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07.06.2012

THE ARMENIAN EVANGELICAL COMMUNITY OF FRANCE

   

Tigran Ghanalanyan
Expert at the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation


Besides the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic communities in France there is also Armenian Evangelical community. The establishment of the Armenian Evangelical community of France was conditioned by the same factors as the establishment of other Armenian communities. In France the formation of this community was put on the agenda in 1920s when thousands of the Western Armenian Evangelicals arrived in France.

Establishment of the Armenian Evangelical community of France

The Armenian Evangelical community of France was established in 1920s. Reverends Joseph Parsumian, Hovhannes Ghazarosian and Krikor Khayikian are considered as founders of the community

The Armenian Evangelical community of France is actively involved in the life of the Armenian community in France; it collaborates with other Christian churches, in particular with other Evangelical churches of France. It has close relations with the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic as well as other Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Armenian Evangelical Church of France is a part of the Armenian Evangelical World Council1.

Rev. Hovhannes Ghazarosian (1888-1963) played an important role in the history of the community. He was a president of the Armenian Evangelical Union of France (AEUF) in 1927-19412, and one of the founders and organizers of the activity of the Armenian Evangelical organizations. Since 1941 and during the following 11 years the Union had been headed by Rev. Krikor Khayikian (1884-1967). One of the most remarkable representatives of the French Armenian Evangelical community is Samvel Paggalian (1908-1987), who occupied the post of the president of the AEUF in 1967-1976. The latter made great efforts to develop relations between the communities of different countries. Rev. René Leonian has spread vigour activity both in French community and in Armenia, headed “Hope of Armenia” organization and today he is a vice-president of the Armenian Evangelical World Council.

The Size and Organizations of the Armenian Evangelical Community of France

First information about the number of the Armenian Evangelicals in France refers to 1920s. In particular the number of the Armenian Evangelicals in Lyon in mid-1920s was about 1003. In 1938 the total number of the Armenian Evangelicals in France was about 3000 (who lived in 15 centers); there were 15 preachers4. In 2003 the number of the Armenian Evangelicals living in France reached 5 thousand, 600 of which lived in Issy-Les-Moulineaux5.

There are 12 Armenian Evangelical churches in France, 3 of which are in Marseilles and one in Paris, Lyon, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, Alfortville, Arnouville les Gonesse, Valance, Décines, Montelimar, Obena. There is also Christian Education Center (Valance), “Hope of Armenia” organization (Marseilles), “La Fontanelle” Camp (Marseilles) and “La Source” Camp (Lyon), “Fleur d’Automne” (“Autumn Flower”) retirement home (Décines), the Union of the Christian French Armenian Youth” (Lyon), “Banber” periodical (in Armenian) (Marseille) and “Le Lumignon” bimonthly (in French) (Lyon)6. Besides, such cultural centers as “Ani” (Beaumont) and “Markosian-Vekilian” (Saint-Antoine) are working. The key organization of the Armenian Evangelical community of France is the Armenian Evangelical Union of France.

The Armenian Evangelical Union of France

The Armenian Evangelical Union of France plays crucial role in the activity of the Armenian Evangelical community of France. It coordinates the activity of all the Armenian Evangelical communities of the country.

The first council of the AEUF was convened on September 24-28, 1927 in Lyon. The congresses were held every year, except 1939-1940 and 1940-1944. The French government recognized the AEUF only in 19467.

Today the AEUF is governed by the council of the union which is convened once a year. The council picks out central board which manages the activity of the union in the period between the congresses. It consists of eight members – president (who is picked out from the Shepherds), three Representative Shepherds (picked out by the union council), AEUF treasurer (elected by the union), and three secular representatives (picked out by the board of trustees of the churches from the districts they represent).

The AEUF has its official periodical – “Banber” which was established in 1925. It currents editor-in-chief is Gilbert Léonian. It is important that the periodical pays a lot of attention to the all-Armenian issues, national history, culture, issues of preserving Armenian culture and language in the Diaspora.

Educational, cultural and charitable organizations

Right after the establishment the Armenian Evangelical community initiated educational activity. Back in 1938 the number of pupils of the Sunday schools of the Armenian Evangelical community reached 1200. It should be mentioned that not only Evangelical Armenians but also pupils of other confessions studies at those schools. After WWII Sunday schools worked under three Evangelical churches in three different districts of Marseille. Each of them had 50-70 pupils8.

Attaching importance to the educational and juvenile issues the Central Youth Office of the AEUF arranges camps and different assemblies.

In November 1987 by the efforts of Rev. Daniel Sahakian “Ani” cultural center was established in the district of Beaumont in Marseille, which celebrated it 20th anniversary in a big way in 2007. At the celebration ceremony on November 30 the representatives of the Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic Churches were present9.

From December 7, 1988 to May 30, 1994 “SOS Arménie” charitable organization, in the activity of which the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Churches were involved, had been working10.This organization rendered significant assistance to the disaster area.

“Hope of Armenia” organization spread eager activity in the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh, it particularly help people from the disaster area after the earthquake, as well as administered other charitable activity. “Hope of Armenia” organization cooperates with The Armenian Missionary Association of America.

Cooperation with other Armenian Evangelical communities

The Armenian Evangelical community of France was and still is one of the important Armenian Evangelical centers. The AEUF plays prominent role in both entire Armenian Evangelical Church and Armenian Community in France. Cooperation of the Armenian Evangelical community of France with the representatives of the other Armenian Evangelical organizations of Diaspora and Armenia is especially important.

The importance of the community is underlined by the fact that it was Paris where the first Armenian Evangelical unions’ council was convened on October 13-16, 1965. It aimed to discuss the challenges the Armenian Evangelical Church of Diaspora faced. The peculiarity of the congress was that all the Armenian Evangelical churches of Diaspora were represented11.

In 1981 the first congress of the Armenian Evangelical World Council was held in Paris. The fact that it was held in France, the Armenian Evangelical community of which is one of the most organized ones, was not a mere chance either. It particularly played great part in consolidation of the Armenian Evangelicals from different parts of the world. At the second congress of the AEWC in Pennsylvania held on October 12-14, 1987 the president of the AEUF D. Sahakian was elected president of the AEWC12.

Currently, besides the vice-president of the AEWC Rene Léonian, the council includes the president of the Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe Gilbert Léonian and president of AEUF Joél Mikaélian13.

In summer 1996 the congress devoted to the 150th anniversary of the Armenian Evangelical Church and celebrations were held in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. 600 representatives of the Armenian Evangelical Churches from 18 countries attended it.

Cooperation of the Armenian Evangelical community of France with the Armenian Missionary Association of America is of special importance. The activity of the latter in France is mainly the following: it renders financial assistance to “Banber” and “Le Lumignon” periodicals, assists to the activity of the Shepherds and teachers, helps the AEUF, repairs churches and camps, helps “La Fontanelle” and “La Source” camps, assists to the Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe14, disseminates Christian literature.

The AEUF spreads eager activity in different communities. It plays big part in the Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe, which was established in 1998 in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. The Fellowship includes the Armenian Evangelical Churches of France, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey. Due to the migration from Armenia new fields of activity appear in England, Sweden, Spain and Poland15. The president of the Armenian Evangelical Fellowship of Europe is G. Léonian.

Relations with the Armenian Apostolic Church

Both the cooperation of the Armenian Evangelical Church with the Armenian Apostolic Church and the relations of different organization of the church with Holy Etchiadzin are of great importance. The example of such cooperation is the letter of the Director of the Seminary of Holy Etchmiadzin Archbishop Haykazun Abrahamyan, written under the instruction of Catholicos, to Rev. G. Khayikian. In that letter Archbishop Abrahamyan thanked G. Khayikian for sending 100 Holy Writs. Archbishop Abrahamyan underlined the importance of the lecture delivered by Khayikian to their students and invited him to visit Etchmiadzin again16. As you can see the Armenian Evangelicals helped Holy Etchmiadzin with ecclesiastic literature.

Among the questions discussed at the first congress of the Armenian Evangelical Unions’ council in 1965 was “...Our relations with Mother Church” 17.

In connection with the 50th anniversary of the AEUF the employee of “Banber” Shahen Marakian evaluating the role of the Armenian Evangelical community wrote: “...our dearest wish is that the 50th anniversary of this union will become a new stage of awakening so that we could perform our obligations in regard to the sons of the Armenian nation. If the parties serve to protect the interests of the nation, the charitable organizations are designed to take care of the needy, the Armenian Apostolic church has become a bulwark of the Armeniancy, the destiny of the Evangelicals is to keep the light and spirit of the Gospel in the hearts of our nation”18.

Here it is important that the Armenian Evangelical Church is considered as an integral and inseparable part of the entire Armeniancy. It is mentioned that the Apostolic church is a “mother church” and a “bulwark” of the Armeniancy, which is appreciable in the context of mutual tolerance, cooperation and unity.

Thus, the Armenian Evangelical community of France is a part of the Armenian community in France. Despite its modest size (as compared to the whole community in France), the Armenian Evangelical community spreads eager church, educational, cultural, charitable, publishing activity. The French Armenian Evangelical organizations are an inseparable part of the Armenian national organizations of Diaspora, and their even deeper integration is of very important.

1See «Banber», 2006, January-February

2Ibid, 1960, N 11:

3Ibid, 1927, N 1:

4See Ատանալեան Կ.Պ., Յուշարձան Հայ Աւետարանականաց եւ Աւետարանական եկեղեցւոյ, Fresno, 1952, p. 410։

5See «Հայ Սփյուռք» հանրագիտարան, Երևան, 2003, էջ 628-629, 637:

6See AMAA Directory 2011: Armenian Evangelical Churches, Institutions, Organizations, Pastors and Christian Workers Worldwide, p. 11-12.

7See «Banber», 1980, N 9:

8See Ատանալեան Կ.Պ., aforementioned work, p. 410, 413։

9See «Banber», 2008, January-February

10Ibid, 2009, August-September

11Ibid, 1967, N 5:

12Ibid, 1988, N 3:

13See AMAA Directory 2011: Armenian Evangelical Churches, Institutions, Organizations, Pastors and Christian Workers Worldwide, p. 3-4.

14See "AMAA news", 2006, N 1.

15See «Banber», 2006, January-February

16Ibid, 1962, N 5:

17Ibid, 1967, N 5:

18Ibid, 1980, N 9:

“Globus” analytical journal, # 5, 2012

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