On December 15, the newest Nazarene church in Armenia celebrated its first anniversary!
While it was officially established as a church just over a year ago, the history of the Nazarene church in Sevan began in 2017 with a Vacation Bible School (VBS) program. Fifty children came that year, where they learned Bible stories, worshipped, had English lessons, played games, and made crafts. Over the next few years, the church continued to host VBSs, and the numbers grew to 200.
While these camps were put on pause because of the pandemic, in 2021, a retired missionary, moved to Sevan and began small gatherings for women, children, and teenagers in her apartment. Many of her lessons focused on the Nazarene church and discipleship. Two women were baptized as a result of that ministry.
Natella is one of the women who attended those Bible studies, but she was first introduced to the Church of the Nazarene through sending her kids to the VBS program in Sevan.
Through these meetings, she said that she had “found [her] place, [her] church.” She says that this church has “renewed the course of [her] life, given [her] the opportunity to walk a second time, and helped [her].”
After a few years’ pause because of the pandemic, in 2024 and 2025, the Nazarene church was able to host VBS in Sevan again, with around 200 children and 60 teens in attendance. Meetings were also held for the parents, where the gospel was shared, and many expressed an interest in the church.
After much prayer, in 2025, the local school director offered the church an unused school building to use for services. This building has been cleaned and prepared, and people meet there weekly now for worship, Bible study, and fellowship. Children who first attended VBS years ago now come as teenagers to help.
Natella continues to attend the church in the rented building, along with her daughter Ellen, who is pictured helping to serve communion on the Sunday when the church officially first met. Natella also began taking classes through the European Nazarene College. She says that “every day [she] glorifies the Lord, [she] is grateful for all [she] has. [She] will live, testifying to the miracle of God and the great love that the Lord gives to each of us.”
Services had to be put on pause for a few weeks in January because of severe winter weather, but on February 1st a team from the Yerevan church travelled to Sevan for worship and a children’s lesson. The team had to shovel a path to the entrance to the building, but it was a beautiful service, with adults, children, and teens worshipping together.
The church continues to pray for more leaders to rise up in Sevan, and that this church will continue to grow and bless its community.
-article by Jessica Adcock, Eurasia North Field Communication Coordinator
