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Armenian people in those and a half centuries and its patriotic service
difficult times. The AMAA and mission were confirmed and received a
began to help and serve worthy assessment. Second, our presence,
our people with numerous weight, role of the historical church and our
social, material, medical, mission in the life of our people, Armenian
educational, Christian edu- state and the Armenian society were reaf-
cation programs and initia- firmed and reestablished. The speech of the
tives. In October 1991, the Catholicos of All Armenians also revealed
AMAA officially included the essence, content and the course of ECA
Armenia in its geography, relations with the Mother Church.
opened an office in Yere- In 1997, the ECA and Union of Arme-
van, and by 1992, branches nian Evangelical Churches of Eurasia jointly
were opened in Gyumri, established the Evangelical Theological
Vanadzor and Stepanavan, Academy of Armenia (ETAA). The main
in 1995 in Artsakh, in 1997 goal was to train highly qualified pastors,
in Goris and in many other leaders and ministers. Here we must em-
towns and villages. phasize the role of ETAA, its importance
In September 1994, and contribution to the ECA reorganization
the Armenian Evangelical and development process. Almost all pres-
World Council sent Rev. ent pastors of the ECA have passed through
Dr. René Nerses Léonian the forge of the ETAA and are graduates of
to Armenia as its represen- this institution. They received their basic
tative and as of Novem- theological education here. Almost all the
ber of the same year, he responsible persons and numerous ministers
was also the representative of the current Christian Education field of
of the AMAA. He was the local Armenian Evangelical Churches
called to synchronize the have been educated and trained at the ETAA.
minstries of the Armenian The official journal "Armenian Evan-
Evangelical World Council gelical Church" was published in 1997. The
and AMAA programs. On publication of this journal also marked the
Catholicos Karekin I greets the audience with his congratulatory March 17, 1994, the Coun- organization and development of the ECA
remarks during the 150 Anniversary celebration of the Armenian cil of the ECA adopted the print media. The official journal was pub-
th
Evangelical Church held at the National Academic Opera and ECA constitution, which lished on a quarterly basis, presenting the
Ballet Theater in Yerevan, in July 1996. was registered by the state internal life and activities of the ECA, as
government on July 1 of well as the external relations and ministries.
revan, which also included the community of the same year. The ECA received the privi- The ECA considers education to be
the Leninakan Evangelical Baptist Church. lege of operating legally in Armenia. The re- one of the most important and inseparable
The ECA continued its existence and activity establishment of the ECA in Armenia simply areas of its mission and service. This is a
in this form and condition until the collapse is the continuation of the ECA, born in 1846 historical fact. The ECA believes preaching
of the Soviet Union and the independence and the revival of the Armenian Evangelical the Gospel of Christ and spreading the Good
of the Republic of Armenia. Ararat Union established in 1914 in Eastern News includes the spiritual and mental en-
Armenia. The ECA included the Armenian lightenment of the people. This is the reason
Evangelical Church of Armenia after Evangelical Churches of Yerevan, Vanadzor why the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian
the Independence of the Republic of and Stepanavan. In the fall of 1994, these School was opened by the AMAA on Sep-
Armenia churches elected Rev. Léonian as the Senior tember 20, 1999, with the aim of educating
After the difficult atheistic years of the Pastor and leader of the Armenian Evangeli- and upbringing the present and future gen-
Soviet period, the ECA in Armenia resumed cal Church. He served as ECA Senior Pastor erations of the Armenian nation. Avedisian
and reestablished its active ministry after and leader in Armenia from 1994 to 2011. School students receive a comprehensive
the tragic Spitak earthquake in 1988. This The official celebration of the 150th An- education and Armenian-Christian upbring-
new era for the ECA, started when the Ar- niversary of the ECA in 1996 at the National ing. They enjoy the respect and love of
menian Missionary Association of America Academic Opera and Ballet Theater became teachers and educators. All this contributes
(AMAA), under the leadership of its Ex- very important for the reorganization and to the formation of a high moral image of
ecutive Director Rev. Dr. Movses Janbazian revival of the ECA in Armenia after inde- the Armenian new generation. Until the year
began its activities in Armenia soon after the pendence. This celebration and especially 2000, under the leadership of Rev. Léonian
earthquake. The AMAA immediately came the congratulatory-encouraging speech of and with the cooperation of the local pastors
to Soviet Armenia to help eliminate the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin I. em- and Christian Education Directors, several
consequences of the earthquake and the di- phasized and confirmed several very impor- Armenian Evangelical communities were
saster that struck Armenia and to support the tant realities. First, the ECA’s history of one established, particularly in Gyumri, Spitak,

22 | AMAA NEWS, July-Aug-Sept 2021