It is hard to believe that less than 30 years ago Armenian community had no church and no place that they could call home. In the early eighties the community was focused around the weekly Armenian school and the occasional mission visits of Fr. N. Jebejian to perform Divine Liturgy. Those visits became the seeds to help grow a church-based community.
A wave of immigrant families from the Middle East had begun settling in the Dallas area in the late seventies and early eighties. They were looking for a place to gather, socialize and worship. But more importantly they were looking for their roots. They needed a place where they could feel safe and be recognized. Old time established families like Rejebian, Gorvetzian, Kechejian, and many other families encouraged a motivated group of individuals to pursue the establishment of a church. Having raised just enough funds, the community purchased the land in Carrollton in 1990.
The parcel had a rundown house abandoned by the previous owner. With quite a bit of imagination and creative hard work, the old house was turned into a sanctuary in1991. On a cold Sunday on November 3, 1991, the whole community gathered under a large tent to see the Primate Arcbishop Khajag Barsamian preside over the consecration of the Sarkis Armenian Church. We now had a home.
The quarters were tight. The tiny kitchen, currently the baptismal area of the church, had an accordion door separating it from the sanctuary. And everyone knew by the time the church service was over what the ladies were cooking!! The chairs were moved, tables were brought in and the space was turned into a social hall within minutes.
So, it was not too long after that the community leaders started considering the building of a cultural hall, of course with a large kitchen and most importantly classrooms. Pews were installed and the sanctuary was separated from the rest of the building. It was an energized community planning their future growth and providing an environment for their children to learn their heritage and be close to their core Armenian Christian faith.
The St. Sarkis Armenian Church is now the gathering center for a large number of Armenian families living in the North Texas area and including parts of Oklahoma. It has an active youth group that brought the ACYOA Sports Weekend to Dallas in 2004. An energetic Women’s Guild that helps support a number of projects including the annual food and cultural festival – ArmeniaFest which celebrates its 24th year this October. An Armenian language Saturday school, a Sunday school, and a Seniors Group.
