The Armenian Community in the Los Angeles area
The articles in this section were compiled from various Internet sources that are listed below.
Armenian immigration to the United States has been primarily triggered by political rather than economic reasons. The were two major waves of Armenian immigration: pre-1920s and post-1960s. The earliest wave of Armenian refugees fled the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th and early 20th century. The second wave of Armenian immigration started after 1965 when the restrictive U.S. Immigration Act of 1924 was finally lifted. The second wave of Armenian immigration was also caused by political turmoil in Egypt, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran.
Thus there is an unusual mix of countries of origin and generations among Armenians. One group includes the survivors of the first wave of immigrants and their descendants who are now a middle-age second generation, and a young or very young third and even fourth generations. By contrast Armenian immigrants after 1965 include mostly a first generation ranging widely in age, so that there are both first-generation and third-generation Armenians of the same age. They differ, of course, in terms of country of origin.
Most of the earlier Armenian immigrants settled in the Eastern states after 1875, but some later migrated to Fresno, California, after 1883, to work in agriculture. By 1912 there were in Fresno and Tulare counties between 5,500 and 6,000 Armenians. They controlled between 8,000 and 19,000 acres of land. In the town of Fresno there were about 100 Armenian merchants and tradesmen, who competed on favorable terms with those of other nationalities. The combined wealth of the Armenians was estimated at $4 million.
The first Armenian Apostolic parish was established in Fresno at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church. Other Armenian churches established in Fresno were the First Armenian Evangelical Presbyterian Church in 1897, which was the first Armenian ethnic church of any denomination in California; it was organized after Armenians attending the Congregational Church were kicked out in 1895. The Armenian Evangelical Pilgrim Congregational Church, established in 1902, was the second Armenian ethnic church of any denomination in California. The Armenian Full Gospel Church of God was established in Fresno in 1912 by the Reverend Vartan Moomjian.
Some of the second- and third-generation Armenians left the Fresno community and resettled in Los Angeles. The new wave of Armenian immigration was directed towards California and especially Los Angeles. Thus, Los Angeles has attracted both native-born Armenians from Fresno and from the Eastern states, as well as recent immigrants from a few Middle Eastern countries and the Soviet Union. Los Angeles is now one of the most ethnically diverse Armenian centers in the world.
From 1906 to 1908 there was a large movement of Armenians to Los Angeles. These were both Russian Armenians from Kars and the plain of Shirak and Turkish Armenians who had wearied of the farmer’s life in Fresno. They were joined by Armenians from the eastern states as well. Most came in whole families, and by 1911 the Armenian population had reached 1,000. Of these 520 were Russian Armenians, a few of whom were Molokans.
The 400 Russian Armenians from Shirak were almost all laborers in the cement and steel works of the San Bernardino area. The rest of the Armenians were occupied in small business, farming, trades, or small pursuits. About 100 were estimated to be produce sellers, rug repairers, junk peddlers, clothing pressers, and ice cream sellers. By 1911 there were five Armenian rug dealers in the area: Pashgian Brothers, Khazoyan, Enfiajian, M. Koroyan, and H. Minasian. The Armenian immigrants of Southern California clearly demonstrated an independent mentality, wishing to be the master of something, anything, no matter how small or insignificant. Many of them prospered over the years and generations.
The Size of the Armenian Community in Southern California
According to Archbishop Hovnan Derderian of the Armenian Church of North America in May 2007, there are some 450,000 Armenians in the Los Angeles area (compared to an estimated 550,000 Jews); and as primate of his church's Western Diocese, encompassing 14 states, he leads a flock of 800,000. However, according to the 2000 Census, there were only 138,015 Armenian language speakers in Los Angeles County (this includes East Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley, Glendale, Pasadena, etc., where most Armenians are located). In addition, there are many people of Armenian ancestry who do not speak Armenian today who are descendents of Armenians who immigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s and later.
The Armenians of East Hollywood tend to be Russian Armenians, with certain cultural characteristics resulting from their experience of living for 70 years under a Communist system. Iranian Armenians tend to live in Glendale and have their own social and economic networks. The Armenian community of Pasadena tends to be strongly of Middle Eastern origin.
The Little Armenian Community in East Hollywood
Little Armenia is defined by the Los Angeles City Council as "the area bounded on the north by Hollywood Blvd between the 101 Freeway and Vermont Ave, on the east by Vermont Avenue from Hollywood Blvd to Santa Monica Blvd, on the south by Santa Monica Blvd between Vermont Ave and the 101 Freeway and on the west by the 101 Freeway from Santa Monica Blvd to Hollywood Blvd". (Adopted on 6 October 2000.)[1]
Its name comes from the large number of Armenian-Americans that live in the area and also from the large number of Armenian stores and businesses that had already opened in the neighborhood by the early 1990's. Prior to this time, the neighborhood was known as being a rather seedy one, known for street prostitution, cheap bars, and drug sales. All of these still exist in the area, but to a significantly lesser extent, due to the efforts of the Armenian community and the city government of Los Angeles. Also, gentrification is beginning to spill over into East Hollywood due to its proximity to Los Feliz and Silver Lake, especially in the parts closest to those areas.
St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church is an Armenian church that is located inside Little Armenia. St. Garabed church is the place of prayer for the vast majority of Armenians living in Hollywood. It is located on Alexandria Avenue and it was built in 1978. The church is located front of the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School. Little Armenia's only public park is Barnsdall Art Park, which includes the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Hollyhock House and a city-run arts center built in 1919-1921. The park, located on small but scenic Olive Hill, was donated to the city of Los Angeles by oil heiress Aline Barnsdall.
One of the major event that occurs in "Little
Armenia" is every year on April 24, when Armenians gather in Hollywood to take
part in a protest for the recognition of Armenian Genocide.
According to the Armenians, backed by predominant historical analysis, between 1915 and
1923, Turkey killed 1.5 million Armenian civilians in a planned genocide. Turkey
maintains that some 300,000 Armenians died, but that an equal number of Turks perished,
and that both sides were victims of chaotic wartime conditions, disease and famine, not a
predetermined extermination. Turks refer to the wartime slaughter by the Arabic word
mukapele, which Sensoy translated during a phone interview as "mutual massacre."
Year after year, Armenian Americans have commemorated the beginning of the slaughter by
demanding that modern Turkey formally acknowledge the persecutions and deaths of their
ancestors as the Armenian Genocide. Just as consistently, the Ankara government has
refused.
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Armenian Cleric Visits Pasadena, Spreads Faith's Traditions (October 2007)
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Armenian Churches in Southern California
Armenia is a country with a more than two-thousand year history. Christianity became the state religion in 301 CE, the Kingdom of Armenia being the first state to adopt Christianity. Distinctively, the Armenian Apostolic Church accepted only the earliest Christian doctrines. In the nineteenth century, European and American missionizing led to the formation of the Armenian Protestant Church and the Armenian Catholic Church.
There are a variety of religious traditions among Armenians in the Los Angeles area: Apostolic, Prelacy (Dashnak, anti-Soviet), Diocese (non-Dashnak, accepted Soviet rule of Armenia), Roman Catholic, Protestant and Jehovah's Witnesses (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York).
The liturgical language for the Armenian Apostolic Church is Grabar [Krapar, Old Armenian, Classical Armenian
]. The various organizational structures of this ancient Christian Church are as follows:E
vangelical Armenian Congregations in PasadenaArmenian Apostolic Churches in Pasadena
NOTE: See article about the new church
building for St. Gregory the Illuminator
Armenian Apostolic Church in Pasadena (10 Sept 2007).
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In Los Angeles, the first religious meeting was conducted by the Reverend Haigag H. Khazoyan in 1905 in a small room of the First Congregational Church. For a while, the meetings were led by Mr. Yenovk Der Stepanian. In 1908, a congregation was organized under the name “Los Angeles Armenian Gethsemane Congregational Church,” with the Reverend S. H. Babasinian as pastor. In 1910 Mr. Aram S. Yeretzian was called. He was ordained in 1913. In 1916 a building was bought for $5,600 from Salem Congregational Church, which had been built only ten years earlier at a cost of $25,000. On Christmas Day, January 6, 1917, the church held a special service and became completely independent of First Congregational Church. Gethsemane Church was active in the community, conducting mission work among the Caucasian Armenians of Los Angeles and dispensing aid to the needy both locally and in the homeland. Worshipers came from as far away as San Diego and Santa Barbara as well as suburban towns.
MolokansIn Los Angeles there were also a number of small independent gatherings of “spiritual” or fundamentalist Christians. Among these were the Armenian Molokans, who were from the village of Karakala in the Kars Oblast (province). The Molokans were a sect that had emerged in central Russia in the middle of the eighteenth century, although it is possible that antecedents had already been in existence a hundred years earlier.
Like the Mennonites, the Quakers, and the Dukhobors, with whom they shared a historical similarity, they rejected the essential orthodox doctrines of the Church: its magisterium, or authority to teach, the Apostolic Succession, and the sacraments. Their worship consisted mainly of “jumping” or ecstatic dancing, communal singing, and the recitation of Bible verses. A strict reading of the scriptures led them to embrace pacifism and the Mosaic dietary laws. From their refusal to fast during Lent, they were called molokane or “milk drinkers,” but they turned this insult on its head by declaring that they drank the “spiritual milk of God.” After 1828 the tsarist government sent many of them to the Transcaucasus because of their intransigence. However, the clean, industrious, and thrifty habits of the Molokans caused them to prosper and even to make converts, among whom were the Armenians of Karakala. These also adopted “jumping.” In the Transcaucasus, Molokan leaders made prophetic utterances assertedly inspired by the Holy Ghost. One such prophecy foretold the division of the community into two groups, Zion, which would be led to a place of refuge, and Jerusalem, which would remain and endure tribulation. However, the time of this event was not specified.
Signs pointing to the imminent fulfillment of the prophecy were seen in 1900 by Efin Gerasimitch Klubnikin. This man, young by Molokan standards, was born on December 17, 1842 near Erevan and began having revelations at the age of 9. Klubnikin went from village to village throughout the districts of Erevan and Kars with his warning. He told his Armenian co-religionists of Karakala that if they did not flee, they would suffer a fate far more severe than that of their Russian brethren.
Following a debate in the Molokan communities at which the leader of the Armenian community of Karakala, Ardzuman Ivanitch Ohanessian, was present, the first group of emigrants left Kars for Los Angeles on May 1, 1904. The migration of Molokans continued until the outbreak of war in 1914. The emigrants settled on the east side of the Los Angeles River down from Boyle Avenue between First and Sixth Streets, an area called the “Flats.” This became a “Russian town” and here the Molokans built a church. William Klubnikin, Sr., the grandson of E.G. Klubnikin, states that the Armenians settled south of Fourth Street and had their own church on Clarence Street off Fourth Street. It seems probable that these meetings were conducted in Armenian.
According to Joyce Bivin, the descendent of Armenian Molokan immigrants, the Armenian Molokans adopted some Pentecostalist beliefs under the influence of revival meetings that were going on at the time at the Apostolic Faith Mission at 312 Azusa Street. These meetings were conducted in English and the Armenians did not fully understand the language, but they believed that they were receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost and “spoke in tongues.”
The first Armenian Molokan meetings were on Boston Street, then in a large room at 431 South Pecan Terrace, and then on Gless Street, all in the “Flats.” The Armenians gradually moved east past Atlantic Boulevard toward Montebello. The Armenian Molokans kept to themselves rather than participating in general organized Armenian community life and were led by their own “brethren.” Mr. Klubnikin told the author in 1999 that formerly he would sometimes see Armenians at the Russian church, but that he had not seen them for many years. The present gathering, according to Joyce Bivin, is in Hacienda Heights. She writes: “They’ve removed ‘Armenian’ from the name of the church to make it more neighborhood-friendly. They sing a couple of the old songs [Psalms, verses] right in the beginning of the service before continuing with the American choruses and hymns. They still observe all the Feasts [of the Maksimisti/Jumpers]. Mrgditch Perumean’s grandson, Stanley, is the leader.”
The Armenian Evangelical Association of CaliforniaExcept for the Presbyterians, all of the Armenian Evangelical churches were completely independent and self-governing. Therefore, they had no central organization. But such local churches could and did join together with other like-minded believers in voluntary associations for the purpose of fellowship and the furthering of mutual aims.
In Turkey, the Evangelical churches were organized into territorial unions: the Bithynia Union and the Aintab Evangelical Union, 1864; the Harput Evangelical Union, 1865; the Central Evangelical Union, 1868; and the Cilicia Union, 1872. Following the same model, two unions were established in America.
In 1901 the Armenian Evangelical Association of America was established in Worcester, Massachusetts, for the churches in the east. In 1908 the Armenian Congregationalist Association of California was founded, comprising Fresno Pilgrim Congregational Church, Fowler Armenian Congregational Church, and Los Angeles Gethsemane Armenian Congregational Church. The other congregational churches joined each association as they were organized.
In 1912 the name of the Armenian Congregationalist Association of California was changed to “The Armenian Evangelical Association of California” and the Armenian Presbyterians were invited to join. They were present for the 1913 meeting. The Association conducted (and still conducts) annual meetings, where reports were given on church activities, mutual encouragement was extended and aid pledged, and the religious advancement of the community was promoted. The Association elected officers and trustees, who only executed the activities of the Association and had no authority over any of the member congregations.
The Armenian Apostolic Church
If the course of the Armenian Evangelical churches went fairly smoothly, with allowances for occasional anomalies based on personality or language, or in the experience of the first Armenian settlers, on prejudice, the course of the Apostolic Church at times became chaotic. Through all this, however, the people retained a strong devotion to their ancient forms and usages.
Fresno. The first Apostolic priest in Fresno was Aharon Vartabed Melkonian, who came in 1894 with his brother, B. Srabion (P. Srapion). Father Melkonian was born in Bitlis in 1826 and was ordained a married priest in 1853. He assumed the monastic cassock in 1871 in Lim, after the death of his wife. From 1876 to 1878 he was the superior (vanahair) of the monastery of Garin (Erzerum), remaining there alone during the Russian invasion after all had fled. He served the Armenian community of Fresno without remuneration until his death on March 7, 1911.
Father Melkonian celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Armenian Library Association hall, in the German Presbyterian Church, and sometimes on the banks of the river or in tents in the mountains. In October 1899 a fund drive for a church building was begun and on February 25, 1900 a board of trustees was elected. On March 2 the details of construction were approved and the parish was named “Holy Trinity.” On April 1 the foundation was laid. The church was located at the corner of F and Monterey Streets. On June 26, with the building partially finished, a letter was sent to Primate Bishop Sarajian in Worcester inviting him to come to Fresno to consecrate the new church. The finished building resembled a typical American wooden church building of the period, with pointed Gothic windows and entry porch, except for the steeple, which had an Armenian-style conical pinnacle set on eight columns. It was consecrated on October 14, 1900. The primate reviewed the charter, which had been prepared and signed by thirtyfive members. He remained in California for several months and attended to the organization of the church. A new board of trustees was elected on December 14, 1900, and on December 22 the church was incorporated according to the laws of the state of California. The charter was given final approval by Bishop Sarajian on January 1, 1901.
The Armenian Presbyterians had given a sizable contribution and were present at the consecration in October. The following February they requested the use of the building in the afternoon while they were building their own church. On October 26 the trustees of Holy Trinity replied that it was beyond their authority to allow Protestant services in the building and referred the matter to the primate. The refusal caused some ill feeling, but the primate praised the action of the trustees.
Since his arrival in Fresno in 1894, Aharon Vartabed Melkonian had been attending to the religious needs of the community without remuneration. By 1901 it was apparent that the priest, now aged 75, would not be able to continue his volunteer service. At a meeting on June 2, the church members decided to ask the primate to appoint a regular pastor. On June 7 the church expressed its appreciation to Aharon Vartabed for his many years of service.
On August 11 a letter was written to Bishop Sarajian suggesting the names of Mushegh Vartabed and Papken Vartabed, but no reply had been received by the time the board of trustees’ term expired on December 29. In February the church decided to call Sahag Vartabed Nazaretian, who was a convert from the Armenian Catholic Mekhitarist Brotherhood of San Lazarro. Sahag Vartabed was installed on November 29, 1902. His work was fruitful, but on May 1905 he resigned. The church asked him to withdraw his resignation.
In a letter of June 11, Bishop Sarajian offered the names of Arsen Vartabed Vehouni, Toros Kahana Jughaetsi, and Sarkis Kahana Tashjian. But the community was thrown into an uproar on August 5, 1906 when Sahag Vartabed was accused in a public meeting of a serious indiscretion involving an eighteen year-old girl. Amid severe outrage in the community, Bishop Sarajian appointed Aharon Vartabed, now aged eighty, his personal representative.
The church then called Toros Kahana Jughaetsi, who arrived in Fresno on Christmas Eve, 1907 (i.e., January 18). The clergy tried to dispose of the matter of Sahag Vartabed quietly, but there was still strong feeling against him in the community. Jughaetsi did not get along with the board of trustees and he tendered his resignation in December. In the following April Archishop Sarajian retired from his post and came to Fresno. He served as pastor until May, 1911. Then despite his age and infirmity he answered the call of the Armenians of Van to be their locum tenens and spent the last three years of his life in service to his people and his church. Archbishop Sarajian was succeeded by Vartan Vartabed Kasparian (later Archbishop), who served until 1934.
As the community grew larger, the small wooden church with its attached and library became too small and it was apparent that a new building was needed. The trustees were in the process of buying land when, on July 10, 1913, a fire destroyed the church, together with the Armenian school, the hall, the library, seven houses, and five stables. Total damage amounted to $20,000 of which $6,000 was sustained by the church and hall. All was substantially insured. The cause of the fire was found out to be a small boy playing with matches.46 The Armenian Presbyterian Church offered the use of its facilities, but the trustees declined and held services in the Episcopal Church instead. The plans to build, already in progress, were speeded up. On August 3, the church held a meeting in the Princess Theater and voted to push ahead.47 The twelve cornerstones were blessed on January 4, 1914. According to custom, the privilege of being godfather of the church was auctioned off and eight hundred dollars was raised. Three of the godfathers were Evangelicals.
On November 13, 1914 the new church was consecrated by Archbishop Mushegh Seropian, who came from Worcester. An overflow crowd filled the church and spilled out into the yard, as farmers drove in from the countryside with their whole families. The building, designed by Boghos Koundrajian of Garin (Erzerum), was a brilliant success. It was executed in red brick and echoed the traditional Armenian style while meeting modern requirements. The interior was bathed in colored light from the large stained glass windows and a great electric chandelier hung from the dome. The community was in a state of euphoria. Gotchnag reported, Old women, who had lived under the sun of Armenia, could be seen here moving their lips to the words of the sharagans, while the choir sang and the bells rang.
White-haired old men stood by the hour with unmixed joy beaming from their faces. These were the sons of the race that had built the church, who, not knowing how to get tired, have defeated the enemy. The hand of the destroyer could not stop them from building. That day the newspaper reported, “The Turks have destroyed the Armenian church of Erzerum,” and here, by the hand of a native of Garin, a new church was being consecrated.
Holy Trinity Church supported a school, library, and various societies and became the center of Armenian cultural life in the community.
Los Angeles. An emotional reaction to the death of Catholicos Khrimian Hayrig in 1907 motivated the incipient Armenian community of Los Angeles to organize itself into a parish. A committee of four men was formed with the goal of building a church. Sahag Vartabed Nazaretian, who had been driven out of Fresno, began to conduct services on holidays without remuneration before 1912. Teodoros Kahana Isahagian was also present in the town, and a rivalry developed between the supporters of the two priests. The situation was resolved through the efforts of the primate, Arsen Vartabed Vehouni, and Father Nazaretian left the city in 1914. After this the people had to depend on visiting priests from Fresno or elsewhere. In late December 1915 a board of trustees was elected consisting of A. Arakelian, A. Arsenian, S. Manoushian, Kh. Papazian, and M. Sterian, to which were added Messrs.Vartanian, Hairabedian, and Hovhannesian from the Caucasian-Armenian community.
On Easter, services were held before a large congregation but consisted only of chants by the clerks and sermons by Mr. Pashgian and Mr. A. Arakelian. A collection of $1,000 was taken to pay for a “worthy clergyman.” A candidate was found in Fresno. “For a long time the Fresno people have been thinking of ordaining a priest in order to further the work, but it keeps getting put off,” reported Asbarez. “"There is one person in the church who is an excellent candidate for the priesthood, and that is Deacon Melikian.... If the Fresno people don’t keep their eyes open, Los Angeles will snatch him out from under their noses.”
The deacon was indeed snatched by Los Angeles, and he was ordained Adom Kahana by Bishop Papken Giuleserian on March 8, 1917 and celebrated his first Divine Liturgy in the Episcopal church on Palm Sunday, April 8, 1917. Father Adom’s pastorate [1917-1935] was adversely affected by a struggle for control of the church between the Armenian political factions. Within less than two years the enthusiasm with which he had been welcomed had faded and he was increasingly subjected to attacks and innuendos.
In late 1918 or early 1919, a scheduled church meeting was held at which a board of trustees was to be elected. That there was a coordinated plan to take over the meeting is evident from the statement of Hagop Zakarian in Asbarez. Zakarian was a member of the Los Angeles Committee of Dashnaktsutiun and a chairman of the state convention in 1919. According to his account, the chairman of the meeting was absent and Father Adom tried to seat the chairman’s brother as chairman. “The people” objected and made Zakarian chairman over the latter’s “protests” that he was not a member of the church. The assemblage then “insisted” that the membership fee be lowered from $5.00 to $2.00. At this point a number of members of the church walked out of the meeting. Eighty new members were then registered at the lower fee, and the newly-constituted parish assembly proceeded to elect by overwhelming votes a board of seven Dashnaktsakans.
Zakarian professed outrage at the suggestion that this constituted a takeover, claiming that Dashnaktsakans too had a right to go to church, which the national constitution did not prevent them from doing. Father Adom was reportedly of a mind to resign. Zakarian asked, “If Der Hair (Reverend Father) was willing to serve when there was a Ramkavar board, why won’t he serve with a Dashnaktsakan board? But if he has such an intention, then we can’t stop him.”
The Dashnaktsakan board remained in power for the following year. In February 1920, they attempted to separate the church from the Diocese. Objecting to a circular from Primate Shahe Kasparian in support of the Salvation Fund Drive of General Antranig, they said that they did not want to recognize efforts in support of “crooked aims.” They continued: Your Grace: last year also you abandoned your religious duties when you meddled in the completely-political National Union. You sinned against your apostleship when you worked in every legal and illegal way for a certain political element in the election of the delegates to Paris. And now you are sinning against your apostleship when you join in this latest campaign. This shows that you have completely left your position and have turned into an agent of a political faction. We call you “Father” as a cleric, but you have favored one over the other, trampling noble fatherly principles, and the result is very sad, as you have seen. As heavy-hearted Armenians seeing this course of yours which is harmful to the nation, we protest with all our strength, and from now on we do not recognize you as the religious leader in America.
As a result of this letter, Father Adom at first threatened to resign, then decided to stand and fight. A meeting after church services on March 23, 1920, was packed by the opposing factions, one supporting the Worcester Diocese and the other Vehouni’s pro-Dashnakstakan Providence Diocese. In the struggle over who would chair the meeting, Zakarian called the priest a “beggar” and a fight broke out. The police were called in to restore order. The board of trustees “gladly accepted” Father Adom’s resignation and purported to have called another priest in his place. But Father Adom and the Diocesan authorities responded with a legal charter for the church to prevent the manipulation of the membership rolls. For some time policemen were stationed inside the church to prevent disturbances. Father Adom remained pastor of the church until his early death in 1935, having been weakened and sickened by his continual troubles.
The History of Religion among Armenians in Los Angeles: The Churches After 1920
Los Angeles
Armenian Gethsemane Congregational Church and Masis Congregational Church. By 1923, average attendance at Sunday worship at Los Angeles Armenian Gethsemane Congregational Church was 250. Local Armenians who were members of American congregations also visited on occasion. The language issue caused a split in Gethsemane Church when about fifty Turkish-speaking members left the church and started Masis Congregational Church on February 25, 1925. Most of these people were from Aintab, a Turkish-speaking area of Cilicia. Sermons were given in Turkish until the rise of a new generation born in America required that they also be given in English.
Immanuel Congregational Church. In 1930 the Reverend Yeretzian left Gethsemane Church to found Immanuel Congregational Church. They met in an American church building until they purchased their own facilities in 1934. By 1935 the church had one hundred and thirty members and the full panoply of subordinate organizations.
Fundamentalist meetings. In 1929 the Armenian Gospel Mission of Los Angeles was founded, which seems to have lasted for a number of years and then disappeared. Around the same time an Armenian Pentecostal Church was started in the Caucasian Armenian neighborhood by Brother Vartan Moomjian. This church continued under Brother Panos Ghazarian, and Moomjian started another church, the Community House of God, in 1940. He preached in Armenian for two years and then switched to English. His son, Melvin Moomjian, succeeded him in the pulpit, preaching in English. There was also a group of Armenian Russellites or Jehovah’s Witnesses, who met for study and published literature in Armenian. They worked to proselytize the Armenians, but had no impact on community life.
Pasadena
By 1933 there were 120 Armenian families in Pasadena. There was no Armenian “ghetto” or community, but the Armenians were dispersed throughout the city. Nevertheless, there were some tendencies of settlement, continuing the pattern set earlier. Only 15 families resided on or south of Colorado Street, all the rest being to the north. Most of these lived in a large triangle with the base resting on Walnut Street extending from Fair Oaks Avenue to Hill Avenue with the apex at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue. A few more were farther north and west near Casitas Avenue and Mountain View Street. A secondary settlement centered on the corner of Allen Avenue and Washington Street, with extremes at Casa Grande Street and Craig Avenue to the southeast, Hill Avenue to the west, and New York Drive to the north.
According to the “Ethnic Survey,” the first Armenians were attracted to this area by the presence of Bresee Church of the Nazarene, a church of the “Holiness” persuasion. Therefore they would be among the most conservative and fundamentalist Protestants. This may explain why at the turn of the twenty-first century this area is still the stronghold of the “born again” Armenians in the Los Angeles area.
Armenian Cilicia Congregational Church. In Pasadena, the Armenian community consisted mostly of Protestants from Hadjin and the neighboring Cilician towns. On June 3, 1922 some of these families met under the leadership of Stephen Salisian and Setrak Timourian and organized the Armenian Congregational Mission of Pasadena. The Reverend Sanadrouk Shamlian, formerly a minister in Hadjin and then a resident in Pasadena, was invited to be the pastor. He served for one year, and then in 1923 the Reverend Misak Aijian assumed the pastorate for two years. After that, the Reverend Sarkis Devirian and the Reverend Haigag H. Khazoyan briefly shared Sunday pulpit service and weekday prayer meetings until the Reverend Haig Adoorian was appointed. He served from January 1925 to April 1926. The Reverend Hampartsum H. Ashjian served for the remainder of the year. On January 1, 1927, the Reverend Samuel Rejebian arrived.
The Armenian Congregational Mission changed its name to Armenian Cilicia Congregational Church on April 7, 1927. A church constitution and by-laws were adopted, with 52 charter signatories. On November 10, 1927, the church was admitted to the Southern California Congregational Conference.
At the beginning, services were conducted in private homes and then for two years in the YMCA building. In 1924 the First Methodist Church allowed the use of its chapel. For eleven years the Psychic Science building at 495 East Villa Street was used. In 1935, Mr. Stephen Philibosian of St. Louis, Missouri, visited the community. He bought a lot at the corner of El Molino Avenue and Mountain Street at a cost of $1,000.00 and donated it to the church. Ground breaking took place on March 31, 1936, and the cornerstone was laid on July 12, 1936. The project was guided by Mihran Salisian, president of the trustees, Samuel Mardian, builder, and Luther Eskijian, architect. With great devotion and sacrifice the parishioners contributed many hours of physical labor and services, and despite the straitened economic circumstances, they finished the building. The dedication took place on June 13, 1937, with 400 persons present.
The Reverend Rejebian resigned in August, 1940, and the Reverend Aijian again filled the pulpit until February, 1942. The Reverend Manasseh G. Papazian, who had served as the distinguished pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church in Fresno for many years, took the ministry on an interim basis until the Reverend Senekerim K. Sulahian arrived in July, 1942. The latter served until October 1953. The Reverend Siragan Agbabian of Aleppo, Syria, then served for an interim of one year. Mr. Avedis C. Hassessian of Beirut, Lebanon, preached his first sermon as pastor on December 25, 1955. He was ordained on June 1, 1956, and served until his resignation on December 31, 1958.
There followed a period during which there were guest preachers until the Reverend Puzant Levonian became interim minister in April 1959. On May 1, 1960, the Reverend Norair Melidonian accepted the church’s invitation to the pastorate and served for 25 years until his resignation in 1986.
As the name of the church reflects, almost all of the parishioners were from Cilicia. This was a Turkish-speaking area, and many of these people spoke only Turkish and their local Armenian dialect, far removed from the standard Western Armenian of Constantinople. Those who could speak standard Armenian, usually by virtue of some formal schooling, were also fluent in Turkish. So in the early years, services were held exclusively in Turkish. But the resentment of the Armenian-speakers against the language of the hated oppressor smouldered, fanned by annual Martyrs Day commemorations. Their protests resulted in the introduction of some Armenian into the service, but still the primary language remained Turkish. Gradually, however, Turkish was eliminated. The conflict was in part generational, because the Turkish-speakers tended to be the older members of the congregation. A new conflict emerged with the rise of a new generation of American-born English speakers, and English was introduced in an effort to hold the young people.
For many years Cilicia Armenian Congregational Church was the only Armenian church in Pasadena (except for a tiny Brethren gathering) and its large basement hall was the scene of many community activities. But changing demographic and social factors after World War II caused the dispersal of the American-born generation and the slow decline of the church, resulting in the sale of the property in August, 1974. But soon a new influx of Armenian immigrants arrested the trend and gave new life to the oldest Armenian church in Pasadena. After the property was sold, services were held at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church at 1280 East Washington Boulevard and then at the Altadena Congregational Church, 943 East Altadena Drive. On June 2, 1991, the congregation again moved into its own building at 339 South Santa Anita Avenue, Pasadena.
Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church. A small Brethren gathering started in Pasadena in 1925, which was the predecessor of the Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church. They met in various locations under the leadership of Brothers Asadour Yeghoian, B. Agiulian, Eflatoon Elmajian, and Luther Kalustian. They also conducted mission meetings in Los Angeles. They were invited to join Cilicia Church in 1939 by the Reverend Manasseh G. Papazian, but preferred to remain separate for doctrinal reasons, not accepting the “liberalism” of the Congregationalists. They built a small church on East Washington Boulevard in the 1970s under the Reverend Vahram Tourian.
Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church. Seven families spit from the Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church in 1971 mainly over doctrinal issues. They rented space at Immanuel Baptist Church a few blocks down the street at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Holliston Avenue. After a month the congregation moved to St. James Methodist Church at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Pepper Drive, where they stayed for seven years. Subsequently they moved to Bresee Nazarene Church, a block from the church from which they had originally split, and conducted their services there until 1986. They then moved down the block into the former Nazarene Bookstore at 1536 East Washington Boulevard. Over the last three decades the church has grown from the original 40 members to 280, mainly from newcomers from Lebanon, Iran and Armenia.
Armenians in other evangelical churches. From the early days of their arrival in Pasadena, many Armenians were drawn to the existing Protestant churches in town, where there was a strong presence of conservative evangelicals, especially at Lake Avenue Congregational Church, Bresee Church of the Nazarene, and First Church of the Nazarene, among others. St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church. Those Armenians of Pasadena who wanted to attend services at the Apostolic church were compelled to travel to Los Angeles to Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church. In 1948 a small building was built on North Michigan Avenue just north of Walnut Street. A small hall in the rear served the community. In 1964 the parish bought a former Coca-Cola bottling plant on East Colorado Boulevard near Sierra Madre Boulevard, which was remodeled into a church and a hall. Additions of classrooms, office space, and a school were made later. The original church building has now been demolished and construction is in progress on a large new church in traditional Armenian style.St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church is affiliated with the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, that is, with the Catholicos of All Armenians in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. As of this writing (2004) the original generation of founders has all died and the church has a strong presence of second and third generation Armenian Americans, many of them persons of material means. There are of course foreign-born Armenians as well, and sermons are given in both Armenian and English. There has been tension over what sort of priest is best suited for this parish between Americanizers and traditionalists.
Pasadena Armenian Apostolic Church (now St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church). This church was established in the 1980s by sympathizers of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation and is affiliated with the Western Prelacy of the United States of America, that is, with the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon. Almost to the last person the parishioners (not the children, of course) are foreign-born Armenians and all the activities of the church are conducted in the Armenian language, with no English at all, even in the sermon. This is despite the fact that many of the parishioners-and the pastor-speak excellent English. Notices, however, may be, but are not always, bilingual. The parish originally used the facilities of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church on Allen Avenue three blocks south of Washington Boulevard, but three years ago it moved to a purchased building on Sierra Madre Boulevard one block south of Colorado Boulevard--incidentally three blocks from St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church and not far from Cilicia Congregational Church. There are Armenians scattered around Pasadena, but most of the attendees come from the neighborhood around Washington and Allen. The Armenian Evangelical Association of California. It was reported in Paros (“The Lighthouse”) that in 1927 there were twelve Armenian Protestant churches in California: three in Fresno, two in Los Angeles, two in Yettem, one in Parlier, and one in San Francisco. All of those reported were Congregationalist or Presbyterian, with the exception of one “non-denominational” (i.e., fundamentalist) church in Fresno. But according to other sources at this time there were four churches in Fresno and four in Los Angeles. The extra church in Fresno and the two extra churches in Los Angeles were probably fundamentalist gatherings. The Los Angeles churches included one among Armenians from Turkey and the other among the Caucasian [Molokan?] Armenians. We can take their omission from the list as an indication that they were very small or had little or no influence on community life, and so were unknown to the editors.SOURCES:
George Byron Kooshian, Jr., "The Armenian Immigrant Community of California: 1880–1935." Los Angeles: UCLA, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation in History, 2002: http://webpages.charter.net/georgebbruin/ George Byron Kooshian, Jr., "The Armenian Immigrant Community of Pasadena, California: One Hundred Years." PDF document, 2006. http://webpages.charter.net/georgebbruin/* * *
Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church History
As the Armenian Evangelical Church was born out of the Mother
Church (the Armenian Orthodox Apostolic Church), likewise the Armenian Brotherhood Church
was born out of the Armenian Evangelical Church.
In the beginning of the twentieth century, some of the suburbs of Cilicia as Harpert,
Marash, Hasan Bay, Aintab, and Adana, had seen strong spiritual awakenings, where numerous
persons repented and committed themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Having the
desire for a warm spiritual environment, they joined the group that sprang out of the
Evangelical Church, which was having unofficial meetings and which had similar concerns.
This group was being known as Brotherhood fellowship.
The Genocide did not permit this group to prosper in Cilicia. After the massacres, the
remnant of the Armenian people migrated to the Middle East and settled in Iraq, Syria,
Lebanon and Egypt. Those who migrated to Europe, mainly settled in Greece and France.
Among those who settled in these countries, there were initiator spiritual brothers who,
with the help of God, began similar meetings first at homes and later in rented halls, and
finally, when the number of the constituency increased, and the monetary means allowed,
they began to move into church buildings.
Among those who migrated to Aleppo, Syria, were Brothers Abraham Seferian, Minas Bozoklian
and Mihran Kasardjian. They gathered people together and began to have unofficial home
Bible studies. There were a mixed group of people who were born again, from the three
denominations (i.e., Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical). In time this group became larger
and took more official status, and finally it was named as the Spiritual Brotherhood
Church. Due this course movement spread into other countries, although in different names
as Armenian Evangelical Brotherhood Church, Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church, etc.
Numerous Brotherhood Churches were established in the Middle East: Beirut, Damascus,
Baghdad, Tehran, Cairo, Alexandria. In Europe: Valance, Paris, Athens. And in South
America: Buenos Aires, Cordoba, Sao Paulo, and Montevideo.
The brothers who migrated to North America, established churches in New York,
Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Fresno, Los Angeles, and Pasadena.
The founder of the Pasadena Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church was Rev. Ephlatone E.
Elmajian, who after retiring in 1960's, transferred the work to Rev. Vahram Tourian.
In 1971, seven brothers, together with their families split
from the church and founded a new church which conducted services in a rented church
building at the corner of Washington and Holeston. The reason for the split was mainly
doctrinal.
>The seven founding brothers were: Rev. John Mark, Rev.
Joseph Matossion, brothers Dikran Matossion, Abraham Voskerichian, Haigazoon Kuyumjian,
Jirair Aitablian and Moses Kasparian. Most of these brothers are in Heaven now.
After one month, the congregation moved to a Methodist church
at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Pepper Dr. They stayed there for seven years after
which the purchased a building at the corner of Washington Blvd. and Bresee. They had
their worship services in the Bresee Nazarene church from 1979 - 1986, when they finally
started to use their present location.
The church grew from 40 members to the present 280
membership. The membership grew mainly by new comers from Lebanon, Iran and Armenia.
The Brotherhood Churches are governed mainly by laymen. That
was the case with the Pasadena church, when, because of the growth of the congregation,
the Board of the Church invited Joseph Matossian to act as the full time pastor of the
church. Rev. Matossian served from 1986 to 1994 and he handed the torch to Bro. Samuel
Pambakian until 2000; thereafter handed over to Rev. Calvin Sagherian.
Sometime in 1998, the church ventured a giant construction
project, by spending around two million dollars. The church built a gymnasium, classrooms
and offices, together with a large parking area. These facilities are efficiently used by
the church for Sunday School, Bible Study groups, youth activities, banquets and executive
offices.
The Brotherhood church that is located in Pasadena is a member of the Union of the
Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches, which has to its membership 16 churches, among them
are the two churches in the Los Angeles County: Glendale, with Rev. Krikor Malakian as
Pastor; Hollywood, with Rev. Carlos Hadjian as Pastor.
In order to make the spiritual truths available to many and tie the Brotherhood churches
together, in 1925, in Aleppo, Syria, a monthly magazine started to be published by the
name of Maranatha, with Brothers Abraham Seferian and Minas Bozoklian as the editors.
Besides Maranatha there had been other magazines published like Aveli Gyank (Abundant
Life) and Tchahert (The Enlightened Journey), as well the Yerchanik Hooys (Blessed Hope)
periodical. These periodicals brought a tremendous subsidy to the Armenian spiritual
literature and spiritual nourishment to thousands of its readers. Today, only Yerchanik
Hooys (Blessed Hope) is in print, as the organ of the Union of the Armenian Brotherhood
Bible Churches, and is being published in Pasadena, California.
The members of the Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church in Pasadena give thanks to God for
having a home where believers come and worship the Lord, get nourishment from His word,
serve Him, have communion with their brothers and sisters in the Lord and prepare for the
return of Jesus Christ.
The Lord has helped us up to day, He has been our Ebenezer. May His name be blessed and
glorified among His flock.
SOURCE: http://www.abbcpas.org/history.htm
* * *
In March 2003, there were 36 Armenian churches in the Los Angeles basin, with concentrations in Glendale, Hollywood, Pasadena and Montebello. There were 23 Amenian Protestant churches, the majority of which are Evangelical; 13 Armenian Apostolics (five under the jurisdiction of the Catholicos of Antelias--Cilicia, eight under the Catholicos of Etchmiadzin); and two Armenian Catholic churches. In their design, the church buildings are a syncretism of traditional Armenian design and twentieth-century California architecture. It is that transformation from tradition and Armenia to modernity and Southern California that is most striking.Distribution of Armenian Churches in Los Angeles County, 2003
| Name | City | Denomination |
| Armenian Cilicia Congregational Church | Altadena | Protestant- Evangelical |
| Immanuel Armenian Congregational Church | Downey | Protestant- Evangelical |
| Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church | Encino | Apostolic |
| Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church (Glendale/Burbank) | Glendale | Protestant- Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches |
| Armenian Church of The Nazarene | Glendale | Protestant - Church of the Nazarene |
| Christ Armenian Church | Glendale | Protestant |
| First Armenian Evangelical Church of Glendale | Glendale | Protestant- Evangelical |
| St. Gregory Armenian Catholic Church | Glendale | Catholic |
| St. Kevork Armenian Church Glendale | Glendale | Apostolic |
| St. Mary's Armenian Apostolic Church | Glendale | Apostolic |
| Holy Trinity Armenian Church | Hollywood | Protestant- Presbyterian |
| United Armenian Congregational Church | Hollywood | Protestant- Evangelical |
| First Armenian Pentecostal Church | La Habra Heights | Protestant- Pentecostal |
| Armenian Apostolic Church of La Verne | La Verne | Apostolic |
| Armenian Baptist Church | La Verne | Protestant- Baptist |
| Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church (Hollywood) | Los Angeles | Protestant- Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches |
| Armenian Catholic Church Queen of Martyrs | Los Angeles | Catholic |
| Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church | Los Angeles | Protestant- affiliated with Evangelical Union of America |
| Armenian Evangelical Church of Hollywood | Los Angeles | Protestant- affiliated with Evangelical Union of America |
| St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church | Los Angeles | Apostolic |
| St. James Armenian Apostolic Church | Los Angeles | Apostolic |
| St. John Garabed Armenian Cathedral | Los Angeles | Apostolic |
| St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church | Los Angeles | Apostolic |
| Sheen Chapel | Mission Hills | Unconsecrated- open to all denominations |
| Armenian Evangelical Church of Montebello | Montebello | Protestant- affiliated with Evangelical Union of America |
| Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Cathedral | Montebello | Apostolic |
| St. Nareg Armenian Church | Montebello | Protestant- Evangelical |
| Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena | Pasadena | Apostolic |
| Armenian Bible Church | Pasadena | Protestant |
| Armenian Brotherhood Bible Church | Pasadena | Protestant- Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches |
| Armenian Evangelical Brethren Church | Pasadena | Protestant- affiliated with Evangelical Union of America |
| Pasadena Armenian Church of the Nazarene | Pasadena | Protestant - Church of the Nazarene |
| St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena | Pasadena | Apostolic |
| Armenian Bible Church of the Nazarene | Sun Valley | Protestant - Church of the Nazarene |
| Armenian Apostolic Church | Tujunga | Apostolic |
| St. Peter Armenian Apostolic Church | Van Nuys | Apostolic |
SOURCE: http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/about/gallery/armenian/ |
||
Map of Location of Armenian Churches in the Los Angeles Area, 2003
SOURCE: http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/about/gallery/armenian/
SOURCES:
Directory of Armenian churches in the U.S.A.: http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Armenian_Churches_in_the_USA
George Byron Kooshian, Jr., "The Armenian Immigrant Community of California: 1880–1935." Los Angeles: UCLA, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation in History, 2002: http://webpages.charter.net/georgebbruin/
George Byron Kooshian, Jr., "The Armenian Immigrant Community of Pasadena, California: One Hundred Years." PDF document, 2006. http://webpages.charter.net/georgebbruin/ Georges Sabagh, Claudia Der-Wartirosian, and Mehdi Bozorgmehr. SUBETHNICITY: ARMENIANS IN LOS ANGELES. Department of Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles, April 1990: http://repositories.cdlib.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1011&context=issr History of Armenian Brotherhood Bible Churches: http://www.abbcpas.org/history.htmWikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Armenia,_Los_Angeles,_California
The Little Armenia Community website: http://www.littlearmenia.com/ Tom Tugend, "The Armenian Genocide debate pits moral values against realpolitik" in The Jewish Journal (May 4, 2007):