Istanbul, February 2008: Sunday, February 10, 2008. The Armenian Evangelical Church in Gedik Pasha, Istanbul. As you walk into the Church building, you feel as if you are walking through history. One of the churches founded right after the establishment of the Armenian Evangelical Church, it makes you feel the “Spirit” of the same history throughout the building. What makes the feeling strong is the fact that history has not ended or been confined in a “museum”; rather, it is alive and strong. What makes history at Gedik Pasha part of today is the enthusiasm of the parishioners: the daring men, women, youth, and children worshiping the Lord wholeheartedly under the leadership and guidance of Rev. Krikor Aghabaoghlu.The choir and the band of young committed youth lead the congregation in worship. The hymns create the spirit of oneness through the ONE. The young musicians are vital and energetic. All together they sing aloud with joy and enthusiasm throughout the service. Rev. Krikor had asked
me to preach that Sunday. After the sermon, Rachel Dink shared the testimony of the Cross.With tears in her eyes, she sang “Yerp ayn khatchin yes ge nayim”. The next day, Monday, February 11, 2008, was another date among many at the court, another court hearing in the case of the assassination of her late husband Hrant Dink. Rachel offered this hymn as a prayer for the trial on Monday and a testimony for a life that is worth living, a life of Faith through the Cross.
My visit to Istanbul and the Armenian Evangelical Church in Gedik Pasha were in line with the business trip and meetings I had the following week in Turkey. What made my trip so significant, though, was meeting with a community that was committed to the legacy that had begun on July 1, 1846. Today, our brothers and sisters at Gedik Pasha are keeping that legacy alive.
Hrayr Jebejian