In a small sanctuary in Singapore's oldest church, the Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan conducts a traditional Armenian Divine Liturgy service.

Though he lives in Myanmar, Father Zaven, 36, travels here about five or six times a year to conduct a Divine Liturgy at the 182-year-old Armenian Apostolic Church of St Gregory the Illuminator, according to Straits Times.

With only an estimated 80 to 100 Armenians living in Singapore, there is no resident priest for the tiny community here, and there has not been one since the 1930s. But its loyal worshippers are not about to let this pillar of Armenian identity, formally recognized as a national monument in 1973, fade away.

Ani Umedyan, 35, a volunteer at the church who has worshipped there for nine years, moved to Singapore with her husband from Armenia in 2008 and speaks passionately about seeing it grow.

“When I first started worshipping here, there were only about 20 or so people. Now that more expats have come, there are more people and we are happy to see the church crowded with about 40 to 50 people at each service,” said the musician.

When asked what keeps him motivated to keep flying back to conduct services for such a small crowd, Father Zaven said: “Every soul is important. Even if there are only a few people, it is my duty and honor to minister to them.”

Another draw for the Armenian community here is music. The Armenian Heritage Ensemble was established in 2009 to encourage learning of the history and culture of Armenians.

“The aim is to expose people to the church, to our culture and our heritage through music,” said one of the church’s four trustees, Pierre Hennes, 44.

Another trustee, Gevorg Sargsyan, 35, added that the concerts bring life to the church.