On November 25, 2016 the 68th Annual ACYO General Assembly was held at St. Apkar Armenian Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. The meeting, which included delegates of the youth organization from throughout the Western Diocese, was presided over by the Primate His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian, who began the meeting with a prayer.
The first session commenced with a welcome message by Fr. Zakaria Saribekyan, Parish Priest of the host parish, who warmly greeted the diocesan youth. The Primate then led the convention in the ACYO pledge, and in his welcome remarks, His Eminence reflected upon seven key words from the pledge: "promise" which is a commitment to discipline, "ability" which denotes gifts graced upon us by God, "child of the Armenian Church" which explains our bond to the Church, "Upholder of the Armenian cultural heritage" which conveys the trust placed upon the ACYO, "abiding in the objects and decision of the Armenian Church" which speaks about the value of vision, "serving the Church, community, and country" which is challenge for us to act, and "glory" which reminds us that we do not act for ourselves, but the glory of God."
As first session continued the ACYO Central Council, Chairperson Sofia Dilsizian, reported on version projects which were implemented throughout the year including, the inter-diocesan youth meeting, junior and senior retreat, and the very successful Sports Weekend tournament. Archpriest Fr. Shnork Demirjian, of St. Peter Armenian Church of Van Nuys, offered a spiritual reflection at the end of the first session. Following the convening of the day's meeting, the delegates were hosted to a fun social event at the parish hall.
The next day, the meeting was reconvened with a prayer and moment of silence for the fallen soldiers of Artsakh. It was followed by a Gospel reading and spiritual message offered by Rev. Fr. Mesrop Ash, of St. John Armenian Church of San Francisco. Fr. Hovel Ohanyan, of St. Vartan Armenian Church of Oakland, was invited to also offer a spiritual reflection. Various projects pertaining to the coming year were discussed including collaboration with Christian Education Council, participation in the 2017 Summer Camp program and the youth rally being planned for March 2017 entitled "Reclaim: embracing our faith in a changing world." His Eminence Abp. Hovnan Derderian also emphasized the importance of the upcoming 90th Anniversary of the Western Diocese, the 2017 CYMA mission to Armenia, inter-diocesan ACYO activities, and plans to appoint a new diocesan youth director.
The Central Council invited the delegates to separate into breakout groups to discuss each of the aforementioned topics, the results of which were presented to the assembly. Also discussed was the necessity of changing the long held date of the ACYO General Assembly from Thanksgiving weekend to a more convenient weekend. Following this discussion, a motion passed instructing the Central Council to make all necessary preparations to amend the by-laws to move the assembly weekend to mid-January and host a special ACYO assembly in 2017 to approve the amendments. After elections were held, the meeting was closed for lunch.
In the final session of the 68th General Assembly, a special presentation was entitled Spiritual Hymns Master Class was conducted by Sevag Derderian, Chair of the Choir Association of the Western Diocese. The youth practiced together various hymns from the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church. The results of the elections were announced, and it was determined that the next General Assembly will be hosted by St. John Garabed Armenian Church in San Diego.
In the Primate's closing remarks, he thanked all of the individuals and bodies who helped realized the ACYO convention, as well as the past ACYO year. He thanked Fr. Zakaria Saribekyan and his ACYO Convention Committee for their hard work in coordinating the event. He also thanked the members of the AYCO Central Council, especially the outgoing chairperson Sofia Dilsizian, for her hard work and dedication throughout the year. Furthermore, he thanked the parish priests and delegates for devoting the time and attention to attend and participate in the important event. In conclusion, His Eminence focused on three important ideals for the youth of the Armenian Church: calling, responsibility, and engagement. "You must fill your lives with prayer," he exhorted the assembled youth the Armenian Church, and blessed the newly elected Central Council members as the meeting concluded with a prayer.
