Pursley Newsletter: Missions 101, Evangelism, Baptism, and Discipleship (100s of youth hear the gospel for the first time, and many baptized)
From Arkansas to Armenia, June 8- July 15, 2024
If you would like to skip the introduction, and get right to the news, please scroll down. If you would like to understand the spiritual condition of Armenia, where I am ministering in, read the introduction.
If you want to understand the importance of our ministry, watch this short video I just filmed a week ago:
In this newsletter:
Persian Baptisms
Dr. Dow Pursley’s Ministry in Armenia.
Artsakh Refugee Dinner in Meghri/Agarak.
Two Evangelistic Camps in Syunik Province Near the Border of Iran.
The Church in Agarak Baptismal Ceremonies
USA Embassy holds an historic Independence Day historic in Kapan, Syunik.
Heaven’s Angels’ Visit: Christian Motorcycle Association visits Agarak.
Knitting Evangelism
Purchase of a Russian Soldier Transport Vehicle
Agarak Church Building Current Situation
International Bible Church of Armenia Update
Pursley Family Personal Update
Introduction to Missions Work in Armenia
Many of my diasporan Armenian friends (also my Apostolic friends) find it hard to believe that Armenians living in Armenia have not read a Bible, and do not know what the gospel is. They rightly state and boast, “Armenia became the first Christian nation in history, 301 A.D.”. This is true, yet it does not reflect the reality of Christianity in Armenia today. A spiritual toll has been paid by my Armenian brothers and sisters. Remember, for 100s of years there was Muslim Ottoman and Persian suppression of Christianity, and prohibition of spreading of Christianity (propagation of Christianity was prohibited, and conversion from Islam brought the death penalty). Later, Armenia was under seventy years of captivity. There was Soviet suppression and control of Christianity, the CCCP placed KGB agents as priests, and closed down most churches in Armenia, owning a Bible was prohibited, and gathering to worship was prohibited.
Since I have moved to Armenia, in 2017, I rarely have ever met one Armenian that has read the Bible, knows the gospel, knows how to pray, and knows what the biblical definition of church actually is. They learn about Armenian history and the names of catholicoi, and that is about the extent. Many have not been baptized, and if they were christened, they do not understand the purpose of this (they follow traditions, and they merely go through the motions). This is similar to many of my Arkansan Bible Belt Christian compatriots.
A few fresh examples are when I was visiting a village with no priest, no church, in a remote mountain area. (Remember there are only around 400 priests in the whole country, some large churches in America have at least 400 on staff, for ONE church to pastor, and disciple their congregation, here in Armenia they have around 400 for the entire country.)
I was visiting a sickly elderly woman in her 80s, she could barely walk, and she was taking care of her blind son in his 60s. Their house was dirty, smelly, and they both probably had not bathed in weeks or longer. As we shared the gospel with them, they had never heard this, they had never read a Bible, never were baptized, and no priest had ever visited them. They said, “we were living in Soviet times, and never knew any of this.” Now we are in the year 2024, and they still had not! Unfortunately, many of those in these remote areas do not read well either, so providing audio Bibles is a focus. We prayed for this family and will continue to visit. Now to another remote village, we just did a camp for 100 youth in the least reached area of Armenia. I was speaking to young children from 8-13, they said they had heard of some Bible stories before, they then said they believe in Jesus, then I asked the most important question, “who is Jesus?”, they replied, “we don’t know.” They believe in a Jesus that they have never heard of, read of, or know of. This is a pattern I see all over Armenia. They see church building structures, stone crosses everywhere, they hear the name of Jesus often, and are told, “we are Christians, and the first Christian nation.” But, who is Jesus? What is Christianity? What is a Christian? What is the gospel? How can one be saved? These are mostly not known.
On the day I wrote this newsletter, July 14, I was speaking to one of the thousands of refugees from Artskah that we have helped when they were forced to leave their homeland because of Azeri invaders. The man with whom I was speaking bravely defended his land with 7 others in a military post. All they had were AK-47s, and only 50 bullets per soldier. He has 3 brothers and sisters, his father left the family when he was young, and he does not know where his father is. I asked him about his faith. This is what he said, “I went to church from time to time growing up, but I did not understand what was said at church as it was said in a language I cannot understand, neither me nor my family has ever been baptized, I have never read the Bible.”
(Note about Armenians not fully understanding the Apostolic church service: It is done in Garapar language – ancient Armenian. This is the language used in the Apostolic mass, and is not modern or spoken Armenian.)
This is a typical response for the majority of Armenians here.
I drive through Tatev about 2 times a month. There is a well-known historic monastery there, and at one time it was a bastion for Christian education. I have stayed overnight in Tatev maybe 25 times, and I have many friends there. Here are a few stories from Tatev village:
I gave Bibles to a family as they had never owned one. I explained my testimony, the gospel, and the importance of the Bible to our spiritual growth, I told the family I wanted them to start reading from the gospel of John. They exclaimed, “Hovhannes, na Haykakan anun e” – meaning, “oh, John, that’s an Armenian name.” They had never heard that the name Hovhannes (John) comes from the Bible, and that was Jesus’ disciple.
In the same village, I was out at the playground with my children, and two 16-year-old girls were also there that grew up near Tatev monastery. We began to speak with them, one was a professed atheist, the other said she “believed” in Jesus. Then when I asked her, “who is Jesus?” she replied, “he was the Holy Spirit, or a prophet” and then said, “I don’t know.” She sheepishly laughed, because she had not yet heard of who Jesus is, and what the gospel is.
There is a church building in Tatev, but it does not proclaim Christ to the people, nor the gospel, and it does not disciple the folks in the village of Tatev. The priests do not go door to door and pastor. They do not make sure folks know Jesus, trust him, are reading their Bibles, and that the people know how to pray. They do not evangelize tourists and do missions in other regions, and they don’t disciple those in Tatev to be missional.
In short, they are not actively evangelizing, pastoring, and discipling. They act as “priests” and not pastors. This means one must go to their temple (church) if you want to know or do anything. Also, the majority of my Armenian friends have had to pay money to the priests for prayer, baptism, funeral services, marriage ceremonies, and other religious ceremonies. This is NOT apostolic to pay for prayer, baptism, and to charge a poor village widow to perform a funeral for her dead husband etc… Christ taught: go into all the world, make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey all HE commanded. This has been lacking in Armenia because of the above reasons – Islamic and Soviet persecution of Christianity. And also the false notion that Protestant Christians, like myself, are “aghandavor” – cult members. Those that slander have put obstacles for Armenians to hear the truth of Christ, and know His word.
If you are Armenian Apostolic and reading this, Protestants are not against you. We are actively obeying the words of Christ, that is why we have churches all over North Korea, Iran, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen etc.. All the “hard to reach” places. We go to proclaim Christ, his gospel, and disciple these to follow Christ, know his word, and start new churches. This is Apostolic faith and tradition. This is how Christianity started in Armenia, through missionaries. Think of Thaddaeus and Bartholomew, and then Grigor Lusavorich. There would be no Christianity in Armenia if it were not for missionaries. And the same is for the entire world. God wants us to be missional like these from the past, and we must reach each generation, starting with our own people. True Apostolic Christianity is evangelistic and missional Christianity.
Yes, there are true cults like the Mormons, and Jehovah Witnesses. These deny the foundational truths of Christianity, and the Bible. Protestants uphold, defend, and proclaim the historic truths of Christianity, and the Bible. Protestants are allies and in the same body of Christ with historic Armenian Christianity. We are Armenia’s brothers and sisters, we are of the same body, and thus of the same family. That is why I say, “my Armenian brothers and sisters.” Because we are.
Watch the full moonrise over Agarak and mountains of Iran from my Instagram account:
One more fresh story from today, July 15. I was purchasing 15 bags of cement as we a building a wall at our ministry center. I spoke to a woman that was running a small café near by. We purchased drinks and she asked us who we were. I said, this is a Persian, a convert from Islam to Christianity working with me, the other man is Iranian Armenian, I am American, and this other man with me is Armenian, and we are together. The conversation turned to faith. This was her faith, “I believe in a creator, there is a God, but I trust in my conscience. Jesus was just a man, his death does not do anything for me. People die for other people on this earth often. Also, why would you say only those that believe in Jesus will go to heaven. None of us are bad, we don’t sin. We are all basically good. Jesus is not God, and it doesn’t matter what you believe.” Of course, I responded to her objections and wrong ideas. This woman was around 50 years old, and yet these were her views. She told me, “every time I read the Bible I get angry, I will not read it, and don’t want to.” We spoke the truth to her, and explained spiritual warfare against the truth, and evil forces that want to keep her from the truth. She promised me she would listen to John chapter one, which I sent to her.
I have been in Armenia seven years, in hundreds of villages, and in every province, traveling and interacting with folks personally. There are many animistic or folk religious beliefs and practices around the country, also atheism (which includes woke, progressive ideologies) is on the rise among the youth in the cities, and/or there is just an ignorance of even who Jesus is.
The one major blessing in Armenia is the starting point for many does not need to be corrected. Many say, “we are Christians, and we believe in Jesus.” This is a great starting point, unlike Muslims who blaspheme God, his word, and have a false Jesus. That being said, what does it really mean to be Christian, (it is not an ethnicity, and not a cultural or traditional title), and what does it mean to believe in Jesus, (it is not a mental assent, or just something one says as a parrot). These need to be taught, explained, and the church members must know their role as not merely sheep that go to a temple, yet they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to take Christ, the gospel, and the Bible to their family, friends, neighbors, and to those that are around the world, and make disciples. They are to be the missionaries God has called the Armenian Christians to be. Armenia can truly be light and salt to all nations, but each Armenian must know, live, and proclaim Christ and his gospel. The Armenians’ call is to build Christ’s church in the culture and languages of the people groups they will reach. Right now, I know Armenians from Armenia planting and pastoring Turkish and Azeri churches, using the Turkish language. That is true Armenian Apostolic Christianity. Now to the newsletter.
Persian Baptisms
On June 13 of this year, our church had the privilege to baptize two more Persians/Muslim converts to Christianity in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, for His glory. The gates of hell will not stop the spread of Christ’s church.
Dr. Dow Pursley’s Ministry Armenia.
My father, Dr. Dow Pursley, has been preaching at IBCA, (International Bible Church of Armenia), and at our ministry in Agarak, Armenia. He is a Christian and Biblical Psychologist, and Counselor, and has been counseling and discipling many in our churches and ministries. He has spent most of his time living in one of the most remote villages in Armenia, Karchevan.
Artsakh Refugee Ministry in Meghri and Agarak, Syunik Armenia.
Our ministry team and church in Agarak hosted another dinner for the 65 families from Artsakh that were forcibly exiled from their homelands starting from September of 2023, and relocated near the border of Iran. At this dinner our team brought these out of their homes, (many are still in depression and these dinners are the only times that they have ever left their homes). We provided live music, dancing, and most importantly, they were prayed for, and the gospel was declared to all. Below are a few pictures from the dinner.
Two Evangelistic Camps in Syunik Province Near the Border of Iran.
June 24-July 7th, our ministry in Agarak hosted two camps for the youth of the region. We were privileged to have a volunteer from First Presbyterian Church of Macon, GA, and a team from Mount Paran North of Marrieta, GA join us, along with other volunteers from churches in Yerevan, including our international church, IBCA.
The theme of the camps was, “Faith like David.” The emphasis was on the faith and trust that David had in God, and that it is David’s God that we should trust. Our team performed a skit of David killing Goliath as well. Each day the youth heard the gospel at least 2-3x. At the end of the camp, almost every young person verbally professed faith in Jesus. We are now praying that the seeds that were planted will grow and bear much fruit, and bring glory to God.
The camp was in a remote area near a river, and Alex and Seta’s English center (Hope Language Center) hosted the event. The ministry team at Agarak, and volunteers did an amazing job preparing food each day, organizing games, and with set up. We are also grateful for all of those that financially contributed to these camps. Your work and sacrifice for this was not in vain. This was the first time that at least 100 from this area have ever heard the gospel, and almost all of them verbally professed faith. See the pictures below of the camp.
Eight Baptisms in Agarak.
During the camp, we also had the privilege to baptize eight members of our church. These are those that heard the gospel, believed in Christ, repented of their sins, and wanted to obey Christ’s command to be baptized. Of course, we also had spiritual warfare against this. In spite of the demonic interruption of the baptisms, we persevered through this, and with great joy they completed this important step of faith. Two of those who got baptized were over 75, and they can barely walk. Please see the below pictures of our baptisms.
USA Embassy Holds a Historic Independence Day in Kapan, Syunik.
On July 11, the US Embassy of Yerevan hosted a historic event in Kapan, the capital city of the province where our ministry of Agarak is located in. I am the liaison/warden of the US embassy for Americans living in this province, Syunik, so I was invited. I had the privilege to speak with the US ambassador, many community and political leaders, and business owners from all over the province of Syunik. God continues to open doors for me, to make the right connections, and for me to proclaim the truth.
One of the highlights of this event for me was afterwards. I had dinner with the man who arrested the Boston bomber, if you have ever seen the movie the Patriot Day, he arrested the bomber in the boat. Listen to his story here:
The Christian Motorcyle Association and Global Christian Relief Visits our Ministry.
On July 12th, we had the privilege to host an entire tour bus of guests at the border of Iran. These guests came to learn about Armenia and pray for Armenia and Iran. They wish to take more trips to Armenia, but next time on their motorcyles. They prayed for Agarak, Meghri, for the villagers, for those from Artskah, and for Iran. The CMA has around 20,000 members, and the leaders of this motorcycle organization will promote Armenia to these! This will be such a blessing here.
Knitting Evangelism in Agarak.
Around 3 weeks ago, an embassy worker was leaving his post. He asked me if I would like some knitting supplies, yarn etc… At first, I did not say yes. I told him that I would not know what to do with it, so I said I would reply later. Then, I texted our team in Agarak, and the women immediately responded. They expressed a need for it, and said they wanted to start knitting classes with Artskah women and others. When I went to pick up the supplies it did not realize it would be 4 large suitcases full, and probably valued at a few thousand dollars. This past Saturday, on July 13th, the women of the church went to a village and started their first knitting class. A total of 11 attended, and they shared a clear gospel message with them all. The younger kids learned finger knitting, and all enjoyed their time. The attendees wanted this to be a weekly event. They will do this again this week, and are expecting twice the amount of people for the next workshop. Pray that many will come to Christ, and the church.
Russian Soldier Transport Vehicle Now Transformed into our Ministry Vehicle for the Mountains.
The same embassy worker that was leaving, asked me if I would like to purchase this vehicle for our ministry. It is a Russian soldier transport vehicle, and or can be transformed into a military ambulance. It has nine seats, four-wheel drive, dual gas tanks, and is perfect for our ministry to get to villages in the mountains with our teams. God provided the funds for this, and now it is in use.
Agarak Ministry Building Situation, Needs and Plans
Our new ministry building in Agarak must be remodeled so we can use it. We are really in need of financial help to complete what needs to be done. Right now we are making a wall between our property and our neighbors property. The cost for this wall is around $2,500. Aside from this, we need at least $20,000 to complete the remodeling of two rooms for our center. After this we need to put retaining wall, this will cost around $15,000. These are the three first phases of the project that we need to complete before the end of this year. If anyone is able to support these projects, please pray about this, and write me to let me know so I can allocate the funds for this. The fourth phase of our project will include a small soccer field, basketball court, volleyball net, four toilets, and small outdoor pavilion for events on the property. The fifth phase will be to fence this area off, and install a door and gate. The sixth phase will be to renovate a kitchen area, Sunday school room, and Christian library and study room. The seventh phase will be to renovate the bottom floor to store thousands of Bibles for distribution, and the last phase will be to make the old barn on the property another small guest house. As funds, and construction teams come, we will complete each phase. To finish all phases, I estimate the final cost to be at $250,000. This can be reduced if volunteer construction teams are able to complete tasks.
International Bible Church of Armenia Update.
Our church, along with two other churches, are being forced to leave the building we have been using. All of us are in a predicament and are building-less. In the middle of all our ministries and work, we have been trying to find a new location. We thought we had one, but we were lied to and forced to leave that location. More to come on this in an upcoming newsletter. I am praying that the Lord will give us our own location, in downtown Yerevan, that will be ours to own and use for conferences, missions’ schools, classes, and of course a meeting place for Sunday worship. Please ask God on our behalf to find a place, and give us a permanent meeting place.
Pursley Family Update
This year we will have a family reunion at the end of July. My sister and brother-in-law are flying in from Jordan. All of us will meet up for around one week at my other sister’s home in Destin, Florida. This will be the first time we have been together in at least five years or more. Both of my sisters are involved in ministry, and it will be good to catch up after this time.
Pray for my son Dow. He is now 12 years old, and going into 7th grade at an Armenian private school. He has a very important math test he must pass with over 70% passing grade this August. He is studying each day during the summer, so as to do well. School in Armenia is not like in the US, he must read, write, and speak three languages fluently, Russian, Armenian, and English, and then do his subject work in Armenian. Also, the school he attends requires high grades to continue to study, and if not, he could be put on probation. He is stressed about this, and not happy that he must study throughout the summer. He is a brilliant kid, can remember everything, and is probably the smartest kid I know, yet it is hard for him to take written tests. Orally he could do all of these in his sleep.
The Pursley home in Yerevan is still being renovated. I am still dealing with city permits, building materials, and daily stresses of responding to contractors, suppliers, and builders. Pray the permits will go through, and that this project will finish soon.
Thank you all for your continued support and partnership.
For the King,
Jacob
