On Sunday, Nov. 13, St. John the Baptist Armenian Church of Milwaukee observed its 80th anniversary with Bishop Vahan Hovhannesian, former primate of the Armenian Church Diocese of France, celebrating the Divine Liturgy. ..
The Nicean Council called to convene by Emperor Constantine the Great upon the recommendation of church leaders. Constantine invited 1,800 bishops of the Christian Church within the vast Roman Empire. The number attending varies, but the number 318 has come to be the agreed official number of delegates.
Years ago, a dear friend shared a story that stayed with me. He said one day, I came home to find my kitchen turned upside down. It was a disaster—bowls, utensils, flour on the counters, chocolate smears on the walls. I wasn’t happy. But then, something caught my eye. Right there on the table was a little note, written with clumsy letters and smeared with chocolate fingerprints. It said, “I’m makin’ sumthin’ 4 you, Dad. Your Angel.” At that moment, my frustration melted away. My perspective shifted. The mess didn’t disappear, but it no longer bothered me because I saw my little girl’s love shining through it. She was creating something for me.”
Friends, that’s how our Heavenly Father sees us, and it’s how we can learn to see Him in the midst of life’s challenges. When we look at our lives, we might see the mess—the struggles, the challenges, the imperfections. But God sees the love. He sees His children striving, creating, and offering themselves to Him. He sees His image reflected in us, even through the smudges and imperfections. And He delights in what we’re making for Him because it’s done in love.
Record producer and artist manager George Avakian was best known for his work in major American recording companies (Decca, Columbia, Warner, RCA) from 1939 to the early 1960 and as a major force in the expansion of development of U.S. recording industry. Names like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Bob Newhart, John Cage, Alan Hovhaness, Ravi Shankar, and many others were among the luminaries that worked with him.
George Mesrop Avakian was born on March 15, 1919, in Armavir, in the Northern Caucasus (Russia);
