“These pastors are gathering together to be encouraged and refreshed,” Mock says. “Together we see that the best we can do in our world today is declare the eternal hope that we have in God, which has been afforded to us through Jesus Christ.” 

The conference comes as Armenia and Azerbaijan sign a US-brokered peace deal aimed at resolving conflict rooted in a regional dispute ongoing since the collapse of the Soviet Union. 

Historically Armenian but officially recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been fought for and ruled by ethnic Armenian forces for decades. Azerbaijan regained full control of the area in a 2023 offensive. Since then, Mock says SGA has been supporting Armenian churches as they minister to refugees fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh. 

“We have seen a constant tension: the fear of sending young men to war, the fear of losing men, the fear of losing more cities and towns and villages,” he says.

Mountains in Nagorno-Karabakh. Courtesy of Unsplash.

For this reason, the peace agreement has brought easier breathing to many families on both sides of the conflict. The 99-year lease involves a 27-mile stretch of land within Nagorno-Karabakh, known as the Zangezur Corridor, which will be developed as a trade route for oil, natural gas, and commodities. 

“What is established now is a roadmap for commerce and prosperity for both nations,” Mock says. “What you have is a situation where now everyone is a winner, including Europe, as they are now securing access to oil, natural gas, and commodities coming through Central Asia and Asia itself.”

Relief from decades of fighting, however, does not dissolve centuries of ethnic and religious tensions. The conflict in this region dates back to the fourth century, when Armenia recognized Christianity as its national religion. 

“As Islam grew and Armenians were seen as dissidents, the war of religious differences grew,” Mock says. During WWI, the Ottoman Empire carried out a mass genocide of Armenians. Armenia was then ruled by the Soviet Union until gaining independence at its collapse. 

All the while, Mock says churches have continued declaring hope to the hopeless in the form of salvation through grace alone.

“Whether there is a war going or there is a ceasefire, they continue to do the work that God has raised them up to do,” Mock says. “And so there is the political scene: there is the tragic reality of both the genocide and the pressure that exists between these nations, but in the middle of it there is the freedom that we have in Christ.” 

Praise the Lord for the cessation of fighting, and please pray for the continued work of the church in Armenia. Pray for pastors as they remind their congregations of the brevity of life and the assurance of a savior, and pray for believers as they hold grow in the knowledge and grace of their savior, Jesus Christ. 

Beyond historical losses and present gains, Mock points out: “Our hope is in Jesus.” 

Read more about Armenia’s history here. 

Bus stop in Armenia. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Featured image: President Trump brokers peace deal with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan. Screenshot courtesy of the White House.

Roughly 150,000 Armenians fled the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in late September after Azerbaijan attacked. Azerbaijan now demands that Armenia hand over eight more villages in the region. Armenia has, so far, refused.

Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association explains, “The area of Nagorno Karabakh — or as Armenian people would call it, Artsakh — is really a sacred area. In fact, the people that live there go back many, many, many generations. It is been at a flashpoint for especially the last year because there has been this blockade that has meant no food [and] no resources coming to…that region of about 150,000 people.”

(Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association)

This conflict, which has its origins in the early 20th century and was reignited in the late 1980s, centers on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The two nations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have engaged in multiple military clashes and full-scale wars, resulting in significant loss of life and instability in the region.

Mock says SGA has had a relationship with Armenian churches since the 1990s. “We have been supporting their missionary pastors. We’ve been helping them with their Orphans Reborn program and children’s Christmas program. Of course, Immanuel’s Child is coming up, and training now as well. So all aspects of SGA’s ministry have actually been engaged in the country of Armenia since the fall of the Soviet Union.”

SGA has supported three Armenian churches in Nagorno-Karabakh specifically with food aid and spiritual encouragement. Now, Mock says, “Those churches fled. They lost everything — their building, everything, their livelihood — but they re-gathered outside of Yerevan, Armenia, so I was able to spend time with them.

“The three churches that fled have already reformed and have grown by 40% [from] other refugees coming and trying to ask for those messages of hope. So what God has done, much like we saw in the crisis in Ukraine, is He has provided a circumstance by which these churches are now flourishing even though they’ve lost everything.”

A refugee family in Armenia. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Churches already established in Yerevan are also housing refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Story after story, we hear refugees that have come and have heard the Gospel,” says Mock. “Several of them would have been antagonistic to the Christian appeal, the Gospel.

“The thought of even walking through a church, their context was the Armenian Apostolic Church. So they had been taught the Protestant Church was against the faith, against the good of the country, against all the people. But they found that those were the churches that were actually trying to take care of them. Those are the churches from which they heard the message of grace and people are coming to faith!”

Please pray for Armenians to know they are not forgotten by the Church! Ask the Lord to add fuel to the Church in Armenia and for the Gospel to change hearts across the region.

Learn more about SGA’s ministry here!

Header photo of Yerevan, Armenia. (Photo courtesy of Levon Vardanyan/Unsplash)

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh – an ethnically Armenian region in Azerbaijan that wants to unite with Armenia. Over 200 people died, including civilians and children. Just a day later, ethnic Armenians in the region agreed to a ceasefire.

A refugee family in Armenia. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Tensions have been building for months since Azerbaijani troops cut off the only road between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia in December.

Slavic Gospel Association’s Eric Mock says, “The people were literally blocked off from getting any food.

“In fact, what SGA has been doing is working with four churches in that region…that were crying out with need, so we were helping get aid. It’s very unique because you can’t get food in so we were actually assisting the churches in purchasing potatoes from farmers.”

Locals are concerned about further conflict. “They don’t want to see war again. Many of their sons were lost in the fighting so they’re brokenhearted over the idea that conflict would start again.”

Mock says Armenian churches are praying for peace and Church unity across borders. Please pray with them.

“You can be unified in the Kingdom of Heaven, and that’s where we stand with them. So that’s why the Gospel truly is a peacemaking Gospel.”

Click here to learn more about SGA’s ministry.

Header photo of Shushi, a town in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) mostly destroyed by war with Azerbaijan in 2020. (Revised caption, photo courtesy of Sarin Aventisian/Unsplash)

Years of conflict

Open war broke out for six weeks in 2020, killing more than 7,000 soldiers. At that time, Russia brokered a ceasefire and sent peacekeeping troops, but they have not prevented flare-ups in violence since then.

And the invasion of Ukraine has exhausted Russia’s focus and resources. Azerbaijan gained territory during the 2020 conflict. With Armenia’s major ally, Russia, occupied in Ukraine, Azerbaijan’s advantage grows even stronger.

Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “There are cultural, religious, and political issues that manage to keep the situation in constant tension, constant fighting. Even though there is a ceasefire, the word ceasefire, much like what we see in Ukraine today, means a status quo in the middle of the fighting.”

“There remains a difficulty between these countries over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.”

Local churches

SGA serves churches in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Mock says believers rush into embattled areas, bringing help and hope in Jesus’ name. “It’s very easy to get into the habit of choosing geographical or political sides, but we who are in Christ have chosen the kingdom of heaven as our side.”

Many civilians caught up in the war suffered greatly, especially those who lived in the disputed territories. Their homes switched hands from Armenia to Azerbaijan as the latter gained territory during the 2020 war.

Pray many will find comfort and peace in the love of Jesus. You can support these local churches through SGA.

The header photo shows a missile that landed in an Armenian village during a September bout of violence. (Photo courtesy of the Official YouTube channel of Ministry of Defence of Armenia, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

“This region called Nagorno-Karabakh – we call it Artsakh – is an indigenous Armenian location. [There are] churches dating back to the fourth century,” says Dr. Haig Kherlopian, lead pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church of New York.

Watch a short discussion about persecution in Armenia between Pastor Kherlopian and Greg Musselman, Minister at Large for The Voice of Martyrs Canada.

In 2020, “there was a 44-day war where Azerbaijan and jihadists from the Middle East led an assault” against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan both claim the territory, and the war’s end left both sides unhappy.

“[Azeri forces killed] innocent (Armenian) civilians using drones; many war crimes took place, and they took the land from our people.”

This Sunday, April 24, marks the 107th anniversary of the 1915 Armenian massacre. The Ottoman Empire, created by Turkish tribes, arrested 235 Armenian poets, doctors, religious leaders, and political dissidents. In the following months, militants tortured and publicly executed most of them.

By the end of World War I, Ottoman policies resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children. While 31 countries describe the events as genocide, Turkey denies any plan to systematically wipe out the Armenian population.

“Turkey funded Azerbaijan in this (2020) attack. Imagine if the people group that committed genocide [in the past] is attacking you again. There’s an existential threat and fear,” Kherlopian says.

To Russia with love?

Clashes in the disputed region continued for two years as multiple cease-fires failed. Mediation efforts increased at the end of March. Today, international players are reportedly pressuring Armenia to give Azerbaijan control.

Flag of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) waving in the center of Yerevan, Armenia.
(Wikimedia Commons)

“There’s a track record of Turkey and Azerbaijan desecrating our historic sites and trying to rewrite history,” Kherlopian says.

“It seems like [each time,] more land gets taken from us, more Christians get killed.”

Rejecting Armenia’s willingness to compromise, authorities in the Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh region are considering a radical solution: join Russia. More about the Armenia-Russia connection here.

No matter who gains political control, Armenian believers remain committed. Will you pray for them? Use prompts listed alongside this article to guide your intercession.

“We keep our eyes on Jesus. If they destroy churches, we will rebuild churches; we will raise more Christian families if they kill us. It’s always trusting in Christ; not repaying with evil, but overcoming evil with good,” Kherlopian says.

“We’ve endured 1,700 years of Christian persecution. We are very resilient people.”

Header image is a map of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. (Wikimedia Commons)

Eric Mock of the Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) says, “The tensions remain because some of the territory that was previously Armenian is now Azeri. And so there are all kinds of issues in governance and local relationships.” Read more about the power struggle in the Nagorno-Karabakh region here.

The work of Armenian churches

During the fighting, SGA supported local churches in both Armenia and Azerbaijan as they served orphans and refugees. Mock says in the darkest situations, people tend to search more for hope. “And the Armenian churches there are stepping forward with that message of hope in Jesus Christ. Hearts are open. We’re seeing the Gospel go forward. You can almost predict, in regions of great difficulty, in times of great hardship, that many lives will be coming to faith, many lives that would have been self-reliant and confident of their circumstances being stable.”

Pray the land would heal from the scars of war. You can help SGA’s efforts in the region by donating here. Mock says, “But also pray that there would be a revival and that the churches there would not be discouraged. Pray they would not feel worn out with recent events, but that they would be even bolder.”

(The header photo comes courtesy of the Slavic Gospel Association on Facebook)

Eric Mock of the Slavic Gospel Association says this violence hangs over Armenians to this day.  “They’re very aware of the assault on the Armenian people. In the recent conflict, it was very clear when Azerbaijan partnered with Turkey to bring in Syrian freedom fighters to fight in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, that this tension between Turkey and Armenia has not subsided. So for the people of Armenia, they have always felt the assault of Turkey, always felt the assault on them as a people. And they feel a little bit boxed in with Azerbaijan on one side and Turkey on the other.”

Armenian Christians

Despite the declaration from the U.S. or other countries, Mock says daily life for Armenians remains the same. But local Christians are pointing to the hope found in Jesus. “And faithful Armenian believers are proclaiming the Gospel to their people, planting churches, and making a difference in their country. And it’s the greatest effort of God to push back against the darkness that they deal with on an everyday basis.”

As Armenians see themselves continually hated, pray the love of Christians would draw many to Jesus.

The header photo shows an old tank sitting in the Armenian countryside. (Photo courtesy of Viviani Harambe from Pixabay)

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has warned of a possible coup attempt by the military. Yesterday, protestors broke their way into a government building, demanding his resignation.

Eric Mock of the Slavic Gospel Association explains the discontent: “A peace accord, a cessation of hostilities was announced. But that also resulted in previously Armenian land being given back to Azerbaijan. This didn’t sit well with the people of Armenia, and they were very upset with their prime minister. What we’re seeing now is a conflict with a high number of people in the population and the military against the leaders that negotiated this ceasefire.”

Lingering effects of the conflict

The war drove many people from their homes, leaving them without shelter. Now that the war zone has switched hands from Armenia to Azerbaijan, thousands no longer have access to their homes.

SGA works with local Christians to provide those in need with groceries and the Gospel. Mock says, “In the middle of the chaos, the recovery from the conflict and the refugees returning home, the constant has been these churches. They continue to provide aid to those who are suffering and to provide the Gospel for people with no hope. SGA has been blessed to be able to raise support, reaching hundreds of families with humanitarian aid, with blankets for those that are struggling to stay warm.”

Want to help with this work? Visit SGA’s website to learn more and support their efforts.

The header photo shows the devastation from the war 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. (Photo courtesy of Javid Nabizade, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

The Grey Wolves are a far-right organization with ties to Turkey. It is a paramilitary group that advocates using violence to advance nationalist causes. France has banned the organization from operating in the country and other countries are considering similar action.

A derelict military vehicle from the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. (Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Joel Griffith of the Slavic Gospel Association says Armenia and Azerbaijan have a history of warfare, tracing back to the end of the Soviet Union. In the first war, which lasted from 1988-1994, Armenia took control of the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region. “In the most recent conflict that broke out late last year, Azerbaijan came down and took back some territory. And they were able to reach (with some international mediation) a peace agreement. With this new wrinkle being thrown in with the Grey Wolves, it remains to be seen what that’s going to do. It is a troubling development.”

The Gospel vs. extremism

SGA works with churches in this region. They help local Christians provide humanitarian aid to those in need, showing the love and hope of Jesus. Learn more about these programs and get involved here.

Pray this good news would prevail over extremist ideology. Griffith says, “If this actually does come to fruition, and this kind of a school opens up, you’re obviously going to have a lot of ideology that can be very deadly coming out of a place like that. And who knows what impact that’s going to have on the churches of the days ahead. I don’t think it’ll be a good one, because this ideology tends to be very anti-Christian as well.”

Pray the Grey Wolves will not be able to build a school in a region already ravaged by violence. Pray that instead, the Gospel would bring peace and wholeness to the land.

The header image shows the logo of the Grey Wolves on a car in Munich. (Henning Schlottmann (User:H-stt), CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Videos of gruesome killings at the hands of Azerbaijan soldiers began circulating online earlier this month. Last week, officials identified two elderly Armenian Christians beheaded by Azerbaijan soldiers. More details here.

“Azerbaijan brought in fighters from Syria through Turkey, and these fighters are used to fighting in a war of Islam against anyone who does not follow their faith,” Eric Mock of Slavic Gospel Association explains.

“We have seen in the Middle East where people were beheaded for their faith. Most often it was followers of Jesus Christ, so it’s not a surprise that Armenians, who are predominantly Christian, would be persecuted by them.”

SGA helps believers respond

Nagorno-Karabakh, a long-disputed territory now claimed by Azerbaijan, is home to thousands of Armenian Christians. “Pray for the household of God as they are caught up in this,” Mock requests.

“People who enjoyed Christianity under Armenia are finding [a] predominantly Muslim culture and leadership under Azerbaijani control.”

Azerbaijan officially recognizes religious freedom. However, Armenian Christians face a different reality in Nagorno-Karabakh. Keep believers in your prayers as more reports surface of violence at the hands of Azerbaijan forces.

Local pastors distribute aid.
(Photo courtesy of SGA)

As you pray, “let us not get so caught up in fighting at the government level that we lose track of the most important war,” Mock recommends.

“As we hear about atrocities, let us be sure we fight the right fight. The real battlefield is the heart.”

With God’s priorities in mind, local believers demonstrate Christ’s love in word and deed as they help people in need. “This is why SGA is very focused on equipping the national church in those regions,” Mock says.

Here’s how you can help.

“By presentation of the Gospel, through the power of prayer, through the compassionate care of others, we seek to see lives eternally transformed by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Header image depicts damaged houses that refugees return home to; many find nothing of use. (Photo, caption courtesy SGA)