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EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF ARMENIA STEPANAVAN
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․․․ Considering that God inspired us to build this House of Prayer for His glory and for the preaching of the Gospel, let us separate it with prayer, sanctify it, and dedicate it only to our Lord Jesus Christ, our Comforter and Teacher for the glory of the Holy Spirit." With these words, on July 18, 1999, AMAA Executive Director Rev. Dr. Movses Janbazian announced the opening of the newly constructed building of the Evangelical Church of Armenia in Stepanavan. According to testimony from individuals and historical sources, the presence of Evangelicals in the Stepanavan region was much earlier than this event, dating back to the years 1910-1920. During the years of Stalin’s persecution from 1930 onward, when religious institutions were banned, Evangelicals were forced to go underground and conduct Bible studies and worship services in secret. It was during those years that the Evangelicals and Baptists of Stepanavan united and formed house communities, gathering in the home of one of the believers. "Our house was one of the first unregistered Evangelical Baptist churches in Stepanavan," said Aghavni Kirakosyan’s granddaughter Tzoliné Mikaelyan, who is an employee at the Central office of the Evangelical Church of Armenia in Yerevan. "My maternal grandmother, who had been a member of the Evangelical Baptist Church
since 1927, transformed her living room into a church hall where worship services were held every Sunday. The preachers mainly came from Yerevan or Gyumri. My grandmother and her fellow believers have been called pharmacions for years, considering evangelicalism a heresy, but that didn’t stop individuals who understood the truth of the Gospel was to live and spread that truth Rev. Hrant Badalyan, Pastor of the faithfully." Evangelical Church of Armenia in In October 1944, the Stepanavan. Soviet Union allowed the activities of the Evangelicals and the Baptists in only one Union. The two were united in what became known as the Evangelical Christian and Baptist Community or Church. Only 44 years later, in 1991, after the proclamation of the independence of the Republic of Armenia, when religious freedom of conscience was declared in the country, the Evangelical Church of Armenia experienced a profound revival, returning from prayer homes to the Church structure.
Stepanavan Church children.
Stepanavan Church youth.
24 | AMAA NEWS, July-Aug-Sept 2021
