NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — The greater New Britain community had a special opportunity to learn more about the crisis in Artsakh on November 29 at a forum hosted by South Church.
A large group of both the Armenian and non-Armenian communities attended an evening which included a light dinner and refreshments and a revealing presentation.
Pastor Jane Rowe of South Church introduced the evening and the program. She expressed great pleasure in the large turnout and noted that a number of different faiths were represented at the affair. She introduced Fr. Haroutiun Sabounjian, pastor of the Armenian Church of the Holy Resurrection in New Britain who also expressed gratitude for the large turnout and further thanked Rowe for organizing the event.
Sabounjian introduced the main speaker, Sarah Stites, who spoke about the history of the conflict between Armenian and Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, known to the Armenian people as Artsakh, and the current humanitarian crisis that has unfolded as a result.
Stites is affiliated with the Fund for Armenian Relief’s subsidiary youth-run organization called “AYO!” and lives full-time in Armenia, working daily to support the 100,000 refugees who have been displaced from Artsakh to Armenia as a result of this crisis.
A gifted speaker, Sarah described the cherished Armenian centuries-old roots in Artsakh, her personal experiences from her almost six years living in Armenia and presented poignant first hand stories of individuals who have been displaced from their ancestral homeland.
