“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.

Governments that once ignored small Christian communities are now tightening restrictions, and believers are feeling the pressure.

So what’s behind this shift? The answer goes back several decades.

After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Central Asian nations faced a power struggle between secular and Muslim factions. Most governments ultimately leaned toward secularism, prioritizing stability and combating extremism.

“At the time, there was such a small Christian population, a majority of the extremism they were concerned about was…a radical form of Islam,” explains Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).

However, the political landscape is shifting as more Muslim officials take government positions and focus pressure on Christian communities.

“A lot of what we see depends on the region and the local law enforcement,” says Mock. “You have the government policy, and then how it’s implemented locally has a lot to do with the character of the religious groups that are there and the intent of the local law enforcement.”

This year, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called out the Central Asian countries – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan – for using extremism laws to censor Christians and peaceful religious activities.

Also, for the first time in at least five years, all five Central Asian countries appeared on the 2025 World Watch List for Christian persecution. Kyrgyzstan previously was not ranked.

Yet, believers across Central Asia are faithful to Christ in the face of growing persecution.

“I asked them, ‘How are you holding up? How are you doing?’” shares Mock. “I get the same response – That I should not ask how they are doing. But instead, [I should] join with them and pray that God moves them to an abundant harvest.”

SGA supports Christians in Central Asia through spiritual encouragement and prayer. The ministry also offers resources such as biblical literature, trainings, and financial assistance.

Mock explains, “We get behind those who know their people the best, who love Christ and want to see more of their people won to Christ…. We support them as God leads them.”

Join SGA in praying for and supporting the Church in Central Asia! Learn more at SGA’s website.

Header image is a representative stock image courtesy of Farid Mardanov via Unsplash.

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA) reached out to their connected churches in Belarus to get their reaction. SGA’s Eric Mock says Belarusian pastors have a unique perspective to share.

“They reminded me very quickly that the churches there were born of the difficulties of ministering during the days of the Soviet Union, during the days of Communism when the churches were greatly persecuted. So in the middle of those persecutions, they were aware of the laws and they did what they could to honor the government to the extent that they could while they were faithful to preach and teach the Gospel.”

Essentially, they have seen these types of challenges before — and even worse. With that in mind, these pastors and Christian leaders are familiar with advancing the name of Jesus Christ amidst roadblocks.

Mock says, according to the pastors in Belarus, “The work of advancing the Gospel and advancing the Church and planting the churches remains unchanged.

SGA works with churches in Belarus, equipping them to proclaim Christ as King. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

“They respect the government, they want to be salt and light before the government, they want to honor the government. That doesn’t mean that they agree with the government, but they want to be people who are beyond reproach.”

These faithful believers’ perspective serves as an encouragement to other Christians facing opposition and challenges. And you can encourage them with your prayers.

“The greatest prayer request that we have for the Church in Belarus is that they would remain faithful.”

Learn more about SGA’s ministry in Belarus.

Header photo of students receiving training in Minsk, Belarus. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

This is harming Moldova’s economy, culture, workforce, and even the Church. Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association says, “They’re at a time where most young people want to immigrate into Europe.”

Because of this, the Moldovan Church is “finding a shortage of young men who want to be pastors and missionaries, young men and women who will give their lives to ministering in a remote village. It’s a sacrificial calling. It’s a unique calling from God.”

A fruit stand in Chisinau, Moldova. (Photo courtesy of Nikoli Afina/Unsplash)

SGA is beginning more intentional work to serve churches and pastors in Moldova. This would include pastoral and missionary training to raise up more Christian leaders.

Mock says, “On Sunday, many of the pastors actually preach in four churches. There aren’t enough pastors. So starting early in the morning, they go from church to church and preach at each one of the locations on Sundays, and then they try to shepherd these four different churches.

“These guys are completely worn out and hoping to grow, and so we feel like we’ve been raised up for such a time as this.”

Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to Moldova ready to preach the Good News.

Mock also requests, “Pray for SGA as we serve the churches. There’s no greater calling for all of us as believers than to see the Gospel advanced through God’s Church.”

Help support SGA’s ministry here!

Header photo of Chișinău, Moldova. (Photo courtesy of Vadim Russu/Unsplash)

Eric Mock says that’s largely due to the pandemic: “Maybe a parent’s been lost due to the pandemic. Parents have lost jobs due to the pandemic, as a whole range of complications have affected these kids. In fact, some of the kids that are in orphanages have actually said they are the lucky ones since they got into the orphanage. Because a lot of the kids that are in these homes suffer incredibly.”

Mock calls these kids “social orphans.” Many live in single-parent homes, typically with the mother. But even the parents these kids do have may not care for them well, due to alcoholism or drug use.

The love of the local churches

The government has no support for these kids, so local churches often provide the only help. You can help this work by supporting SGA’s Orphans Reborn program.

Mock says, “I was just in Ukraine in the war zone. One thing that I noticed was the women. It was these widows or single moms raising children, who are in this arduous journey of providing when the man’s
not around.”

Ask God to strengthen and comfort these women. And pray these families will find hope in Jesus as the local churches care for them.

Life won’t return to normal in these areas any time soon. COVID-19 case numbers remain high in many parts of the former Soviet Union.

Mock says, “Be praying for the churches as they also are at risk. But they seem to labor with no fear. They know the pandemic is there. They know that COVID-19 could take their lives. But much like in the
years of communism, and the threat against them advancing the Gospel, they see it as just one more enemy that they have to fight.”

Photo courtesy of Slavic Gospel Association.

“The Protestant Christian Church in this region is very young; in some countries, maybe 20 to 30 years total,” says Noel Bechetti of A3, formerly Asian Access.

Independence also brought new challenges. “Many of these countries were part of the former Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wanted to eliminate all cultural and language [distinctions]” to create a single national identity, Becchetti says.

When Stalin began his reign of terror, “he made groups move to different parts of the region and then brought down people from Russia to become the overseers. He made Russian the mandatory language in all of these countries. That went on until the Soviet Union finally fell,” he continues.

“These countries are now independent, but that (Soviet) legacy continues. Indigenous groups are still oppressed, excluded from many opportunities, [and] their languages are not elevated.”

These challenges extend to the Body of Christ. Typically, A3 works to unify believers across denominational lines to focus on Great Commission goals. More about that here.

“A3 believes in breaking down barriers [to build] the unity of the church,” Becchetti says.

“In our other countries, people come from different theologies, churches, backgrounds; sometimes different heart language groups.”

Pray for wisdom as A3 begins new work in four Central Asian countries this year.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Steve Harvey/Unsplash.

Eric Mock with the Slavic Gospel Association says, “For people under the Soviet Union, there was a forced code of atheism. They had actually converted a lot of churches into museums of atheism. So to have a single Bible was like gold. It was to be treasured. In fact, SGA through the 50s, 60s, and beyond used to broadcast the Bible at dictation speed.”

“Families would gather Bibles together and they would handwrite them, Bibles as much as a foot and a half thick.”

At the checkpoint, Brother Andrew watched soldiers meticulously search each car in front of him. But they waved him through in thirty seconds. Mock says, “The guards would have been so focused and so intent on finding any level of what they termed contraband (which would have included the Bibles) it seems almost impossible that he made it through without an inspection.”

Brother Andrew’s life

In the following years, Brother Andrew would have many more experiences like this. He often asked God to “Make seeing eyes blind.”

He became known as “God’s smuggler.” A book written about his ministry shared the same name. God’s Smuggler has sold over 10 million copies and was translated into 35 languages.

He was a humble and loving man who served God with courage. Praise God for his witness, and pray Christians around the world would follow his example.  

The former Soviet Union

Today, the region of the former Soviet Union faces great upheaval. Mock says, “We have the conflict in Ukraine. We also have the new confusion that’s going on in Russia, with not only the call-up of people through the mobilization but also the conviction that many of the people will not bear arms against their Ukrainian brothers and sisters.”

The header photo shows Brother Andrew in 2007. (Photo courtesy of Jako Jellema, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

In the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian counter-attack has pushed Russian forces all the way back to the Russian border. The city of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest, suffered heavy shelling for many weeks once the invasion started.

BFTW

While normally focused on South Asia and Africa, Bibles For The World has begun outreach to Ukraine. John Pudaite says, “We have historically done a fair amount of distribution in Europe, especially in Russia, even during the time it was behind the Iron Curtain. We also worked in other former Soviet Union countries that developed as the USSR broke up.”

“But this is kind of a return to this area after probably 20-25 years.”

Shortly after the invasion, one BFTW employee volunteered to help Ukrainian refugees and has kept the ministry informed about the situation.

In Kharkiv, BFTW partners report many people open to hearing about Jesus. Pudaite says, “They asked us to give 30 to 50 thousand Gospels of John in the Russian language because most of that Eastern zone actually speaks Russian as their first language. They said they could have those distributed within two to three weeks.”

Ask God to strengthen the Ukrainian Church. Pudaite says, “It’s just amazing how the body of Christ is responding to this, even within the country. We’ve seen, of course, the Ukrainians show their resiliency in trying to repel the attack of the Russians.”

In total, the first round of printing will send 200,000 Gospel of John copies into Ukraine from Poland. Pray these books will reveal Jesus to many Ukrainians.

The header photo shows a demining operation in Kharkiv after Russian troops were pushed back. (Photo courtesy of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Eric Mock from SGA says, “What we found is that when the fall of the Soviet Union occurred, that they were hungry to know more but with the inrush of those wanting to come into the former Soviet Counties came all the different teaching.”

Some of the unbiblical teaching SGA seeks to combat in the region includes ideas that good works are not essential and that God’s Word is not authoritative, Mock explains.

Providing Theological Foundations

Pastors training students in a seminary located in Irpin, Ukraine.
(Photo courtesy of SGA)

SGA currently supports several seminaries throughout the former Soviet Union. These schools offer graduate-level training for those looking to become pastors, worship leaders, and Sunday School teachers.

Mock says, “We want these schools to be nationally led and nationally multiplying, so these schools are set apart with now incredible national teachers.”

Teachers graduating from these schools may then teach at SGA’s training centers to help other students learn. “There are extension centers now all across Russia, as well as in Ukraine and in Belarus,” Mock adds.

For SGA solid theological training is the key to supporting local church ministries and other ministries across the former Soviet Union. In places like Yakutia in Russia, Biblical training is transforming communities.

Mock adds that for three years now, SGA has been teaching local Christians in their own language in how to study and understand the Bible. Now students who have received this training are teaching others in their church about the Bible.

“Before these villages were steeped in paganism, and from these villages have come men who are now being saved by God, being transformed by His Word, and led by the Spirit.”

Supporting Biblical Training

Students receive training in Minsk, Belarus. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Despite radical change happening from communities receiving Biblical training, it is often difficult for SGA to gather resources for it.

Mock says, “We really need help because the training institutions are the most difficult to support.”

“It’s a lot easier for people to be excited about ministry to orphans… but we have to undergird all the ministry with the right training.”

Mock explains that on one visit to an orphanage he met a young girl with 13 teddy bears. Each bear represented a gift for her from a foreign visitor on mission work in the area. Yet, when Mock asked her about Jesus, she had never heard of Him.

“I was astounded as I realized that so many of the ministries, even though well-intentioned, have not taken the time to really develop a great foundation in theological training,” Mock adds.

To support theological training in this region, click here to donate. You can also connect with SGA to get involved here.

Pray that more students in the former Soviet Union would have access to Biblical training. Ask the Lord to use that training to support ministry in the area and spread clear teaching about the Bible.

Header photo courtesy of Debby Hudson via Unsplash.

President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba says 90 people attended: more than anticipated. "It shows that a lot more people–many different leaders, even people from the State Departmen–are very much interested in discussing the issue of religious freedom in the former Soviet Union."

Some of the leading evangelical Christians in the region made presentations. "We brought some experts from Russia and Belarus, and we read some reports from Uzbekistan about all the freedoms that have been stripped from people there," says Rakhuba.

It's like going back to the days of the cold war, he says. "Evangelical churches are not allowed to do anything outside of their homes, even inside their homes. If they gather together for prayer meetings they are punished and are penalized. Many pastors have already been thrown into prison there."

While it's reminiscent of the days of communism, Rakhuba says, "This is a new wave of persecution that's based on radical Islamism, on nationalism, and even mainline churches like the Orthodox church…is the reason for persecution of local believers in Russia and Ukraine or other Slavic countries."

The information presented will help create a policy guide for Christians in the region to help fight laws that are meant to fight terrorism. "Based on those laws, evangelical Christians–for their most humble actions–are punished just for having prayer in their own home. So, we'd like to create some policies and to encourage governments to change it."

Rakhuba is hoping politicians will use the policies to help press for those changes so the Gospel can be shared freely.