AMCC welcomed Heather C. Ohaneson, Ph.D., as our Bridge Pastor in September 2021. She became the church’s Settled Pastor at her ordination and installation service on February 16, 2025.

Active in ministries throughout the Armenian Evangelical community and a longtime member of the Armenian Evangelical Church of New York, Badveli Heather came to the work of pastor as a scholar and a teacher. A descendent of ancestors from Harput and Constantinople, she considers her Armenian heritage to be very important – as evidenced by her involvement in organizations including the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA, board member for six years), the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America (AEUNA, chair, Evangelism Committee; member, Regeneration Task Force), and the Armenian Inter-Communal Committee of Philadelphia.

Badveli Heather received her Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and religion at Barnard College and her Master’s and Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion at Columbia University. She earned an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in May 2024, receiving the John Alan Swink award in preaching. She has had extensive experience as a teacher, serving as a professor at Azusa Pacific University and in the Honors Program at George Fox University.

Badveli Heather is passionate about serving our youth as well as the community of Armenian young professionals in Philadelphia, where she lives with her husband, Simon. If you have a need or a ministry idea, please reach out to her at badveliheather@amccpa.org.