Throughout history, Armenia has been a battlefield for many invaders and contending empires, and a bridge for many cultures and civilizations. During the past 2,700 years, Armenia has been conquered by the Persian Empire, Alexander the Great, the Roman Empire, the Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Tatars, Ottomans, Persians, and Russians. Armenian kingdoms, principalities, and even a short-lived empire (95-55 B.C.) managed to survive and thrive for some 1,700 years. Under various kings and princes, the Armenians developed a sophisticated culture, an original architecture, and their own alphabet.The 1905 Russian revolution and the 1908 Young Turk revolution raised the hopes of the Armenians for reform, and an opportunity to build a homeland in historical Armenia. These hopes were dashed as the Ottoman and the Russian Empires fought each other during World War I. A dark hour of Armenian history is the Armenian genocide, which started on April 24, 1915. Some 1,750,000 Armenians were deported into Syria and Mesopotamia by the Ottoman authorities. Subject to famine, disease, and systematic massacres, most of them perished. This "ethnic cleansing" of the Armenians from their historical homeland led Raphael Lemkin, the father of the Genocide Treaty, to coin the new term "genocide" in the 1930s to describe the historical plight of the Assyrians and the Armenians as subjects of the first genocide of the 20th century. Armenia gained independence on September 23, 1991.Today, there are several million Armenians worldwide. Significant numbers are located in Armenia and the United States of America. Major diaspora centers of the Middle East are Iran, Syria, and Lebanon. There are also Armenian communities in some of the European countries, such as Belgium.
The majority of the Armenians in Belgium are immigrants from Armenia who settled in Belgium primarily due to the Armenian Genocide from 1915-1923, and in the 1990s after the fall of the USSR. They predominantly live in Brussels and Antwerp. The Armenians in Belgium are tied to their Armenian Apostolic and Evangelical Churches as a way to keep their strong ties to their motherland. The first Armenian Apostolic Church in Brussels opened in 1990 – regular worship is held there, and the Armenian culture is rooted in the traditions of the Apostolic doctrine. Alongside this, there are several cultural groups to keep the community tied – media outlets, cultural groups, dance, choir, scouts, and schools. The Belgian Committee of Armenia, founded in 1992, is the oldest Armenian organization in Belgium – connecting the Belgian-Armenian diaspora.Armenians in Belgium are commonly involved in careers such as building development, law, the arts, and business. The Armenian heritage is richly involved in expressing their history with music and dance, and the Belgian Armenians continue this tradition with their established dance and music traditional parties.
In 301 AD, during the rule of King Dirtad III, Armenia became the world's first Christian nation. A Christian monk, commonly known as Krikor Lusavorich or St. Gregory the Illuminator, cured the King from a disease. After this event, King Dirtad III was baptized and accepted Christianity as Armenia's official state religion. Before this, two disciples had brought Christianity to Armenia, St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew.Spiritually, Armenians are still Christian, but their faith in Christ has often taken the back seat to nationalism or a faith in their Christian heritage. Every generation needs a fresh work of the Holy Spirit to move them to full devotion to Jesus Christ.
Armenians need the Holy Spirit to move in their families and their churches so they can enjoy the abundant life that only Jesus offers.
Pray for the Armenians in Belgium to be salt and light to those who don’t know the only Savior.Pray for spiritual peace; this is what Armenia needs most of all.Pray that God would bring revelation of Christianity as a spiritual relationship, and that Armenians would realize they can have joy and peace as they follow the Lord.Pray for their businesses to flourish as a testimony of God’s power and goodness.Pray for the Armenians to seek God’s word wholeheartedly.Pray that God would open their eyes to seek Christ as their only Savior and not to hold onto traditions.Pray for the Armenians to remain faithful and not conform to a passing world.
Scripture Prayers for the Armenian in Belgium.
Middle East Resourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenians_in_Belgiumhttp://diaspora.gov.am/en/pages/53/belgiumhttps://belgium.mfa.am/en/community-overview/
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
