VIRGINIA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL RESOL

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VIRGINIA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES PASSES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL RESOLUTION

By Contributor on December 5, 2014
http://armenianweekly.com/2014/12/05/virginia-churches-resolution/

RICHMOND, Va.--The Virginia Council of Churches unanimously approved a
resolution calling for the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of
the Armenian Genocide, at its 70th Annual Meeting at Faith Community
Baptist Church in Richmond, Va., on Nov. 6. The Virginia Council of
Churches presented this resolution to its entire member congregation,
so that they share this resolution with their congregations.

The Convention was attended by representatives of every Christian
denomination in the Commonwealth, including representatives of the
Baptist, Orthodox, Lutheran, Episcopal, and Catholic churches. Rev.

Dr. Jonathon Barton, executive director of the Virginia Council of
Churches, has been most instrumental in forwarding this action. For
many years, he has participated and joined in activities of the St.

James Armenian Orthodox Church community of Richmond. He is currently
an honorary member of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide
Committee.

After the presentation of the Resolution by Bedros C. Bandazian and
Sona K. Pomfret, who represented the St. James Armenian Church, there
were extensive questions and responses regarding this recognition.

Several Church representatives asked about reparations being a
part of this Resolution. After debating this issue, the Armenian
representatives indicated that this will be part of the next phase
of the program. Several in the Assembly spoke about their knowledge
of the Armenian Genocide and expressed the need for the Christian
Churches of Virginia to stand firm in their condemnation, and to pray
for remembrance.

The Assembly wished to affirm that this was an act that the public
needs to be educated about. Some had indicated that perhaps if this
first act of Genocide had been addressed properly in 1915, perhaps
other massacres and holocausts would not have occurred subsequently.

The Assembly stood firm in moving this action forward and asked that
all congregations in Virginia educate themselves on this sad chapter of
"man's inhumanity to man."

A strong commitment from many of the attending clergy indicated that
they will join with the Armenian community of Virginia to participate
in an ecumenical service on April 18, 2015, at St. James Armenian
Church in remembrance of the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.

Below is the text of the adopted resolution:

Resolution for Virginia Council of Churches

October 26, 2014

WHEREAS, 2015 marks the centennial of the commencement of the Armenian
Genocide, in which more than 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated
by the Ottoman Turkish government; and

WHEREAS, this centrally planned and systematically executed crime
against an ethnic minority of Christians living on their ancestral
homeland is regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century and
the precursor to the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, those who attempted to rescue the Armenians and provide
humanitarian aid included Western missionaries of various Christian
denominations, U.S. relief organizations, and brave individuals such
as U.S. ambassador Henry Morgenthau, Sr.; and

WHEREAS, persecution of Christians in several parts of the world
today concerns the Virginia Council of Churches and citizens of
the Commonwealth, underscoring the Armenian Genocide's historical
significance; and

WHEREAS, the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Central Virginia
and the people of Saint James Armenian Orthodox Church--a member
of the Virginia Council of Churches--represent an ancient Christian
tradition, remain devoted brothers and sisters in Christ, and strive
to inform Virginians of all faiths about the Armenian Genocide;

NOW, THEREFORE, the Virginia Council of Churches hereby recognizes the
centennial of the Armenian Genocide; officially and expressly supports
the efforts of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of Central
Virginia; resolves to convene with leaders of the Virginia Council of
Churches as well as the Interfaith Center for Public Policy and the
Richmond Interfaith Council to participate in an ecumenical service
on Saturday, April 18, 2015, organized by the Centennial Committee;
and hereby calls upon all its member churches, during all services on
Sunday April 19, 2015, to pray for the victims of the Armenian Genocide
and for all those, past and present, who have fallen victim to violent
acts based on hatred of a people, community or state because of gender,
religion, race, nationality or ethnic identity.

The following prayer is suggested:

Blessing: Armenian Genocide Prayer--April 18, 2015 Virginia Council
of Churches, Richmond, Virginia

Heavenly Father, Creator of the Universe:

We ask your blessing on the people gathered here today, all of whom
stand in the cause of witness, memory, and the ongoing struggle
for justice.

We ask you to grant rest to the souls of all who perished in the
genocides of the past and present--and especially to the million and
a half souls lost, 100 years ago, in the Armenian Genocide. Remember
the fallen, O Lord; cast your blessing on those who survived; and
bestow your peace on their descendants.

On this most solemn occasion--the 100th year of remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide--we painfully acknowledge that the world has not
yet learned the vital lesson, and has not done enough, to expunge
the plague of genocide.

And so we ask, Lord, that you will shine your light into the dark
corners of the world, to expose cruelty and injustice wherever it
afflicts innocent people--so that the genocides experienced by so
many peoples will never be repeated anywhere on the face of this earth.

We pray that you will inspire our leaders with wisdom, compassion,
and resolution in the face of evil. Our world today exists in a time
of uncertainty; and in such a time, O God, we seek above all to know
and perform your will. We pray that you will remember the precious
sacrifices being made today in the name of faith and religious liberty;
that you will shepherd the downtrodden out of the darkness of tyranny;
and that you will steer our entire world to a new dawn of peace,
justice, and dignity--for all your children.

Finally, we thank you for the bounty and liberty of this great country
of America. Bless this land and her people, Lord, so that she may
continue to be a beacon of hope to our world.

For all of these things, may your name be praised from generation
to generation.

Amen.