Armen and Vicky Hanjian, Methodist ministers deeply involved in the Island volunteer community, are this year’s recipients of the Spirit of the Vineyard Award.
The annual award, sponsored by the Vineyard Village at Home, honors volunteers that make a difference in the lives of Islanders. The award will presented to the Hanjians at a ceremony on Monday, Dec. 12 at 7:30 a.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center.
The Hanjians are currently pastors of the Chilmark Community Church. For 19 years Mr. Hanjian has been the coordinator of the Island Food Pantry, which provides food for up to 600 families a year. He was also on the original board of the Habitat for Humanity.
Mrs. Hanjian has long served as a bereavement counselor for Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard and is on the ethics committee of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital.
Both are active volunteers at Windemere. Mrs. Hanjian leads a weekly conversation group and recently helped residents register to vote. Mr. Hanjian drives the Windemere van, taking residents to outings and off-island medical appointments. They led New Beginnings, an outreach program for single adults, led marriage enrichment workshops, did volunteer work for Rabbis for Human Rights (now T’ruah), and have filled in as interim ministers at many Island churches, including at Chilmark Community Church since July 2015.
The couple bought land in Oak Bluffs in the early 1960s and retired to the Island in 1994. Their three sons and their families live on the Vineyard.
An earlier version of this item had the wrong time for the ceremony. It has been corrected.
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