Armenian Church of St. Sarkis Trust Chairman Completes Tenure, New Chairman Elected

LONDON (29.11.2013) At the annual meeting of the Armenian Church of St. Sarkis Trust, Dr Hratch Tchilingirian, the Hon. President/Chairman of the Trust was succeeded by Steve Mouradian, an architect and active member of the Armenian community.  While the trustees do not have term limits, Dr Tchilingirian, a scholar at University of Oxford, had announced last year that he had set a self-imposed term of five years for his tenure as a trustee of St. Sarkis Church and that he has served for six years, four years of which as chairman.  "I strongly believe that one should not go on sitting as a trustee or committee member for decades or indefinitely," explained Dr Tchilingirian, adding "I wanted to set a precedent."  He assured the trustees that he would continue to be active in the life of St. Sarkis Church and in the service of the wider community in whatever way possible.  Responding to the request of his fellow Trustees, Dr Tchilingirian will serve as a trustee for one more year.  Levon Chilingirian, Vice Chairman, commended Dr Tchilingirian for his vision and leadership over the last four years as Chairman and thanked him on behalf of all the Trustees for his dedicated and continued service to the church and community.  During Dr Tchilingirian's four-year tenure as Chairman of the Church Trust a number of major accomplishment were achieved, among them the complete renovation of the Vicarage; redecoration, repair and expansion of the Nevart Gulbenkian Hall (which is used over 100 times a year for church functions and wider community events) and other works totalling over £350,000.  The building works were generously funded by the St. Sarkis Charity Trust, a separate trust established by the benefactor of the church, Calouste S. Gulbenkian.  The 90th Anniversary of St. Sarkis Church was celebrated with 14 events over a four-month period in 2012. The highlight and historically significant event was the establishment of the St. Sarkis Church Parish, the first ever Armenian Church parish in London.  The parish allows the faithful of the church to take part in the ministry of the Church and opens up St. Sarkis Church to the members of the community.  Dr Tchilingirian was elected first Chairman of the Parish Assembly of St. Sarkis Church Parish and was re-elected to that position by the parishioners during the annual Assembly in April of this year.  He is very active in the parish and continues to provide valuable advice and leadership for the growth of the new parish. At the annual meeting on 27 November 2013, three new trustees with strong professional background and active interest in the Armenian community were appointed to serve St. Sarkis. Two ladies -- Mrs Varsenik Haroutunian and Dr Sonia Vartoukian PhD -- made history by being the first female trustees to be appointed in the Trust's history.  The other trustees are Steve Mouradian (Chairman), Levon Chilingirian (Vice Chairman), Dr Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian (Hon. Secretary), Hovnan Hampartsoumian (Hon. Treasurer), Christopher Kurkjian (Investments portfolio), Dr Hratch Tchilingirian, Christopher Arratoon, Gregory King-Underwood, and newly appointed Nerces Yeretzian.  St. Sarkis Armenian Church Armenian Vicarage, Iverna Gardens, London W8 6TP 90th Anniversary Celebrations: Past & Present (video)