[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 32 (Thursday, March 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATIONS TO REVEREND BERNARD GUEKGUEZIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. GEORGE P. RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 1997

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rev. Bernard 
Guekguezian of the First Armenian Presbyterian Church in Fresno, CA. A 
member of the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America [AEUNA], 
Reverend Guekguezian was recently elected to a 2-year term as moderator 
of the AEUNA, the leading organization of Armenian Protestant Churches 
in North America.
  Reverend Guekguezian was born in Antioch, Turkey in 1927. Following 
graduation from school, Guekguezian studied at both the Armenian 
Evangelical institutions in Beirut and at the Aleppo College in Syria. 
In 1952, Guekguezian completed the American University at Beirut and 
the Near East School of Theology. After serving as a pastor in Egypt 
for 2 years, Guekguezian came to the United States, where he attended 
the Fuller theological Seminary and the New York Theological Seminary 
and earned a Master's degree in Christian Education. In 1959, 
Guekguezian was ordained as a Minister of the Word by the 
Congregational Conference of Massachusetts.
  During his stay in Massachusetts, Guekguezian served as minister of 
the Armenian Congregational Church of the Martyrs, Worcester, MA, the 
oldest Armenian Church in America. In 1966, Guekguezian accepted a 
position with the Armenian Presbyterian Church of Paramus, NJ and 
served the congregation for 12 years.
  Reverend Guekguezian became a resident of the Fresno area in 1978, 
when he was installed as pastor of the First Armenian Presbyterian 
Church of Fresno, the oldest Armenian religious institution in 
California. Guekguezian resides in Fresno with his wife Knar Kazanjian 
of Aleppo, with whom he has two sons and three grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, Rev. Bernard Guekguezian has been an example of 
leadership and inspiration to the community of Fresno, the State of 
California, and the other communities that he has impacted throughout 
the United States. I offer my sincere congratulations to Rev. Bernard 
Guekguezian of First Armenian Presbyterian Church on his election as 
the Moderator of the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America and 
the best of luck in his new position.

                          ____________________