Movses B. Janbazian
Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 26, 1945 |
| Died | September 25, 2000 (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | Haigazian University, Near East School of Theology |
| Occupation(s) | Reverend; Executive Director |
| Organization | Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) |
| Notable work | The Armenian Evangelical Church 2000 |
Movses Janbazian (July 26, 1945 – September 25, 2000) was an Armenian Evangelical pastor, missionary and community leader. He served as the Executive Director of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) and played a role in expanding the mission and outreach of the Armenian Evangelical Church worldwide, including in Armenia and Artsakh.
Early life
[edit]Movses Janbazian was born in Anjar, Lebanon, to Boghos and Agnes Janbazian.[1] He received his early education at the Armenian Evangelical High School of Anjar.[1]
He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Modern European History from Haigazian University in 1968 and a Master of Christian Education from the Near East School of Theology in 1971, both in Beirut, Lebanon.[2]
Career
[edit]Janbazian's ministry began in Lebanon, where he served as a youth director, Sunday School teacher, and organizer of teacher-training conferences for Armenian Evangelical churches. He also acted as a visiting pastor for churches in Damascus, Syria, and Zahle, Lebanon.[2] From 1971 to 1972, he founded and directed the Armenian Evangelical Social Service Center in Beirut. He later served as a missionary minister at the Armenian Evangelical Central Church of São Paulo, Brazil, and as a visiting pastor in Montevideo, Uruguay. During his tenure in South America, he established community programs, including a weekly radio show, a prison ministry, and Armenian language education. [2]
In 1980, Janbazian was appointed the first Field Director of the AMAA, where he managed a variety of administrative and fieldwork initiatives.[2] In 1987, he was named the Executive Director of the AMAA, overseeing the organization's educational, humanitarian, and mission ministries in over 23 countries.[2]
Under Janbazian's leadership, the AMAA established a presence in Armenia and Artsakh during the challenging post-Soviet period—a time marked by war, the devastating earthquake of 1988, and severe economic crisis. The AMAA focused on establishing schools, churches, and social programs, laying the groundwork for its ongoing mission in the region.[2]
Janbazian served as president and secretary of the Armenian Evangelical World Council and held leadership positions in numerous organizations, including the "Hayastan" All-Armenia Fund, the United Church of Christ, and Haigazian University. [2]
Personal life
[edit]Rev. Janbazian was married to Louisa Janbazian (née Youmoushakian). The couple had two children: their son, Vahak Boghos Janbazian, and daughter, Ani Agnes Janbazian.[3]
He died on September 25, 2000, in Paramus, New Jersey, at the age of 55.[3]
Awards
[edit]In 1998, Haigazian University awarded Janbazian an honorary Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his contributions to global mission and service ministries.[citation needed]
Publications
[edit]Janbazian's wrote The Armenian Evangelical Church 2000, an inventory of Armenian Evangelical churches worldwide..[2]
Legacy
[edit]At the time of his death in September 2000, tributes included those from two Armenian Catholicoi—Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia Aram I—as well as the then-President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and the then-President of the Republic of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasyan, all of whom sent letters of condolences honoring Dr. Janbazian's impactful life and service.[4] Catholicos Aram I also posthumously awarded him the St. Mesrop Mashtots medal for his years of dedicated service to the Armenian Evangelical Church.[4]
With deep sorrow I received the news of Rev. Movses Janbazian's untimely death and I count it as my obligation to pay tribute to his memory. Rev. Movses Janbazian was the example of a modest and unpretentious man, open-minded and dedicated, devoted and mindful patriot, and will remain the same in my memory. His death is a great loss for our nation, the Armenian Evangelical Church, his relatives and friends: I personally have lost a close and sincere friend, with whom I often had pleasure to communicate. Please convey my deepest condolences to Rev. Janbazian's colleagues in faith, his relatives and sincere friends.
— President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, September 27, 2000 (translated from Armenian)[4]
The legacy of Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian is through several institutions and tributes established in his honor. The Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian Kindergarten, founded in Martakert, Artsakh, in 2003, served as a beacon of education for 70 children by 2023 until the region fell under Azerbaijani control later that year. In Yerevan, the No. 79 Middle School was renamed the Movses Janbazian No. 79 Middle School on the fifth anniversary of his passing in 2005,[5] and in 2018, a bust of Rev. Janbazian, sculpted by his brother Hagop Janbazian, was unveiled at the school in a ceremony attended by dignitaries and community leaders.[6] In Toronto, the multifunctional hall of the Armenian Evangelical Church also bears his name.[6]
Among Rev. Janbazian's other contributions was his involvement in the founding of the Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School in Yerevan, which officially opened on September 20, 1999. The school has since become a leading educational institution in Armenia, offering free, high-quality education rooted in Christian values and Armenian culture. Operated by the AMAA, the school continues to serve hundreds of students annually. [7]
In 301 A.D. our forebears made a covenant with Jesus Christ. If we fulfill our commitment to that covenant, then God will abundantly bless our small but precious nation, and He will make our nation a source of blessings not only to its sons and daughters, but also to its neighboring peoples and to all humanity. We believe that this is our nation's reason for being; this is our people's mission in the world; and this is the God-ordained destiny of our Haigazian (Armenian) race.
See also
[edit]- Armenian Evangelical Church
- Armenian Apostolic Church
- Armenian Catholic Church
- Armenian Evangelical Union of North America
- Christianity in Armenia
- Christianity in the Middle East
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Rev. Movses B. Janbazian". www.mousaler.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "AMAA: "A Tribute to Rev. Movses B. Janbazian"" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Rev. Dr. Movses Janbazian Remembered" (PDF). AMAA News. Armenian Missionary Association of America. September–December 2000. pp. 2–3.
- ^ a b c "Rev. Dr. Movses Janbazian Remembered" (PDF). AMAA News. Armenian Missionary Association of America. September–December 2000. pp. 2–5. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ The Armenian Weekly: "Bust of Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian Unveiled in Yerevan" September 18, 2018
- ^ a b The Armenian Weekly: "Bust of Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian Unveiled in Yerevan" September 18, 2018
- ^ "History". Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ AMAA: "Rev. Dr. Movses Janbazian's Historical Speech at the Armenia-Diaspora 1st Conference" September 22, 1999
Bibliography
[edit]- Janbazian, Rev. Dr. Movses B. (2000). The Armenian Evangelical Church 2000. Paramus, New Jersey: AMAA. ISBN 1883131081.
- Janbazian, Rev. Dr. Movses B. (2002). Rev. Barkev N. Darakjian (ed.). Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian: Man of Vision with a Mission. Paramus, New Jersey. ISBN 1883131111.
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