The Vanadzor Team

Epostle Welcomes the Vanadzor Team

2025 marked a transformative year of growth for Epostle. We launched new initiatives, sharpened our focus, and reaffirmed our essential mission: to bring the light of Christ’s wisdom, the O.G. (original gospel) message uniquely preserved by the Armenian Church, to people around the world today. At Epostle, we view this mission as a bridge, a vehicle to guide humanity forward into the light. In an era when the world grapples with crisis, questions truth, and witnesses the consequences of polarization and division, this unifying light is needed more than ever. Like a lighthouse guiding ships through the night, Epostle aspires to be that steady beacon, beyond politics, untouched by societal drama, and unwavering in our commitment to the mission. When in doubt, follow the light. This is our message, our protocol for healing, evolving, innovating, and finding solutions amid darkness.

To fulfill this vision, we are intentionally building a borderless team, one that draws strength from diverse locations and shared purpose. After introducing our social media team in Yerevan, we are proud to present our Vanadzor Team, based in Armenia’s third-largest city. In March 2025, shortly after the Reclaim Conference, a small Epostle delegation traveled to Vanadzor to meet our newest members and lay the foundation for thriving outreach programs. We were warmly received by Bishop Hovnan Hakopian, Primate of the Gougark Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, who shared his vision for the diocese’s future. This visit deepened our collaboration, focusing on real needs: spiritual and emotional support for refugees from Artsakh, a sewing center empowering displaced women to earn income and build self-reliance, and a children’s art center where young ones create freely, healing through expression.

At the heart of these efforts are two exceptional women whose experience aligns perfectly with Epostle’s goals and the community’s needs: Arevik Yeghiazaryan and Hripsime Mirzoyan, our Project Managers in Vanadzor. They serve as the vital bridge connecting Epostle’s main hub in Los Angeles with on-the-ground action in Armenia.

Arevik Yeghiazaryan brings strong project leadership and organizational skills. She holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Public Administration Academy of Armenia and a Bachelor’s in Management from Vanadzor State University (with studies in Romania). Since 2021, she has been Project Manager at the Gougark Diocese, while leading “Bolor sar” NGO as President/Project Manager (2017–2025) and serving as founding member/Program Coordinator of WINNET Vanadzor (since 2020). Backed by trainings in CSO management and collaborative policy, she excels in communication, leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving, perfect for driving sustainable Epostle initiatives.

Hripsime Mirzoyan, a dedicated social worker born in Vanadzor, brings deep compassion and extensive community experience. Educated in Social Work and Social Policy at Yerevan State University’s Lori Regional Center, she has led the Social Programs Department at the Gougark Diocese since 2018. She coordinates programs like “Her Power, Her Future” (with CARE Caucasus and WINNET, 2023–present), psychosocial support, children’s education, and refugee aid. As Founding Member and President of WINNET Vanadzor (since 2020), she focuses on women’s and youth empowerment. Hripsime excels in communication, leadership, organization, and conflict management, making her an ideal heart-led partner for Epostle’s work.

During our March visit, these programs truly came alive. We met refugee women in the basement of Narekatsi Cathedral, listening to their stories of loss and exile while honoring their hope to return home. Dr. Talar Tejirian, our accomplished physician and surgeon from Los Angeles, spoke candidly about staying active and positive. She offered gentle assessments and introduced gratitude journaling. Her magnetic presence and professionalism left a lasting impression, embodying the empowered woman as a beacon of perseverance and possibility. To many Artsakh refugee women, Talar represents hope and what’s achievable through committed action, a living example of Epostle’s vision: light over darkness, possibility over fear.

Our refugee support began last year with fundraising like the Cars and Coffee event at St. Leon Ghevontyants Cathedral in Burbank, channeling funds to the sewing center and self-sustainability efforts. At the children’s art center, we saw joyful creativity and held open conversations with youth about faith and adolescence. Gregory Beylerian, Epostle’s creative director, shared insights on the children’s drawings, underscoring art’s role in healing and power of creative expression. We also reflected at the tomb of beloved former Primate Archbishop Sebu Chuljian, whose legacy of leadership and youth exchanges, including our continuing sister-camp programs, endures with our support.

With Arevik and Hripsime as our heart-led liaisons in Vanadzor, Epostle is achieving these goals with remarkable effectiveness. Teamwork is central: we co-create in rhythm, guided by conscious orientation and faith. Our team is built not on need or security, but on the heart, aligned with the teachings preserved by the Armenian Church at the base of Mount Ararat 2000 years ago. As a heart-led team rooted in divine intelligence, creativity, and action, the sky is not our limit; we reach beyond to the stars and further.

Looking to 2026 and beyond, we see a canvas of possibility. We are not dissuaded by society’s challenges because we choose to be part of the solution, a choice open to everyone. At Epostle, we have chosen to preserve and honor our past while shaping an illuminated future. We are deeply grateful for Arevik and Hripsime, whose dedication brings the light of Christ to life in Vanadzor. Their work uplifts families, empowers women and youth, and strengthens the global Armenian community’s bonds of faith and solidarity.

Together, we follow the light.