Below is the text of Rev. Matossian’s speech after accepting the ANCA-WR Khrimian Hayrig Award
Your Eminence Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, colleagues in the ministry, ladies & gentlemen, fellow Armenians, friends of Armenians, citizens of this great country,
As I am handed this award on this auspicious occasion, I am deeply touched and humbled. I am grateful to God, our Lord, for giving me life and health. I appreciate the Armenian Evangelical Union for allowing me to serve my nation as I saw fit. I thank my family for standing by me!
Tonight, I consider double honor to receive this award from such a great organization namely A.N.C.A. who is a front runner along with other organizations in fighting for the Armenian just cause and doing a phenomenal job, who boldly defend the truth and courageously pursue justice. I have been inspired by their true nationalistic spirit and sacrificial and systematic operation.
Therefore, tonight, I accept this award, not as a license or a badge to brag about, but rather as a trumpet call and reminder to follow with greater determination the footstep and the legacy of that great Armenian hero, God’s servant, Khrimian Hairik … to love God more than ever and to serve Him wholeheartedly, to fove my nation with deeper love, to serve my people with greater commitment, to fight for the Armenian cause passionately, to defend truth no matter what and pursue justice to the victorious end by God’s help.
