Armenian International Magazine AIM Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2000, pp. 52-53
HAIGAZIAN UNIVERSITY IN LEBANON
Hratch Tchilingirian
One of the most valuable contributions of the Armenian Evangelical Church and its commitment to education is the establishment of the Haigazian University in Beirut. After four decades, it remains the only Armenian institution of higher education in the Diaspora. Haigazian — which has graduated over 1,600 students since its founding in 1955 — is accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education of Lebanon and is a member of the Association of International Colleges and Universities. It offers 19 undergraduate and four graduate degree programs.
Armenian International Magazine AIM Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2000, pp. 52-53
The Armenian Evangelical Union of the Near East
Coping with the effects of the war
Hratch Tchilingirian
Established in 1924, the Lebanon-based Armenian Evangelical Union of the Near East is one of the oldest among the five Unions that comprise the Armenian Evangelical Church. It is a union of over two dozen churches and congregations in seven countries in the Middle East and one church in Australia, as the origin of the Sydney church is traced back to Lebanon and Syria.
Armenian International Magazine AIM Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2000, pp. 52-53
The Armenian Evangelical School in Anjar
Providing a brighter future
Hratch Tchilingirian
Ara (not his real name) was four years old when a social worker brought him to the Armenian Evangelical boarding school in Anjar, the Armenian village in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. The school was already in session and the principal insisted that Ara should come at the beginning of the following year. But the social worker could not take Ara back. “You wouldn’t send him away if I told you where this child comes from,” pleaded the desperate social worker. Ara was very quiet and looked disturbed, says Rev. Nersess Balabanian, 40, who is in charge of the school. “The child’s father is a drug addict, his mother is a prostitute and he lives in a tiny room with two other little siblings,” explains Balabanian, “we couldn’t possibly return this child to that place.” They took him in.
... that huge endeavor, the Armenian Evangelical community has a well-defined niche.
Soon after Armenia’s independence, the remnants of the only two Armenian Evangelical communities in SovietArmenia – the ...
... implements the “common mission” of the evangelical churches. It’s supported by congregations in other countries, as well.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Armenian Evangelicals have kept step ...
... the most unexpected change in the “mission” of the established community institutions — the preservation of Armenian identity — was the collapse of the Soviet Union. “I would say, especially after Armenia’s ...
... However, “the Karabakh war interrupted the project,” Sourouzian explains with disappointment. “These researchers were afraid of the war and left Armenia. Then came the collapse of the Soviet Union and ...
... parties to the conflict, but so far, the oldest conflict in the former Soviet Union remains unresolved.
New in Armenia’s foreign policy was President Robert Kocharian call for the creation of a South ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) November 1999, Vol. 10, No. 11, p. 57
Catholics Elect New Patriarch The Armenian Catholic Hierarchy and Community Face Daunting Challenges
By Hratch Tchilingirian
In mid-October, Cairo-born Bishop Bedros Tarmouni, 59, was elected Catholicos Patriarch of the Lebanon-based Armenian Catholic Church by the Synod of Bishops at the Monastery of Bzommar. Unlike the Armenian Apostolic Church, lay representatives do not participate in the election of a Catholic patriarch. The Synod is made of clergy delegates representing Catholic communities in Europe, the Middle East, the US, South America and Armenia. The new leader will be known as Patriarch Nerses-Bedros XIX.
... US Western Diocese, explained, “We have many properties which were confiscated during the Soviet period. Some were given back, some were not; their legal status has to be clarified.”
Several high-ranking ...
... Church."
Most concerning for the hierarchy of the Church is the problem of church properties and their legal status in Armenia. "We have many properties which were confiscated during the Soviet period. ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM), October 1999, Volume 10, Number 10, pp. 52-53
Big Player Joe Baroutjian Reaches New Height in Lebanon’s Music Industry
By HRATCH TCHILINGIRIAN
“Studio Joe” is tucked in the ground floor of an old, war-scarred building in a narrow alleyway of Beirut's Armenian neighborhood of Bourj Hammoud, where at night you can still park your car in the middle of the street and get away with it.
... and monasteries remained under its care.
During the Soviet period, Artsakh was turned into the Mountainous Karabakh Autonomous Region and gradually all the churches were closed. Indeed, hundreds of churches ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM),October 1999, Volume 10, Number 10, p. 24-27
Turkish Tragedy A Devastating Earthquake Shakes the Land, People and Government of Turkey
By Hratch Tchilingirian
The devastating earthquake that hit Turkey’s Marmara region in August killed almost 20,000 people, left more than 27,000 people injured and hundreds of thousands homeless. The epicenter of the 7.4 magnitude earthquake was near Izmit, an industrial city about 104 km (60 miles) east of Istanbul.
Armenian International Magazine Volume 10, Number 10, October 1999, p. 10
[Editorial by Hratch Tchilingirian]
Two Different Islands Cooperation among state officials, policy makers and businesses benefits all
In the last few years, Great Britain, a huge and important island in Europe, has gone through a process of reassessing its foreign policy in the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Armenia in particular.
... expectations, excitement and vigor: It convened for the first time in 40 years and in an independent Armenia. The old, Soviet era had ended and a new one was about to be shaped.
But this time around, ...
Armenian International Magazine (AIM), August-September 1999, Vol. 10, No. 8&9, pp. 76-77, 79
Looking to the East Chant Avedissian rediscovers and redefines Egyptian visual art
By Hratch Tchilingirian
If you’ve traveled through London’s Heathrow Airport or flown on British Airways in the last few years, chances are you’ve seen Chant Avedissian’s paintings—representing Egypt. It is one of a series of colorful art deco British Airways plane tails representing different nations around the world.
Armenian International Magazine (AIM) July 1999, Volume 10, Number 7, pp 53-54
Instilling the Armenian Spirit Armenian Education in a Transient Community
By Hratch Tchilingirian
The tiny Armenian community in the United Arab Emirates, numbering less than 2000, has a collective history of about 20 years. Unlike most established Diaspora communities around the world, the most prevalent characteristics of this community is its transient nature.