The Gethsemane Church was sold and services were held at the Masis
facility under the joint leadership of Pastors Paul Avazian and Senekerim Sulahian.
Numerous sites were considered for relocation and eventually the
present property in Hollywood was purchased, with groundbreaking ceremonies in June 1965.
Subsequently, Rev. Sulahian accepted a call from the Armenian Evangelical Church in New
York, the Masis Church facility was sold, and services were held in The Seventh Day
Adventist Church in Hollywood from 1967 to 1969 during construction of the new Church. In
February 1969, the present facility was completed and dedicated.
Because of UACC’s growing congregation and expanded activities,
Rev. Edward Tovmassian was called as Associate Pastor. He and Rev. Avazian worked together
until the untimely death of Rev. Avazian in 1976. At that time Rev. Tovmassian assumed
full responsibilities while continuing the Armenian language program he had initiated.
Rev. Varkes Kassouni was invited as Senior Pastor in 1977 and, when the pulpit of the
Immanuel Armenian Congregation Church vacated, Rev. Tovmassian accepted a call to serve
there.
In July 1982, Rev. Berdj Djambazian was called as Associate Pastor.
He was elevated to Senior Pastor following Rev. Kassouni’s resignation in 1984 and in
1986 Rev. Steven Muncherian was called to serve as Assistant Pastor. In 1985, the Church
installed a translation system enabling Armenian and English sermons to be simultaneously
translated from one language to another.
Following the resignation of Rev. Djambazian in 1993, Rev. Peter
Doghramji came out of retirement to become Senior Pastor. Rev. Mgrdich Melkonian joined
the staff two years later as Associate Pastor for Parish Development. Rev. Ron Tovmassian
was called as Senior Pastor in 1996, when Rev. Doghramji returned to retirement.
In 1997, a $1.6 million retrofitting and remodeling of the Church
sanctuary was undertaken. The project included a new sound system and translation system
with a hearing impaired feature. Additionally, a new, state-of-the-art digital pipe organ
was installed, further enhancing the musical portion of the worship service.
UACC offers Sunday School classes for all ages, with special
provisions for cradle through pre-school ages. For many years, a special education class
has been maintained by dedicated, trained teachers. Monthly Armenian Heritage classes help
our children to be more aware of their Armenian Christian roots and background. In
addition to several youth groups, there are special adult groups for men, women, singles
and couples that meet regularly throughout the year. The Chancel Choir provides anthems
during worship services as well as other seasonal performances. A special youth choir
participates monthly during the worship service. All these programs and groups provide
Christian fellowship and are designed to meet the spiritual needs of the parishioners.
Currently, UACC has over 800 Communicant members and serves
approximately 1,500 parishioners. To better serve these people, the Church staff has been
expanded and many laypersons take an active role in serving the needs of the Church. The
main goal is that our Church be a strong witness for Jesus Christ and give praise and
glory to God, while providing an atmosphere in which our Lord Jesus Christ may be
ever-present and more relevant in each person’s life.