose of the retreat which is to gather in fellowship, to nourish the souls through the word of God and to reevaluate the course of personal lives through contemplation and solitude. She added on saying that his year’s retreat was a huge success where close to 100 parishioners joined.
Ladies Auxiliary Chair, Mrs. Cindy Norian talked about Debutante Ball as one of the biggest fundraisers of the committee and encouraged all churches to participate in this elegant event by recruiting debutantes and escorts.
Elections were held for 4 vacant positions. They were filled by Lena Simonian, Melene Ouzounian, Aida Sethian and Arpi Barsam as their second term since there were no new nominees.
In her closing remarks, Chairlady Lena said, “I learned these past 2 years as Central Council Chair to carry one another’s burdens; to put away things of the flesh (like jealousy, envy, hatred and divisions) and to put on the things of the spirit (like love, patience, kindness and humility). Also in order to mend generation gap, we have to push away personal egos and bring Christ in the center of relationships. When we practice putting other’s interest before our own, we learn what it means to love, serve and sacrifice.
The Assembly concluded with the closing remarks and spiritual message of the Diocesan Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. His Eminence spoke about the vital role of the church in our spiritual lives and how the Body of Christ unites us just as it has done so for the past 1700 years. Furthermore, he noted that is our Christian duty and obligation as heirs of the Orthodox Apostolic Faith to pass on and instill in the hearts of the young generation our ancestral Christian Faith and the undying legacy of our forefathers. His Eminence also reflected on importance of our actions as means of bringing the children closer to the Church. The high ranking clergyman spoke of the brave soldiers recently sacrificed for the Motherland and the blood of the martyrs 100 years ago are part of the life of the church today. On the occasion of Mother’s Day, we are all reminded of our mother’s past service and dedication to the church and how it has shaped us and inspired us to give and share our talents, gifts, and service to our churches today.
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