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Construction of St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas In Final Phase
http://asbarez.com/108213/construction-of-st-garabed-church-in-las-vegas-in-final-phase/
Friday, February 8th, 2013 | Posted by Asbarez Staff
Construction of the St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas is nearing completion
LAS VEGAS - Asbarez sat down with Las Vegas St. Garabed Church Parish
Priest Rev. Father Avedis Torossian and the Parish Council Chair
Adroushan Armenian and Construction Committee members, Levon
Gulbenkian and Koko Darakjian to discuss the progress in the church
construction and estimated completion date.
Asbarez: What are the roots of St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas?
St. Garabed: There has been an Armenian community in Las Vegas dating
back to the 1950's. However a significant number of Armenians
relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas in the early 1990's,
particularly after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
We have several photos of church services being held at the home of
Chuck and Sue Merlian dating back to 1994. The Merlian family had
donated a painting of Baby Jesus and Mother of Christ in 1994 which we
have been using on our altar for all these years.
The Western Prelacy has been providing spiritual services to the
community for many years, in coordination with a committee comprised
of local community members who was the bridge between the Prelacy and
the Armenian population. In 2006, under the auspices of Western
Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, the Las Vegas Armenian
community was re-organized and revitalized with the official
appointment of a Parish Council to oversee the needs of the growing
community. In 2010, Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian was assigned as
the full-time Pastor for the parish community.
It was in May of 2010 when our church was officially named `St.
Garabed' in memory of Seda Der Garabedian-Barnes and the Der
Garabedian family ancestors who perished during the 1915 Armenian
Genocide.
Asbarez: How big is the Armenian community in Las Vegas and tell us
about the church community?
St. Garabed: There are no exact numbers, however the community is
estimated to be six to eight thousand strong. We have around 100
Armenian families who actively participate in various community
events, and now that the church structure is visible we are seeing
more and more Armenians emerging and participating in church services
and functions.
Asbarez: Tell us when you started the Church building initiative and
where do you currently stand.
St. Garabed: Having our own Armenian Church in Las Vegas was always in
our prayers, and in December of 2009 we were fortunate and blessed to
purchase the property located at 2054 East Desert Inn Road.
With the guidance of the Prelate, and after consultations with the
Executive Council and Prelacy Building Committee Chairman Mr. Vahan
Bezdikian, we split our construction project into three phases based
on their input.
Phase one was to renovate the two story existing building so that we
could immediately start using it as a temporary church and cultural
and community center. This first phase was completed by April 1, 2010.
During phase two we started developing plans to demolish the existing
one story building and replace it with the new church structure. After
finalizing architectural and engineering drawings and obtaining the
required permits, we started the actual construction work on August
26, 2012. We anticipate phase two to be completed by mid-February of
2013 by obtaining our occupancy permit.
Phase three will be to remodel the second floor of the cultural center
building to accommodate the growing need of the Saturday School and
the community. We anticipate to complete this project during the
summer of 2013.
Asbarez: How did you manage funding the construction project?
St. Garabed: The construction project was made possible thanks
primarily to benefactor Mr. Larry Barnes and his generous donation in
memory of his wife, Seda Der Garabedian Barnes, and by Mr. Kirk
Kerkorian's UCLA Dream Fund donation and `Matching Fund Challenge'. We
are grateful to them both for their benevolence.
We also developed a list of `Sponsorship and Naming' opportunities for
our church construction needs. News spread quickly and we received
numerous donations from local community members and also several out
of state donations. A detailed list with corresponding plaques will be
placed in the church lobby at a later date.
It is important to highlight that we had several individuals make
donations in memory of their loved ones with the names Garabed, Garo
or Hovhannes, after the name of our church `St. Garabed'. Out of those
donations we would like to highlight a generous donation from the Los
Angeles based `Armenian Compatriotic Union of Guesaria' which
sponsored our church lobby. The significance of this donation is in
memory of the historic St. Garabed Monastery of Guesaria that was
completely destroyed by Turkish authorities after the 1915 Armenian
Genocide.
Asbarez: What are the remaining challenges to complete your project?
St. Garabed: We are fortunate that we did not come across serious
problems during our construction phase, and we expect to finish our
project within six months of our start date.
Currently the structure is complete and we are working to finish the
interior including the pews, altars, candle stands, and stained glass
windows. Our objective is to have all of these completed by Sunday,
March 24th, which coincides with Palm Sunday.
The only challenge for us is to continue with our fundraising efforts
and to meet our Dream Fund `Matching Fund Challenge' which will end on
February 28, 2013. For those who are not familiar with this
fundraising challenge, the concept is that whatever funds we raise
between September 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013, the Dream Fund at
UCLA will match that amount as an additional donation.
We appeal to all those interested in making a donation to consider the
following list of sponsorship and naming opportunities in memory of
their loved ones, specifically:
Side Altar $10,000
Church Side Door $5,000
Stained Glass Windows Large (x 4) $5,000
Stained Glass Windows Small (x 5) $3,000
Altar Curtain $5,000
Priest Office $5,000
Choir Room $5,000
Church Icons Large Serpanegar (x 6) $4,000
Church Icons Small Serpanegar (x 12) $2,000
Individual Pew/Bench Seats (Each seat $500; 60 seats are currently available)
Donations may be sent to: St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of Las
Vegas; 2054 East Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169
From: A. Papazian
http://asbarez.com/108213/construction-of-st-garabed-church-in-las-vegas-in-final-phase/
Friday, February 8th, 2013 | Posted by Asbarez Staff
Construction of the St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas is nearing completion
LAS VEGAS - Asbarez sat down with Las Vegas St. Garabed Church Parish
Priest Rev. Father Avedis Torossian and the Parish Council Chair
Adroushan Armenian and Construction Committee members, Levon
Gulbenkian and Koko Darakjian to discuss the progress in the church
construction and estimated completion date.
Asbarez: What are the roots of St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas?
St. Garabed: There has been an Armenian community in Las Vegas dating
back to the 1950's. However a significant number of Armenians
relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas in the early 1990's,
particularly after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
We have several photos of church services being held at the home of
Chuck and Sue Merlian dating back to 1994. The Merlian family had
donated a painting of Baby Jesus and Mother of Christ in 1994 which we
have been using on our altar for all these years.
The Western Prelacy has been providing spiritual services to the
community for many years, in coordination with a committee comprised
of local community members who was the bridge between the Prelacy and
the Armenian population. In 2006, under the auspices of Western
Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, the Las Vegas Armenian
community was re-organized and revitalized with the official
appointment of a Parish Council to oversee the needs of the growing
community. In 2010, Archpriest Fr. Avedis Torossian was assigned as
the full-time Pastor for the parish community.
It was in May of 2010 when our church was officially named `St.
Garabed' in memory of Seda Der Garabedian-Barnes and the Der
Garabedian family ancestors who perished during the 1915 Armenian
Genocide.
Asbarez: How big is the Armenian community in Las Vegas and tell us
about the church community?
St. Garabed: There are no exact numbers, however the community is
estimated to be six to eight thousand strong. We have around 100
Armenian families who actively participate in various community
events, and now that the church structure is visible we are seeing
more and more Armenians emerging and participating in church services
and functions.
Asbarez: Tell us when you started the Church building initiative and
where do you currently stand.
St. Garabed: Having our own Armenian Church in Las Vegas was always in
our prayers, and in December of 2009 we were fortunate and blessed to
purchase the property located at 2054 East Desert Inn Road.
With the guidance of the Prelate, and after consultations with the
Executive Council and Prelacy Building Committee Chairman Mr. Vahan
Bezdikian, we split our construction project into three phases based
on their input.
Phase one was to renovate the two story existing building so that we
could immediately start using it as a temporary church and cultural
and community center. This first phase was completed by April 1, 2010.
During phase two we started developing plans to demolish the existing
one story building and replace it with the new church structure. After
finalizing architectural and engineering drawings and obtaining the
required permits, we started the actual construction work on August
26, 2012. We anticipate phase two to be completed by mid-February of
2013 by obtaining our occupancy permit.
Phase three will be to remodel the second floor of the cultural center
building to accommodate the growing need of the Saturday School and
the community. We anticipate to complete this project during the
summer of 2013.
Asbarez: How did you manage funding the construction project?
St. Garabed: The construction project was made possible thanks
primarily to benefactor Mr. Larry Barnes and his generous donation in
memory of his wife, Seda Der Garabedian Barnes, and by Mr. Kirk
Kerkorian's UCLA Dream Fund donation and `Matching Fund Challenge'. We
are grateful to them both for their benevolence.
We also developed a list of `Sponsorship and Naming' opportunities for
our church construction needs. News spread quickly and we received
numerous donations from local community members and also several out
of state donations. A detailed list with corresponding plaques will be
placed in the church lobby at a later date.
It is important to highlight that we had several individuals make
donations in memory of their loved ones with the names Garabed, Garo
or Hovhannes, after the name of our church `St. Garabed'. Out of those
donations we would like to highlight a generous donation from the Los
Angeles based `Armenian Compatriotic Union of Guesaria' which
sponsored our church lobby. The significance of this donation is in
memory of the historic St. Garabed Monastery of Guesaria that was
completely destroyed by Turkish authorities after the 1915 Armenian
Genocide.
Asbarez: What are the remaining challenges to complete your project?
St. Garabed: We are fortunate that we did not come across serious
problems during our construction phase, and we expect to finish our
project within six months of our start date.
Currently the structure is complete and we are working to finish the
interior including the pews, altars, candle stands, and stained glass
windows. Our objective is to have all of these completed by Sunday,
March 24th, which coincides with Palm Sunday.
The only challenge for us is to continue with our fundraising efforts
and to meet our Dream Fund `Matching Fund Challenge' which will end on
February 28, 2013. For those who are not familiar with this
fundraising challenge, the concept is that whatever funds we raise
between September 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013, the Dream Fund at
UCLA will match that amount as an additional donation.
We appeal to all those interested in making a donation to consider the
following list of sponsorship and naming opportunities in memory of
their loved ones, specifically:
Side Altar $10,000
Church Side Door $5,000
Stained Glass Windows Large (x 4) $5,000
Stained Glass Windows Small (x 5) $3,000
Altar Curtain $5,000
Priest Office $5,000
Choir Room $5,000
Church Icons Large Serpanegar (x 6) $4,000
Church Icons Small Serpanegar (x 12) $2,000
Individual Pew/Bench Seats (Each seat $500; 60 seats are currently available)
Donations may be sent to: St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church of Las
Vegas; 2054 East Desert Inn Road, Las Vegas, NV 89169
From: A. Papazian