To paraphrase an old saying, “two can hate as cheaply as one.”  So what’s with all of
these separate churches and organizational facilities we maintain as Armenians?  Why 
can’t we bring our circus under one tent?  All we’d need is a little bit of creative 
scheduling.  Can you imagine how much money we could save?  Seems to me a church 
can handle more than one service a week and the same for meeting rooms, recreational 
facilities and so on.  We wouldn’t have to sacrifice any of our cherished philosophies or 
ideals; we could still be hostile and indifferent towards each other.  We don’t have to do 
it in separate buildings in different parts of town.  We could do it together and for a lot 
less money.


Visualize what it might feel like driving through such a place on a warm tranquil Sunday 
afternoon.  As you steer through the magnificent arches, you would see a great statue of 
Vartan Mamigonian depicting his victory even though history says he was defeated.  A 
little further on, you would see the 1915 massacre memorial with people milling around it 
taking pictures.  You might see some of our senior citizens promenading or sitting in the 
park-like terraces debating over old unresolved issues, giving merciful vent to years of 
bottled up frustrations.  As you wind around the soft curve of the road, you might see a 
roadside stand selling shish kebab or other Armenian delicacies to help flavor your visit.


As your auto purrs along, the great house where our clergy and their families reside
comes into view.  You can appreciate what dialogue living under one roof could develop 
between these peaceful and gentle emissaries of God.  Interaction in this area, I’m certain, 
would be a healthy thing for all of us.  We would no doubt see its effects reflected in 
church during Sunday sermons.


As you drive, you would eventually come to the administration building, its huge parking 
lot in front with lots of washed and polished cars, all with prominent stickers displaying 
which side they represent.  You’ll no doubt want to stop here and see this building.  You 
park the car, and walk up the stone steps through glass doors and into a luxurious 
spacious reception area.  The large adjoining office area is busy with phones ringing, 
typists busy pecking at their machines, while staff members scurry around doing their 
respective jobs.  You walk down a long corridor and look into one of the many 
conference rooms with a huge conference table and padded arm chairs around it with each 
chair equipped with safety belts and each belt neatly folded on its seat.  At each place on 
the table you will see a memo pad, pencils, ashtray, and a canister of mace.  You cannot 
deny the feeling of exhilaration and excitement a charged atmosphere like this would 
create.


Back in the car, you drive slowly past a soccer field where a heated inter-rivalry game is 
in progress.  The distant movement of the spectators would seem like a blue and as you 
drive nearer to the field, you might see the fallen athletes and spectators being tended to 
by our own rescue teams and an ambulance with sirens screaming, carrying the seriously 
wounded and torn away.  If you were a little early for church you might want to stop and 
watch the game, but discretion would be advised, especially if someone in your group 
were pregnant.


Continuing on, you would come to a cemetery with partitioned areas.  In one area, the 
graves would have little tri-color flags next to American flags, and another with flowers 
and American flags, and still another with only flowers.  There would be big stone 
monuments and little ones in all of the partitioned areas.


Next to this garden of reposed souls would be the soul of the complex -- our church. 
Inside this magnificent edifice there would be some standard religious artifacts and
others mounted on motorized turntables.  These turntable devices would give each group 
their preferred altar along with selected memorials and statuary.  The schedules for 
respective services would be prominently displayed on a huge electrically lit panel on the 
church lawn.


Of course, I could go on and on from facility to facility with equally breathtaking
narratives.  However, as incredible and wonderful as it sounds, it is farfetched.  A little 
unorthodox, yes, but logically sound.  Think a moment.  Doesn’t my proposal make more 
sense than the way we’re doing things now?


Joseph Vosbikian