Western Diocese

The 2009 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches was hosted in Minneapolis, Minnesota from November 10 thru 12 at the Double Tree Hotel. The Western Diocese was represented by Rev. Archpriest Fr. Vartan Kasparian.  The main activities began on Tuesday, November 10 with the registration and seating of delegates from some 35 different churches. Our first order of business was a brief worship service done in the Methodist tradition. This was followed by a presentation by Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer, Professor of New Testament at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta Georgia.

The rest of the afternoon was devoted to dealing with administrative matters of organization and agenda arranging. One of the major highlights of the afternoon was the presentation made by the young adults. It was entitled New Fire: Young Adult Ecumenical Days and it gave all some insight as to the views of the young people regarding ecumenism. They also led the evening worship.

As the afternoon session came to and end, the various groups gathered for dinners with their respective church bodies. The Orthodox group, including the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Mar Thoma Church, the Orthodox Church in America, and the Serbian Orthodox Church gathered at St. Paul's St. Sahag Armenian Church for a delicious meal and discussion of matters relating to Orthodox Christianity. The local parish is to be congratulated for a good job well done. They were the ideal hosts.

On Wednesday, after a delicious continental breakfast, the day's worship was lead in the Taize tradition. Our Bible Study for the day was lead by The Rev. Dr. Charles Amjad-Ali from the Luther Seminary in Minneapolis. In his remarks he made detailed mention of the sufferings of Eastern Christians at the hands of non-Christian hosts. At the conclusion of the Bible Study, remarks were made by Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton of the Canadian Council of Churches.

During the afternoon, there were forum workshops on the following topics: The Book of Faith; Building Community through Interfaith Relations: the Minnesota Model; The White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Immigration and a Call for Action; and a preview of the film A Walk to Beautiful. That evening, the Awards of Excellence Banquet was held. Awards of Excellence were made to the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches; Deacon James Kalustian of Cambridge, Ms. Joan Leof, and The Rev. Katherine Austin Mahle. Ms. Lois. Dauway was recipient of the 2009 J. Irwin Miller Award; Mr. David A. Leslie received the Eugene Carson Blake Award for Ecumenism; and the 2009 Joseph Cardinal Bernardin Award went posthumously to the Rev. Dr. Lewis S. Mudge.

Thursday, November 12, marked a high point for us Orthodox Christians. The day's worship was conducted in the tradition of the Greek Orthodox Church, complete with icons, vestments, censing, an altar, and eastern chants. This worship service was well received.

Some of the major items discussed during the General Assembly included: Nuclear Disarmament, the recent tragedy at Fort Hood, a letter of appreciation for the pastoral care offered at Fort Hood, the urgency of  health care reform, a message of appreciation to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the affirmation of a message on Mountain Top Removal in Appalachia, and a message for proper treatment of refugees in the United States, a message on gun violence, and discussion of a 10 point voluntary code for firearms retailers.

The 2009 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches came to an end on Thursday evening with a banquet and the official installation of the new President of the National Council of Churches, Peg Chamberland, of the Moravian Church in America. She will replace our own Archbishop Viken Aykazian who served as President during the past two years. His term is officially ended on December 31. That same eveing, Fr. Vartan Kasparian paid a second visit to the St. Sahag Parish community for a Bible Study and sharagan sing along.

The overarching theme throughout this year's General Assembly was taken from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances."