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Faithful plotting
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE, Times Staff Writer PINELLAS PARK -- This week, members of St. Hagop Armenian Church took another step toward realizing their long-held dream. It was more than two decades ago that a few hearty souls started talking about forming a spiritual community for local Armenian Orthodox Christians. The first service was held in 1974, with the fledgling congregation worshiping in a borrowed building. Years later, after numerous paper and aluminum can drives, dinners, garage sales, festivals and individual donations, the church was able to scrape together enough money to buy almost 10 acres at 90th Avenue and Belcher Road. In 1997, members held a groundbreaking ceremony. Now, five years later, the 400-family congregation is ready to begin building. On Sunday, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, helped launch a $1.5-million fundraising campaign for construction of St. Hagop's new sanctuary and multipurpose center. So far, parishioners have pledged $260,000 in cash to the project, which will be added to $650,000 that had been raised before. And one has promised up to $500,000 in construction materials. Speaking after Sunday afternoon's divine liturgy, Barsamian praised St. Hagop's perseverance. "I am grateful to the community for taking the second step which will secure the Armenian Christian faith in this area," he said during an interview after the almost two-hour service. "Florida is a state that is a growing one. The Tampa Bay area is a growing community, so from that perspective, it is good to have an Armenian center in this community," he said. Construction of the 250-seat sanctuary and 4,500-square-foot multipurpose center is expected to begin in June, said the Rev. Neress Jebejian, who became St. Hagop's first permanent pastor almost two years ago. The multipurpose building will house classrooms, offices, a conference area, dining room, library and kitchen. The sanctuary has been designed in keeping with Armenian Orthodox tradition. "We had a meeting with the entire parish and they voted for a traditional Armenian church style versus a modern church," said Pierre Abadjian, the project's designer and a member of the parish council. According to tradition, the sanctuary has to meet several requirements, said Abadjian, who lives in Bradenton. "The altar should always be facing east, so automatically, the entrance will be to the west. And one of the very important aspects of the Armenian church is the nave, where the believers and worshipers stay. Above the nave, there is always a tradition to have a higher dome in the center of the nave, which represents their faith going up to the heavens. The dome is typically very pointed rather than being round, with a steep roof," he said. "From that architecture, you develop wings on the sides for circulation. And, of course, the tradition of most churches in Armenia that were built in the early times was that they were made out of massive stones found in the region. So I tried to reproduce the same stone effect," Abadjian said. The second phase of construction, which has not been scheduled, will include a 10,000-square-foot cultural hall, which will be used for performances, weddings and other events. The three buildings have been designed around a courtyard. At present St. Hagop's congregation worships in a small chapel on the property at 7050 90th Ave. N. For feast days and other special events, such as Sunday's fundraising effort, members borrow the facilities of St. Stefano's Greek Orthodox Church, 3600 76th S. N, in St. Petersburg. St. Hagop's is part of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, which traces its beginning to the first century, when the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew preached in Armenia and were martyred. St. Hagop's, the third largest Armenian Orthodox congregation in Florida, behind churches in Hollywood and Boca Raton, is part of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, which has its headquarters in New York City. The archbishop, who had traveled from New York for St. Hagop's fundraising kickoff, delivered his sermon Sunday in both English and Armenian. He offered words of encouragement to the Pinellas Park congregation and reminded them of the courage of Armenian Christians through the ages. During an interview, he especially mentioned his grandmother, whose husband was among the 1.5-million Armenians killed between 1915 and 1923 by the Central Committee of the Young Turk Party of the Ottoman Empire. She was pregnant at the time, he said, but went on to rear her son well and to ensure that her family's faith never wavered. "I always say I am a clergyman because of her. I never felt bitterness from her," Barsamian said. "Fortunately, the Armenian character is a persistent character." That was the message he tried to convey Sunday to the 100 or so members of St. Hagop's as they prepared to take the next step toward their dream. Christ is always present during times of challenge, the archbishop said. "I know that St. Hagop's has a wonderful vision," he said. "I know there is fear. Don't be afraid."
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
