Draft:Movses B. Janbazian

Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian
Born	(1945-07-26)July 26, 1945. Ainjar, Lebanon
Died	September 25, 2000(2000-09-25) (aged 55) Paramus, New Jersey
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 (book)

Movses B. Janbazian(July 26, 1945 – September 25, 2000) was a prominent Armenian Evangelical pastor, missionary, and community leader. He served as the Executive Director of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) and played a critical role in expanding the mission and outreach of the Armenian Evangelical Church worldwide.

Early life

Movses Janbazian was born in Anjar, Lebanon, to Boghos and Agnes Janbazian. He received his early education at the Armenian Evangelical High School of Anjar.} He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Modern European Histoy from Haigazian University in 1968 and a Master o Christian Education from the Near East School of Theology in 1971, both in Beirut, Lebanon.

Career

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. </ref>AMAA: "A Tribute to Rev. Movses B. Janbazian"</ref>

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.AMAA: "A Tribute to Rev. Movses B. Janbazian" </ref>

In 1980, Janbazian was appointed the first Field Director of the AMAA, where he managed a variety of administrative and fieldwork initiatives.AMAA: "A Tribute to Rev. Movses B. Janbazian" </ref>}} In 1987, he was named the Executive Director of the AMAA, overseeing the organization's educational, humanitarian, and mission ministries in over 23 countries.</ref>AMAA: "A Tribute to Rev. Movses B. Janbazian" </ref>

Under Janbazian's leadership, the AMAA expanded its presence in Armenia and Artsakh during the challenging post-Soviet era, establishing schools, churches, and social programs. His work laid the foundation for the AMAA’s robust mission in the Homeland, which remains active today.

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.

Awards

In 1998, Haigazian University awarded Janbazian an honorary Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his contributions to global mission and service ministries.

Publications

One of Janbazian’s final achievements was The Armenian Evangelical Church 2000, a comprehensive inventory of Armenian Evangelical churches worldwide. The book, completed just before his passing, serves as a vital resource for understanding the history and impact of the Armenian Evangelical movement.

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.

—Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian

Legacy

At the time of his passing in September 2000, numerous tributes poured in from dignitaries, including the 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-Petrosian, 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. Catholicos Aram I also posthumously awarded him the St. Mesrop Mashtots medal for his years of dedicated service to the Armenian Evangelical Church.

The legacy of Rev. Dr. Movses B. Janbazian is immortalized 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, 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.}} In Toronto, the multifunctional hall of the Armenian Evangelical Church also bears his name.

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Bibliography

• 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.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

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