Window Quarterly
Vol. I, No. 1, 1990
Copyright 1990

[Permission is granted to use, print, reproduce this article 
provided the following acknowledgment is given:  From 
Window Quarterly 1, 1  (1990);  ACRAG c. 1990. 

***

LOOKING THROUGH A WINDOW OF LOVE
[Inaugural editorial introducing Window Quarterly]

by Fr. Vazken Movsesian

During the first half of this century the question for the 
Armenian Church in America may have been how are we to 
keep the doors open?  Today, with the doors open, the central 
question is, how do we bring people through those doors? 
This is a question which has haunted and frustrated many a 
worker of the Church.  It is a question that is not reserved for 
the discussion of a few.  As concerned laborers in the field, 
God's harvest is our intention.  Our Lord teaches us, "...the 
laborer deserves his wages."  The wages for the laborer in the 
Church is not material wealth, rather an inner satisfaction 
that the labor has not been in vain.

To serve the Church is an act of love.  Because God loved us, 
we have a capacity to love.  We translate that love from the 
emotional realm to that of activism -- we serve.

The Church that Jesus Christ established, with Her unique 
message of love, hope, and life, entwined in mysticism 
continues to attract and captivate many.  Those drawn to the 
Church, particularly here in America, wake up in the face of 
harsh reality.  Those alluring ideals are in need of real 
funding.  And so, with love and devotion to the Church we 
work to fund and to move the Church in Her mission.  The 
post-massacre Armenian Church in America has only 
recently been adjusting to financial stability.  Nevertheless 
pressures from growing parishes, special needs of the fold, 
demands of a complex society require more and more of the 
Church.  The greater the projects, the greater is the need for 
money.  Thus a never ending cycle of projects and fund 
raisers becomes the fate of so many clergy, volunteers and 
workers of the Church.

The Holy Apostle tells us "love conquers all," and so we 
believe of difficulties in the Church.  Thousands of ordained 
servants and volunteers, out of love for the Church deal with 
banquets, raffles, picnics, bingo,  and sales to continue Her 
mission.  With an "end justifying the means" logic we 
rationalize all types of activity so long as revenue for Christ's 
work is provided.  All too often though, the line between the 
means and the end vanishes before our sight.  We begin to 
believe Church projects as being God-ordained or God-
validated.  With a loss of a defined purpose, the degree of 
love for our Church begins to diminish rather than be 
heightened.

At some point we have to say "enough."  We are part of the 
Church for a purpose.  Granted, her physical needs are 
essential but without some fresh air we are all susceptible to 
suffocation.  At some point we have to open a new window, 
to remind, to refresh and to invigorate us.

Our object in beginning a publication--Window view of the 
Armenian Church--is to deal with the end of our efforts.  
WINDOW is aimed at the  dedicated Armenian Church 
worker, ordained or not, to give a proportioned perception of 
the majestic Armenian Church.  We publish Window in a 
spirit of love.  Because of our love for the Church we are 
compelled to open this new window.   With articles focused 
on current issues, we hope to point to the relevancy of an 
ancient Church in today's modern society.

The issues that challenge us today, we find, are issues that 
the Church has addressed throughout the centuries. 
Ecumenism, cults, abortion, sexuality, poverty, environment, 
communism, capitalism (even if not expressed in these 
terms) have demanded answers from the Church since early 
centuries.

The man of the 1990's is only slightly different from his 
predecessors.  He looks for answers in his faith but now he is 
offered a broad range of alternatives.  Consider the three 
major Judaic traditions--Judaism, Christianity and Islam--and 
the handful of Eastern traditions -- Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.  
Each of these religions/philosophies has it's own set of 
values, laws and it's own god (deified or not).  Each has 
attractions and of course shortcomings.  In a free society, 
man is at liberty to examine, explore and come to terms with 
his conscientiousness and his god without consequence.  Yet 
evangelism, cult movements, neo/quasi-religion such as the 
new age movement, coupled with man's desire to spiritually 
"find himself," all contribute heavily in the decision process. 
The Armenian Church in America has become a Church of 
choice.   No longer does ethnicity determine religious 
affiliation.

The poet Vahan Tekeyan writes, "The Armenian Church is 
the birthplace of my soul...the mighty fortress of my 
forefathers' faith..."  These words described the feelings of a 
generation forced out of their homeland, whose only sense of 
stability was the Church.  Without lessening the poetic 
beauty of Tekeyan's words, we venture to say that the 
Armenian today finds no inconsistency in confessing the 
Church as a historic institution and another faith as the 
guardian and protector of his/her soul.  Church leadership 
faces a new dilemma in addressing a generation which does 
not describe belonging to the Armenian Church as an 
accident of birth, rather as a matter conscience choice, 
whatever the reasons for choice may be.

In turbulent waters, the Armenian Church in America 
struggles to beam Her light across foggy seas of religion. Her 
destiny in America largely relies on Her ability to be a viable 
option to ships adrift.  Here She can be a lifesaver or sink 
like a weighted barge.

We offer a Window -- to open, view and evaluate our efforts 
of love.  Everyone who loves the Church, sacrifices for that 
Church and is surely concerned with Her destiny. Without 
opening a window, our concerns remain within.  We offer 
Window: a view of the Armenian Church; a window made of 
glass, we may look through and be looked at.  In subsequent 
issues we will be addressing specific concerns of the 
Armenian Church in America.  We invite you to participate 
with your comments and insights.  Most of all, we invite you 
to view with us the Armenian Church through this window.

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          View Of The Armenian Church 
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