Religious Leaders

Armenian religious leaders made their rounds to local hospitals on Thursday to mark Christmas on Jan. 6. His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western diocese of North America, toured Glendale Memorial Hospital and Glendale Adventist Medical Center, respectively, on Thursday, visiting patients and blessing traditional bread to mark the occasion. -- Jason Wells , Times Community News Twitter: @JasonBretWells  

U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Wednesday that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and reopened the door to gay marriage in California provoked mixed reactions among area religious leaders. Some who have already embraced same-sex unions - Pastor Amy Pringle of St. George's Episcopal Church in La Cañada Flintridge and Pastor Bill Thomas of Burbank's Little White Chapel - said the decision helps them fulfill a mission to treat all parishioners equally. But for conservative clergy like Pastor Bryan Griem of Montrose Community Church and Pastor Jon Barta of Valley Baptist Church in Burbank, the high court rulings represent a challenge of core religious beliefs.

As religious leaders in the Glendale area, we at Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice have strong moral and ethical concerns about some of the policies and practices of the Hilton Glendale. We are troubled by the hotel's treatment of its workforce and a recent incident in which it was hostile and disrespectful toward religious leaders of our community. On Sept. 12, Hilton workers publicly announced to the management that the majority of workers have indicated they want management to agree to a card check to determine whether a majority of workers want union representation.

Janine Marnien With a somewhat unpredictable economy and declining congregation sizes, some local faith-based organizations and churches this holiday season have noticed a decline in donations, religious leaders said. The local chapter of the Salvation Army has seen about a 10% decline in donations between its mail appeal and Christmas kettles, and corps officer Capt. James Sloan isn't sure what's causing it. "It's like starting up an engine that hasn't run for a year," he said.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Jean Park will tell you it's a moving experience. For decades she has been joining in annual World Day of Prayer observances, most recently as president of Church Women United of Glendale, a group that has been commemorating the event for nearly 60 years. "It's the most wonderful feeling," Park said of praying with people around the world. "It's a feeling that you are close to God," she said. "It's a feeling of peace and security and the feeling that things can change throughout the world, that we can have peace."

I always enjoy turning to the Saturday Faith page to see how religious leaders, especially those who call themselves "Christians," respond to the great issues of the day. Two "Christian" leaders in particular, Pastor Jon Barta of Valley Baptist Church and the Rev. Bryan Griem of Light on the Corner Baptist Church are my particular favorites. It never ceases to amaze me what these two men will say. Their twisted "Christianity" is absolutely Orwellian.

Josh Kleinbaum As a young minister working in the Pacific Northwest, the Rev. Frank Brougher was an idealist, filled with fire and brimstone. He would preach his views to his congregations, making sure they knew, in no uncertain terms, who was right and who was wrong, who was good and who was bad. "I spoke directly, and that's what offended some people," said Brougher, 63, the minister at First Baptist Church in Glendale. "MLK and JFK and the anti-war movement, they were with God, and the others were not."

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- Some consider faith to be only a spiritual matter. But Sylvia Lofftus, the parish nurse at First United Methodist Church of Glendale, will tell you faith is something that involves the whole person -- mind, body and spirit. The connection between faith and physical well-being will be the focus of a public symposium the church will host on Saturday. "Challenges to Health Care in the New Millennium and the Response of the Faith Community" will feature medical and religious leaders from throughout the area.

The Blessing of the Grapes, an Armenian tradition as old as Christianity itself, was celebrated at Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s chapel Wednesday with incense, candles, and prayers from Armenian religious leaders. Hospital staff and visitors sat before an altar heaped with bags of grapes as Rev. Muron Aznikian, who is from the prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, talked about the ceremony’s significance. The ritual blessing of the grapes is an annual harvest-time event that began when Armenian pagans offered their first fruit of the season to the gods in hopes of protecting their crops from natural disasters, Aznikian said.

Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center hosted a water blessing ceremony to celebrate Christmas days before the Jan. 6 date that marks the Epiphany, or the baptism of Jesus. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirosian, who was accompanied by fellow religious leaders, said the members of the Armenian Apostolic Church traditionally celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6. “At this most joyous time of the year, once again we thank God for another year, and for the greatest gift of all - the birth of our lord and savior, Jesus Christ.” Mardirosian led a ceremony in which he blessed water in a bowl, symbolizing Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River.

This is in response to Greg Dahlen's letter of Nov.13 (“Police have more than one focus,” Mailbag) , where he mentions the need for empathy - a word that means understanding for, responsiveness to and identification with a fellow being. I support Mr. Dahlen's observation that what is lacking in drivers and pedestrians in Glendale is identification with those around them. In addition, neither the police nor City Council can do anything about this lack of identification with others as long as we think rules and laws will make people change their behavior.

U.S. Supreme Court rulings on Wednesday that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act and reopened the door to gay marriage in California provoked mixed reactions among area religious leaders. Some who have already embraced same-sex unions - Pastor Amy Pringle of St. George's Episcopal Church in La Cañada Flintridge and Pastor Bill Thomas of Burbank's Little White Chapel - said the decision helps them fulfill a mission to treat all parishioners equally. But for conservative clergy like Pastor Bryan Griem of Montrose Community Church and Pastor Jon Barta of Valley Baptist Church in Burbank, the high court rulings represent a challenge of core religious beliefs.

Armenian religious leaders made their rounds to local hospitals on Thursday to mark Christmas on Jan. 6. His Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, and His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western diocese of North America, toured Glendale Memorial Hospital and Glendale Adventist Medical Center, respectively, on Thursday, visiting patients and blessing traditional bread to mark the occasion. -- Jason Wells , Times Community News Twitter: @JasonBretWells  

BURBANK — About 1,000 people gathered Saturday to watch the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II consecrate St. Leon Cathedral of the Western Diocese and dedicate a traditional cross stone in memory of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In his fourth official visit to the region, His Holiness Karekin II blessed the cathedral, which will serve as the Western Diocesan headquarters of the Armenian Apostolic Church of North America. "We greet you with a joyous spirit, and with words of praise and song from the hymn, we offer our appeal to heaven, so that this holy sanctuary, crowned with the all-sustaining divine cross, which became for us salvation and a sign of victory, brings new light to the spiritual vibrancy and strength of the national life of our son and daughters in America," he told congregants.

The summer blockbuster movie season is starting to heat up, with movies as “X-Men,” “Star Trek” and “Harry Potter” opening soon. What films, currently showing or not, do you recommend for people seeking “alternative” choices?   Being aware of what we observe and allow into our minds is an important process in establishing a personal sense of well-being and peacefulness. Many people seem to enjoy violent, action-packed movies that bring up an adrenaline rush through fear and trepidation.

The summer blockbuster movie season is starting to heat up, with movies as ?X-Men,? ?Star Trek? and ?Harry Potter? opening soon. What films, currently showing or not, do you recommend for people seeking ?alternative? choices? ? The best movie that I have seen recently is the Disney production of ?Earth.? It is beautifully done! James Earl Jones is the narrator and the musical score ?soars? with every scene. The plot is simple ? survival for three animal families: Arctic polar bears, African elephants and a migrating whale and her calf.

CNN recently reported that America is a “less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago.” There has also been an increase in the number of people expressing no religious affiliation at all, according to the report. What do you believe is the reason or reasons some people are stepping away from the church? And what can do to encourage those people to come back? I do not agree with the conclusion in the recent CNN report that America is a less Christian nation than it was 20 years ago. Today, people of all ages have a “hunger and thirst” for spirituality, not necessarily the formal religious structure found in the church of their childhood.