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EVANGELICAL CHURCH OF ARMENIA

STEPANAVAN

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

Stepanavan Church children. Stepanavan Church youth.

24 | AMAA NEWS, July-Aug-Sept 2021