Armenia’s Christian history goes back a long way: All the way to 313 A.D. when it was declared the world’s first Christian nation by the Emperor Constantine. In the nearly 1700 years since that royal decree, Armenia has experienced more than its share of ups and downs. Today, EHC is delivering the Good News of Jesus to a new generation of Armenians. We praise God that more than 40,000 have responded to indicate their desire to know God. Many have indicated their decision to trust and obey the Lord. One of them, 25- year-old Marine, wrote recently to say, “I now attend church and want to be a minister for Jesus and spread his Word.”
She is joined in her newfound dedication by many, many others—especially teens who are hearing the Gospel and being drawn to faith in Christ. After reading an EHC booklet, 15-year-old Ani said, “I decided to seriously study about Jesus. Now, I have been attending church for about five months and my life belongs to Him.”
Another teenager, 16-year-old Lida, has been a believer since she was 12. After Lida had spent four years praying for her unsaved family, a team of EHC workers visited her home. It was soon evident that a work of the Holy Spirit was underway. “I always pray for my family and my grandmother to repent and accept Christ,” Lida said. “The EHC volunteers visited us and started talking to my family. At first, my family argued, but after a couple of days, I was surprised that they started to ask questions about God and the Bible. Now, I see great changes in their lives concerning spiritual things.”
A woman whose son recently died found comfort in the gospel literature she received and in the prayers the EHC evangelists offered for her and her family. The woman’s faith was renewed and she has begun attending a local church.
On a home visit in another village, an EHC worker shared the Gospel with a dying woman and led her to faith in Christ. “It was worth it to get sick,” the woman said. “My sickness became the reason for me to hear about Jesus and accept Him into my heart.”
The terminally-ill woman was so encouraged in her new faith that she began sharing the Gospel with her family. EHC Director Samvel Minasyan comments: “The next day, she called her relatives and began to preach the Gospel, encouraging them to accept Christ. A couple of weeks ago, we learned that this dear woman had died, but one of her relatives has already expressed a desire to become a Christian.”
Citywide EHC campaigns led by EHC/Armenia are helping church leaders from different denominations get to know each other, iron out conflicts, and work together to share the Gospel. Sadly, it has been a challenging experience. When Samvel began mobilizing churches to distribute gospel booklets in Maralik, one pastor refused to allow his church to participate. Another leader tore EHC literature into pieces to show his contempt for the outreach.
As a gesture of friendship, a supporting pastor met with one of the critics several times to explain the nature of the campaign and discuss concerns. “The critical church leader got to know the evangelical pastor and realized that he was not a bad person,” Samvel says. “After that, the pastor asked permission to write his church address on the booklets as well.”
The distribution in Maralik was a success. Many people accepted Christ and the distribution brought a harvest of new believers and numerous visitors to the participating churches.
Samvel is especially grateful for the Christian volunteers who work with him to help reach remote places and share the Good News home to home. “The volunteer teams use their own vehicles to reach the distant villages,” says Samvel. “Driving those bad roads, they spoil their tires, but they do it with great love. Our priority right now is to unite and encourage churches to reach 10,000 homes in nine villages, with additional outreaches to hospital and nursing home patients, orphans, soldiers, and the blind. With God’s help we will reach the farthest and most forgotten villages in the Assyrian and Kurdish mountains to tell them about Christ and bring them the Good News of the Gospel!”