For the Armenian Church, social action or social service, otherwise known in ecume­nical circles by its Greek term, diakonia, has never been a merely humanitarian service, namely dis­tribu­tion of clothing, medicine, or food­stuffs to the needy. It has been essen­tially a sharing of the suffering of the other, and by sharing the other’s suffering, it tan­gibly exp­resses Christ’s power of love. So­cial ministry, which is the Church’s trans­for­mative action in Christ, seeks to achieve social justice and to engage the people in a process of self-development and self-reliance. Since its beginnings, the Armenian Church has made diaconal ministry a vital area of its mission. At certain periods of history, social ministry was given com­pre­hensive expression, an organized form, and a broader scope. At other periods, how­ever, due to unfavorable conditions sur­rounding the Church, it lost its vitality and effect.

Social action remains a major and an exis­tential concern for the Armenian Church. The following are some of the specific areas of the diakonia of the Church:

The Birds’ Nest, established in 1926 in Jbeil, Lebanon by the Danish missionary, Maria Jacobsen, played a determinative part in gathering and educating thousands of the orphans of genocide. In 1970 the orphanage was transferred to the Holy See of Cilicia. It continues its service to orphans and children of broken families under the immediate care and supervision of the Church.

The Home for the Elderly, which was founded by the Swiss Friends of Armenians in 1923 in Gha­zir, Lebanon and moved in 1946 to Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon, continues its service to those senior citizens who want to live in this community. The Ar­menian Church and the Armenian Evange­lical Church supervise the work of this center jointly.

The Institute for the Blind and Deaf, founded by the American Near East Relief Foundation in 1915 in Ghazir, Lebanon, and taken over by the Swiss Friends of the Armenians in 1928, has recently become an organic part of the Home for the Elderly.

The Sanatorium of Azounieh, which was founded in 1923 in Maameltein, Lebanon and moved in 1936 to Azounieh, Lebanon, was estab­lished through the donations of Ameri­can Armenians to meet the medical needs of the survivors of the genocide. Lung diseases became the specialty of this medical center and its service went even beyond the Ar­menian confines. Today, the sanatorium also includes a section for elderly people. It is sponsored jointly by the Armenian Church and the Armenian Evange­lical Church.

The Home for the Elderly in Athens, founded in 1956 by the Swiss Friends of the Armenians, continues its humanitarian assis­tance under the joint sponsorship of the Holy See of Cilicia and the Federation of Swiss Protes­tant Churches.

The Armenian Relief Society, founded in 1929, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, founded in 1906, the Armenian Edu­ca­tional Benevolent Union, founded in 1969, the Howard Karageuzian Foundation, founded in 1921, the Jinishian Memorial Fund, founded in 1966, the Center for Ar­menian Handicapped in Lebanon, founded in 1923, and the Zevartnots Center for Re­tarded Children, founded in 1987, although not organically related to the Church, enjoy its full support. These hum­ani­tarian orga­niza­tions, some of which have socio-medical centers and local chap­ters in both Ar­menia and diaspora commu­nities, render valuable services to needy Ar­menians and in case of necessity to non-Armenians as well without any discrimina­tion. In the last few decades, the Church has supported new humanitarian organizations and programs in diaspora communities as well as in Armenia.

The Housing Projects for low–income families and newly married couples are another area of the Armenian Church’s social action. In 1960, the Holy See of Cilicia ini­tiated an ambitious housing project with 250 apartments in Fanar, Lebanon. In 2008, this was followed by another project with 100 apartments in the same area. Similar projects with limited scale have been realized by the Armenian Church in Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. Con­structing apartments for young couples and needy families remains a high priority on the agenda of the Church.