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Armenia

Armenia

A LAND OF GOSPEL OPPORTUNITY

Armenia is a small country whose people have faced intense political violence throughout their history. The Armenian Genocide, committed by the former Ottoman Empire in 1915, claimed an estimated 600,000 to 1.5 million Armenian lives. War and conflict continued with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which the Soviet Union controversially placed in Azerbaijani territory despite its Armenian-majority population. 

As a result, hundreds of thousands of Armenian lives were lost, and tens of thousands were displaced. Most recently, starting in late 2022, Azerbaijan blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh, sparking more conflict and fears of genocide by starvation. Eventually, in September 2023, the Armenian separatist government in Nagorno-Karabakh announced its dissolution, and nearly 80 percent of remaining Armenians fled in fear as Azerbaijan seeks greater control of the region.

Armenia’s economy has remained weak and has been made worse by these conflicts as well as ongoing trade conflicts with Turkey. Unemployment and poverty soar at an estimated 20 and 26 percent, respectively. Many working-age people have left Armenia for work abroad, putting increasing pressure on the government’s struggle to fund the pension system, health care, and other services for the growing senior population. Armenia has heavily depended on Russia, both economically and politically—however, Russia has neglected its peacekeeping promises and strengthened its political and economic ties with the Azerbaijani government. The future of Armenia remains very uncertain.

While Armenia prides itself as the world’s first officially Christian nation, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church that represents the vast majority of Armenian Christians remains a mostly cultural rather than spiritual institution. Though “Armenian” and “Christian” are considered synonymous, many Armenians have never heard the gospel. Through our School Without Walls (SWW) initiative, however, young leaders are being trained and equipped to share the hope of Christ with their neighbors. In 2023, you supported our SWW ministry training for 95 enrolled leaders, 32 of whom graduated from the full two-year program.

“Keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints.”

Ephesians 6:17–18

Help Bring the Hope of the Gospel to Armenia

After a century of genocide, wars, and turmoil, Armenians are in great need of peace and stability. Help School Without Walls leaders bring God's healing love to this hurting nation.
Donate today to equip more School Without Walls leaders in Armenia. 

Prayer Requests

  • Please pray for lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan as conflict between the two nations has escalated in recent years, displacing more than 100,000 people and creating a humanitarian crisis in the region.
  • Please pray that our SWW program in Armenia would expand so that many more Next Generation leaders would be trained and equipped to share the gospel and provide practical assistance to refugees and others in their midst.
  • Please pray for Mission Eurasia’s strategic outreaches in Armenia, such as our iCare Refugee Assistance program and Bread of Life bakeries, which are bringing physical relief and spiritual support to the victims of the ongoing war in this region.
  • Please pray for our national leaders in Armenia who are coordinating ministry efforts between refugee communities and local evangelical churches throughout the nation.
Armenia
alvard

ALVARD’S STORY

“My name is Alvard, and I am 28. I accepted the Lord into my heart during Covid season. I realized my heart was very heavy. The hardest thing was to feel the uncertainty of what would come. I didn’t know how to overcome fears that were gripping me from all sides. My family and I started watching online sermons. From the first day of listening to them I decided to give my life to God and experience His love. 

“I started attending Abovyan City Church and was baptized. I was invited to be part of a ministry at the church. The Bible takes first place in my life, and when I learned about School Without Walls (SWW), I knew it was a new opportunity to grow in God’s Word. I wanted to have a better vision of what else I could do for God. I learned so much about the church and all the multifaceted ministries, about the essence of the church and its purpose in this world. 

“As I continue my SWW studies, I want God to strengthen me in ministry and for me to be the salt and light to the people in my surroundings. I want to share about God, His goodness, kindness, and everything He’s done for us. Because of the SWW classes, I discovered that I want to be involved in other ministries too, even in those where I need to be bolder. I want to start sharing the gospel boldly, using the knowledge that I received during SWW classes about evangelism. We spend so much time in vain on minor things, but everyone needs to find the most important and valuable thing in this life—and that’s the salvation of their souls.”

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