Armenian Churches Excited for SOC Return
God moved in mighty ways during the School of Christ in Armenia. The national church is excited to have the School of Christ back in Armenia. Brother Clendennen held many Schools for them in the 1990s, and many churches are led by pastors and leaders who studied with him at the School of Christ. Now, they are excited to be able to send their people, and especially their sons, to study with us. One pastor told me, “The church is undergoing a crisis of faith. Many pastors want to abandon the message of holiness to appeal to a greater number of people. The SOC laid a strong foundation for the church in the 1990s, and now that foundation needs to be repaired during these days of the School of Christ.”
During the School, God poured out a spirit of revival. Many of the classes were “interrupted” by the Spirit of God as He moved upon the hearts and minds of the students. Some of the students testified of healing, others reported that they were lukewarm and had come back to God, and still, others received confirmation of the call of God upon their lives. Hours were spent in prayer, weeping, and crying before the Throne of God. I remember how Brother Clendennen told me that it did not take much to set the church on fire again when he began preaching. The church was dry fuel for the fire of the Holy Spirit. I had the same experience in Armenia on this trip. Everywhere I went, people were hungry for the preaching of the Word and a demonstration of the Spirit’s power. As one student testified, “Heaven came down upon us.”
We had over fifty people every day, and we also went out preaching in the local community. God blessed those times of ministry with the happening in the School. One church pastor invited us to the capital city to conduct a School for his region next year. With your help, we will be able to accept this invitation. Some of the church’s leadership studied with Brother Clendennen in Moscow, and one of their sons studied with us. Truly, the door is open for us to minister in Armenia.
There is also a stirring to establish new churches in the nation. One of the School of Christ leaders in Russia, Pastor Denis Malyutan, will be living in Yerevan next year to establish a Russian-speaking church among the Russian population that has come to Armenia. He has a group of Armenians ready to help him. One of the other graduates asked for prayer as he and a small group of friends are also praying to establish a new church in the Yerevan region. All this results from the prayer and study that occurred during the School of Christ in June. Pray that these churches and many more can be established in the nation. The world around them is facing violence and war on many sides. This has created a hunger among the people of Armenia.
Even though they did not know it, they were searching for the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Give so that we may continue to establish the Kingdom throughout the world.