The story of this “bunch of good guys” has been told before, and it will be told again. That is because the beat goes on with an incredible outpouring of good will.
The motto for the Sts. Vartanantz Church Men’s Club of Providence is “good guys doing good things and having a good time.” This club is in a league of its own. No other club has done so much good not only for the Armenian community but also the community at large.
The idea originated some 60 years ago, went dormant and was reactivated 20 years ago, according to treasurer Steve Elmasian. “There are about 40 of us. Dues are $20 a year, and there are no meetings. We meet only when we are working on a task,” the longtime community activist said.
If there is a cornerstone of this team’s goodwill for its local Armenian family, it started in 2016 with the adoption of the Armenian section of the old Oakland Cemetery. With some 300 deceased community members buried there, the group of 40 men cleans the area two to three times a year to show respect to those who came before and created a little Armenia called Providence. Just this past spring, they filled some 100 lawn bags with leaves and debris from trees. In some instances, gravestones have been lifted off the ground and put back in place. They place Armenian flags at gravesites, creating a sea of red, blue and orange.
“These are the people who started our churches and organizations. Many of their families are no longer here or able to care for this site, and there aren’t many who come and pay the respects they rightly deserve. We try to do that. There are mostly Genocide survivors here,” said club chairman Tom Kizirian.
Recognizing the scope and spiritual meaning of this annual project, members of the Sts. Vartanantz Church community donate their time and money to help the club members. The tight-knit Providence community is generous in donating, including food from Armenian-owned restaurants and services from non-Armenian tree care and hardware businesses.
Requiem masses for the deceased souls are held annually, including this past June with Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian, Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Baghsarian, Archdeacon Hagop Khatchadourian and soloist Joanne Mouradjian, with many from Sts. Vartanantz Church present. In response to this exemplary gesture, nearby church Gateway Pentecostal has taken on the responsibility of restoring and maintaining the rest of the historic grounds.
Club members also work with the Homenetmen scouts each year to maintain the Armenian Heritage Park on Douglas Ave. in the old Smith Hill neighborhood, where many of the families who came to Providence settled many years ago. The club does a cleanup to keep a visual, respectful reminder of those who came before.
The Men’s Club is also a member of the Friends of Smith Hill Library. The club donates to the library and has provided it with about 100 Armenian books. When the library’s main clock was inoperative, the club donated to its repair. In response, the library hung the tri-color with “Sts. Vartanantz Church Men’s Club” inscribed.
The club is an integral part of volunteer efforts each spring to help clean up AYF Camp Haiastan in anticipation of its summer opening. With lawn bags and tools, the team devotes a weekend with other volunteers from the Franklin, MA area.
The club presents annual awards to youth active in the AYF, Homenetmen and the church. Recipients must excel in the classroom, arts, a varsity sport and other criteria. The athletic award is named after Peter “Doc” Bedrosian and the arts achievement award after Deacon Souren Mouradjian.
The club has also restored Sts. Vartanantz Church sanctuary windows and raised funds to support Armenians in Syria and to provide medical attention and rehabilitation for soldiers from Artsakh.
In the category of “where else as needed” as it relates to the Sts. Vartanantz Church family, the club has consistently been available to support the grape blessing picnic, food festivals, Vartanantz Day dinners, Lenten coffee hours and Youth Bible study.
“We are blessed to have a Men’s Club that is dedicated to supporting the needs and activities of our church and community. They are there for every event while at the same time sponsoring events that bring our faithful together in fellowship. They have taken God-pleasing projects and made a long-term commitment to sustaining the good work that they began several years ago. They also began feeding the homeless through a Christian shelter that is located only a short distance from our church several years ago. I am grateful to all the men and the women who also work with them,” said Rev. Fr. Nazarian.
On occasion, the club holds a “Holy Smoke Night” of dinner, cigar and fellowship. Profits are earmarked for near and far causes and needs.
Then there is the other side of what the club does — its goodwill and gestures toward the Providence world that the Armenian community lives in.
Providence has a Rescue Mission for those who have fallen on hard times. Routinely, the club has prepared, served and delivered dinner for upwards of 120 people in need. Incredibly, the Armenian community and club members cover these costs, as club funds are not used for this effort. Some members bring their families to help. Meals are prepared at Sts. Vartanantz Church and delivered to the Rescue Mission. This has been done four times a year for 12 consecutive years.
“Sts. Vartanantz Church Men’s Club is truly unique and exemplary. They don’t only enjoy each other’s fellowship as parishioners and friends but also demonstrate true Christian character with their actions. They are always ready to help during all church functions and activities. However, what makes Sts. Vartanantz Church Men’s Club unique and most pleasing to God is their outreach program to feed the homeless and the maintenance of the old cemetery where many survivors of the Armenian Genocide are buried,” said Archpriest Fr. Baghsarian.
Sts. Vartanantz Church is located on Broadway in Providence. The Men’s Club is a member of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association and does an annual cleanup of the area outside and adjacent to the church property.
The “Team of 40” has its agenda set for the rest of the year: the autumn cleanup of the cemetery, feeding the homeless at the Rescue Mission two more times, including the annual Christmas event, and helping at Sts. Vartanantz’s wildly successful food festival.
Job extremely well done, gentlemen.
Harry Derderian
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