Armenian Genocide-NO MORE

Today, on the Sunday following the 111th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, every Armenian around the world should commit to saying: “Armenian Genocide – NO MORE”.

Why do I say Armenian Genocide and add the words “NO MORE”?

On 24 April 1915, the most demonic forces of mankind commenced a premeditated plan to exterminate Armenian Christians from their homeland. They started with our best and brightest Armenian Christian leaders: our religious, political, academic, and business leaders.

Their tactics were driven by a historically-based strategy: if they could exterminate all Armenian Christian leaders, the Armenian Christian people would, over time, lose their Christian faith and assimilate into secular idol worship and intellectual decline.

They believed only sentimental historic artifacts would survive and only among a very small number. The Armenian Christians would eventually become extinct, like so many cultures before them.

Key to their plan was to destroy the strong Armenian connection to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Kill the Armenian Christian best and brightest leaders along with their families, and the remaining leaderless flock will assimilate.

Today, I look around and ask: how successful were they – and what can we do today?

Yes, they killed 1.8 million Armenians, one of the most demonic actions of human history.

Hidden until this year is the fact that they were successful in reducing the number of Armenians attending church on Sunday.

Currently, a widely held belief among Armenians is that about 35% of U.S. Armenians attend church on non-holiday Sundays, which would rank first among Christians. This 35% belief gains cognitive support from the fact that Armenia was the first Christian nation and that Armenians are the guardians of the most holy Christian sites in Jerusalem.

In reality, non-holiday Sunday attendance by Armenians in the US is less than 3%, and in the Republic of Armenia, it is only 0.3%. Yes, I did say 0.3% in Armenia.

The 35% U.S. non-holiday Sunday attendance belief is a highly destructive, massive systemic misconception. The actual U.S. attendance of less than 3% ranks next to last place among 23 U.S. Orthodox peers and is a very small fraction of the major U.S. Christian religions.

To put this bottom-decile number in perspective, only 0.7% of U.S. Armenian females ages 18 to 29 attend church on non-holiday Sundays. To state the obvious: 0.7% is close to extinction.

And, when I say Genocide NO MORE, I say this because the anemic 3% and 0.3% church attendance cannot continue.

If you can hear or read these words, Armenians around the world must revitalize and return to the church of our ancestors. You should not only attend church every Sunday. You should try your best every Sunday to bring a friend, bring a family member to church.

Yes, we must commemorate the 1.8 million killed and their homes and property stolen. Yes, we must never forget. But now is the time for action by every Armenian Christian around the world.

We can no longer sit back and deny the reality of the almost extinct church attendance. We must awaken and commit with all our heart and soul to revitalize our church's Sunday attendance.

Let all who hear and read these words, say:

“Genocide NO MORE, I will commit from this day forward to attend church every Sunday and every Sunday try my best to bring a friend, bring a family member.”

Say Genocide NO MORE. Bring a friend, bring a family member to church every Sunday. Let us double, within the next five years, the number of Armenians who attend church every Sunday.

God bless you, and may the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you.

The sermon was prepared by Khachkar Studios on the occasion of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.