Fr. Vertanes Kalayjian is Pastor Emeritus of St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Washington, DC where he served 31 years. In addition to his pastoral activities, he has served as a diocesan representative on the National Council of Churches, Department of Middle Eastern Missions and at the World Council of Churches' regional conferences. He has been a member of Blue Ribbon Committees and Task Forces on youth and religious education issues. Fr. Vertanes has served as Director of Summer Youth Camps sponsored by the Diocese and the Armenian General Benevolent Union, and spearheaded Summer Christian Youth Camps in the Republic of Armenia. He participated and served as a consultant at the following briefings and conferences: South Africa and US policies (State Dept.); the Church and Health Services (The Brookings Institute); Briefing of the State Department area specialists on Eastern European and former Soviet Union Republics, concerning the state of the affairs of the church communities.