Armenia (MNN) — Last fall, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a devastating war in the Southern Caucasus. The conflict killed almost 5,000 soldiers and at least 143 civilians. Heavy shelling damaged houses, forcing people to flee. This week, Armenia again accused Azerbaijan of moving troops into its territory.
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)
