Fun, friendship and spiritual food:
God’s Word for Armenia’s children

YEREVAN, Armenia — Surprisingly, not all Armenian children appreciate the long summer break from school. This is particularly true for those who live in the country’s towns and cities, where the summer heat can become unbearable. For many, there is no escape unless they are fortunate enough to attend one of the summer camps in the mountains run collaboratively by the Apostolic, Roman Catholic and Evangelical Churches.

Margins

Over the years, it has become clear to the churches that summer camps are a very effective way of building relationships with children who, because of their personal circumstances, live largely at the margins of society.

Having no regular contact with a church, and often not attending school either, spending a few weeks at a summer camp is a rare opportunity for these children to receive spiritual teaching and guidance. Practical support for the work comes in the form of Bible-based literature supplied by, among other organisations, the Bible Society in Armenia.

1,500 children

In August, Bible Society Board Secretary Arshavir Kapoudjian and representatives of the charity New Life Armenia visited four summer camps providing temporary accommodation to a total of 1,500 children. At each location they received a warm welcome from children eager to see what they had brought. In this case it was the Children’s Bible in 365 Stories, an attractively illustrated publication which soon captured the children’s attention, regardless of their age, and prompted them to chat excitedly with the visitors.

Word and Light

“This was our main aim,” Mr Kapoudjian says. “To meet with the young people, to bring them the Word and the Light of our Lord. In this generation we see the bright future of our people. It’s hard to work with them, it will take time, but it’s encouraging to take this responsibility.”

Having brought such pleasure to the children who attended the summer camps this year, the Children’s Bible in 365 Stories will remain at the camps to bring enjoyment to hundreds more children in years to come. The feedback received already by the Bible Society bears witness to the effectiveness of this ministry.