There will be a City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 7 pm, in City Hall, 4 Summer St. Room 202. At this meeting the City Council will vote on an ordinance which pertains to the Haverhill Historic Commission, Main Street, specifically demolition delay. Please attend to show your support against this ordinance - the reason for this petition.

It has been brought to our attention that there is opposition towards the demolition of the St. Gregory Illuminator Armenian Church in Haverhill, MA, delaying the construction of the new church that will be only 5 minutes away, something the Armenian community has been waiting patiently for throughout the past 20+ years.

The current church is old: the lighting, heating, size, structure, floor, kitchen, parking lot, and especially, the technology. We’ve been struggling for the past 20 years to raise the proper funds to complete the construction of this new church in order to improve the overall experience for all of our current members of the parish. So many Armenians are blessed to have large church complexes in Cambridge, Framingham, Chelmsford and Watertown, why stop Haverhill from being able to grow and develop in the same manner that the others have? Armenia was the first fully Christian nation, as you may know, so that should provide enough context as to just how important a solid, functional, modern church is for the Armenian communities inside and outside of Armenia. It is crucial for the continuation of our Armenian community in Massachusetts.

We are blessed to have very committed members in all of the groups within our parish who volunteer tirelessly to ensure that each of our 50+ events per year go smoothly. Imagine what we could achieve with a new construction. A fresh start is just what our community needs. We will no longer need to focus solely on our church. We can focus on serving the city of Haverhill with more than just our annual picnic. We can do more, but first, we need to improve our physical situation.

Those who oppose the change are unaware of what it’s like to have a larger facility with such a large community of Armenians. The possibilities are endless. I hope that you will support the new church, and help us build a legacy for the Armenian community, for the Haverhill community, for Merrimack Valley, and for the Armenian diaspora!