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Evangelical Church of Armenia

Impact in the Motherland

By Pastor Aram Babajanyan*
his year, the worldwide Armenian
Evangelical family is celebrat-
ing the 175th Anniversary of the
TArmenian Evangelical Church.
It is a historic event, because with this cel-
ebration we commemorate and affirm the
presence, historical role and the mission
of the Armenian Evangelical Church in the
Armenian reality. With this celebration, we
also look forward to the completion of the
second century of our history and to the vi-
sion of the next 25 years.
For the Evangelical Church of Arme-
nia (ECA) in the Motherland, especially
in this jubilee year, it is very important to Evangelical Church of Armenia in Yerevan holds Worship Services in the rented hall of the of Union
value, understand and deeply realize our of Architects House early 1990s.
175-year-old past and to look to the future.
It is also very important for our identity, political, social and legal unprecedented and higher educational institutions in
mission, and God-pleasing and patriotic development and enlightenment. Today’s Western Armenia, and with its zealous
service. This 175th Anniversary represents developed world is based on the concept of service, printing house, school in Shushi,
a very important turning point in the history Evangelical or Protestant civilization. and its patriotic service to the orphans in
of our Church, especially considering the If we refer to the Armenian Evangelical Alexandropoulos, brought great spiritual,
present socio-economic and other aspects Movement and then to the Armenian Evan- educational, cultural enlightenment and
of the broader context of our people and gelical Church, it is certainly an integral part constant awakening.
the country in which find ourselves today. of the Armenian Church and the Armenian The Armenian Genocide and Stalin’s
When we speak about ECA in Armenia reality. The Armenian Church is also a repressions caused the downfall and loss of
after independence, we must first understand unique and important part of the world Evan- Armenians and the Armenian Evangelical
that this should be done on the platform of gelical Church. The Armenian Evangelical Church as well. The Armenian Evangeli-
historical analysis and viewed in the con- Church was the first Evangelical Church cal Church in Western Armenia lost almost
text of the larger history of the Armenian to be founded in the Greater Middle East. everything. The remnants who escaped from
Evangelical Church and World Reformation However, its foundation was not accidental that hell found refuge in various parts of the
in general either. For centuries Constantinople was the world, and began to organize themselves,
The Reformation Movement in the civilization, religious, intellectual, cultural form communities and take the path of self-
sixteenth century, and later the birth of the and socio-economic center of the East. This preservation. In Eastern Armenia, because
Evangelical Church, was primarily eccle- is a historical reality. of the repressions of the Soviet government,
siastical and religious in nature. However, Just as the world Evangelicalism only two underground communities of the
it was not limited only to that. The Birth of became an elite, the Armenian Evangelical Armenian Evangelical Church remained,
the Evangelical Church and the formation Church also became an elite in the Armenian which were united with local Baptist com-
of Evangelicalism became crucial events reality in Western Armenia, and to a lesser munities. One was in Yerevan and the other
in world history. The world Evangelicalism extent in Eastern Armenia. During the first in Gyumri.
brought with it a real leap in the history of 50 years after its founding, the Armenian The next 70 years was a long and diffi-
Christian theology and manifested itself in Evangelical Church established among cult historical period of struggle for survival
its strong intellectual spirituality, which cre- Armenians its own intellectual and practical for the ECA in Soviet Armenia. Because
ated a new ideological "progressive basis," spirituality, creating around it its own of harsh and oppressive politics, these two
a new concept of life. The Evangelicalism, way of thinking, world view, culture and surviving communities shrunk in size and
through its spirituality, theology and practi- mini-civilization perception. It was during became very small. They were mostly made
cal translation, became the elite bringing this period that the Armenian Evangelical up of representatives of the older generation.
with it scientific, educational, cultural, Church with its numerous schools, colleges In ecclesiastical sense, this period can be

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