AEUNA Pastors Take a Break

The 2026 AEUNA Pastor’s Retreat was held at Camp AREV from Tuesday, March 3 through Thursday, March 5. About 25 AEUNA Pastors gathered for a time of refreshment and renewal, sharing fellowship and prayer with each other in a beautiful setting.

It all began with dinner on Tuesday and, as always, the food at camp is nothing short of spectacular. After dinner we met in the chapel for worship led by Minas Atamian who coordinated all the worship music for the entire weekend. Rev. Chris Bower, the new Associate Pastor at the First Armenian Presbyterian Church in Fresno, led off our night with a sharing activity that allowed us to hear stories about different firsts in our lives (first pet, first car, first concert, etc.). It was lots of fun and a great way to learn new things about each other.

Rev. Dr. Chris Adams was our retreat speaker for these three days. Dr Adams is the Executive Director of the Mental Health & the Church Initiative at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. He is also the director of the pastoral coaching certificate program called Flourishing in Ministry. In advance of the retreat, all the pastors were sent the book Flourishing in Ministry to read. In conjunction with that program we were invited to use an online assessment tool, to gauge our own personal sense of well being. During the retreat we unpacked the ideas in the book to understand the challenges of living out our call to pastoral ministry without burning out. His messages were deeply meaningful and helpful for all of us.

Each morning, a different pastor led us in prayer. On Wednesday, Rev. Hovhaness Hovsepyan shared a poem called “The Song” from the famous Armenian poet, Hovhaness Tumanyan and reminded us of James 1:17 - Every good and perfect gift is from above. We were encouraged to celebrate the gifts God has given us and return them to Him through love and service. On Thursday, Pastor Obed Bazikian, one of our In Care Students, led us through a prayer time based on Psalm 84. He encouraged us to feel the comfort of knowing that God is our dwelling place and remember that He cares for us and provides us rest.

In the afternoon on Wednesday we enjoyed free time and the main activity was canoeing on the new lake. Two by two, our pastors rowed their way across Lake Arev and amazingly, no one fell overboard. Others chose to participate in axe throwing, table tennis, hiking, or just sitting and talking with each other. During this time, we also has the opportunity to spend time with our prayer partners for the weekend to share more intimately about and lift personal concerns to the Lord.

Our speaker had to leave before dinner on Wednesday, so in the evening Pastor Sevag Melkonian gave his oral presentation in preparation for his upcoming ordination. After a time of prepared questions that were solicited from the pastors and AEUNA Ministry Committee members, the floor was opened for questions from the pastors present at the retreat. It was a collegial exchange and we are all looking forward to the ordination scheduled for April 11, at the First Armenian Church in Belmont, MA. 

The retreat came to a conclusion on Thursday morning as Rev. Georges Dabbo led us through a meaningful celebration of the Lord’s Table. After a time of singing and a brief message, we all gathered in a circle to receive the bread and wine of Christ’s body and blood. We ended our time together by singing Park Yev Badeev before leaving for home. It was sad to say goodbye, but we all left refreshed and ready to return and serve our churches.

Rev. Ron Tovmassian

Field Pastor