by Elise Nakhnikian
The United Armenian Congregational Church is the only parish in the Greater Los Angeles area offering simultaneous translation each Sunday during services. Reverend Berdj Djambazian, Pastor of the Church, explains the dilemma of serving the multi-cultural and multi-language Armenian parishioners who come from twelve different countries: "The change has come about in the last ten years really. In the beginning some parishioners left because we tried to accommodate the newcomers with more spoken Armenian during the sermon. Those that immigrated to the United States twenty five or thirty years ago were understanding, however, even many of their children didn't speak Armenian. We knew we had to address the problem." Reverend Djambazian goes on to add: "About seven years ago we wired the entire church complex with portable ear-sets for simultaneous translation. We are lucky to have some very qualified volunteer translators. Now during services every spoken word is translated and it has made an enormous difference in the attitude of all our parishioners."
The need to serve the growing immigrant population is ever present in the mind and heart of Reverend Djambazian. He prepares videos on Armenian historic and religious figures in the Armenian language, offers an extra Sunday service on L.A.'s cable television Channel 9 and a third non-denominational service every Sunday at five p.m. for the Glendale population. Upwards of five hundred Armenian newcomers in the area attend.
Reverend Djambazian, the United Armenian Congregational church and an affiliated organization, Christian Outreach for Armenians, have been instrumental in sending assistance to churches in Armenia along with medical and relief supplies to the earthquake zone.
