We're Joseph Hovsepian Ministries

Sharing the love of Jesus Christ one person at a time.

WELCOME

We at Joseph Hovsepian Ministries are excited to share with you about our Montreal-based ministry, which encompasses over six decades of involvement at Temple Baptist Church as well as personal outreach projects both within our own community and in other parts of the world.

The main goal behind all that we do is to share the love of Jesus Christ with as many people as we can, in whatever ways are within our means, and to help and support others who share this vision, working alongside them whenever we can. You can view our statement of faith here. We also invite you to connect with us on Facebook.

WHAT’S NEW

Joseph Hovsepian Ministries is returning to Armenia this summer! Arriving in Yerevan on August 7 and returning to Montreal on the 27th, Pastor Joseph will be doing this mission trip with his younger daughter Ann-Margret and two members of his church, Temple Baptist: Jonathan Butcher and Shubroto Shikdar. Please pray about this mission—for Pastor Joseph and the team, and for those they will meet with and reach out to. We will post updates and photos as often as we can. Thank you!

OUR SUPPORTERS

Joseph Hovsepian Ministries is supported by individuals whose vision is the spreading of the Good News of Jesus Christ to as many people as we are led to by the Holy Spirit. This ministry is not supported by any organizations or other ministries but solely by family and friends.

Books and other materials are available for a free-will donation (to help cover printing expenses) or freely to those unable to make financial contributions. Click here to learn more.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:18-20

"I tell you the truth, WHOEVER hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. "

John 5:24

From the Blog

MA26 – First Days

August 8, 2026

We are thankful that our long journey from Montreal to Yerevan was uneventful. Although our stopover in Paris was several hours long, it gave our team the opportunity for great conversations. It is rare that we have so much extended time together so we enjoyed getting to know each other better. (Our daily morning devotions are also deepening and solidifying our relationships with each other.)

After a joyful reunion with our brother Arayik who picked us up from the airport, we happily arrived at the same hotel we stayed in last year, which immediately made us feel comfortable.

After breakfast the next morning, Emmi came to meet us and then Arayik helped us take care of some errands, the most important one being visiting the print shop to see the books we had ordered (1000 copies of God’s Workshop, 1000 of Does Your Life Have Meaning, and 1000 of DYLHM newly translated into Persian). We later gathered at Arayik’s home for fellowship and a chance to visit with his wife Nelli.

This morning, we organized all the donations given to us for distribution: a generous number of bottles of medication and 97 pairs of glasses, the most we have ever received!

Around noon, we met Tsoleen, a contact of Ann-Margret’s, who is an American-born Armenian living in Yerevan for the past five years. She works with NGOs for various causes and we learned a lot about the history, culture, and challenges of this nation. In the evening, we met Jonathan’s Armenian tutor, Vrezh, who will be graduating from seminary on December 25, and had interesting conversations about faith.

These are just a few small details of what has happened so far. It may not seem like much, mission-wise, but we believe that this is setting us on the right path to continue to follow up the rest of the month.

We are looking forward to worshiping in Horom tomorrow morning!

MA26 – coming soon!

July 29, 2026

Our Mission Armenia 2026 team is getting ready to travel in exactly a week! Watch this spot for updates and photos a day or so after we arrive (which is on August 7). In the meantime, if you’d like to support our mission trip, please click here.

August 27 – Last Day in Armenia

August 27, 2025

Today’s devotions were about feeling empty and needing to be filled, and knowing that sometimes the best way to receive is to give to those with greater need. On this last day of our trip, we see how this has been the theme of our visit all along. This is not a complaint, but we have experienced moments of tiredness, frustration, concern, and even doubt; yet each day after our visits, we returned uplifted and feeling blessed. Still tired, maybe, but not “weary in well-doing.”

Emma arrived right at the end of our devotional time and we were able to spend a good amount of time with her to say an official farewell. We also made the nice discovery that the Bible storybook we mentioned in Monday’s report was available for sale at the “all things Armenia” store right near the hotel. We bought a few copies for Emma to distribute to children in her circle. We had a bit of free time, which we used to start preparing our suitcases, and then we went to a nearby hotel restaurant for lunch and a final good-bye with Samvel. We specifically chose this spot because Ann-Margret’s cousin Shushanik works there and she and Samvel go to the same church. It was an added blessing to be able to spend a bit more time with her also.

After lunch, Arayik picked us up at the hotel and we went to his home to spend our last afternoon with him and Nelli. This has been the tradition for the past few years and it really is a nice way to wrap up our visits. We ended our time with them in prayer, then Arayik drove us back to the hotel. We will see him one last time in the morning, as he is taking us to the airport.

Thank you for all your prayers, support, and interest in following this trip!

Tuesday, August 26 – Almost done!

August 26, 2025

We started our day with breakfast and devotions as usual, and left almost immediately afterward for the baptismal service. Emma had found, through her connections, a house with a swimming pool that was the perfect size and depth to accommodate our needs, in a lovely yard with fruit trees, and a comfortable veranda with tables and chairs, as well as a changing area. It was perfect!

Pastor Joseph began the service with a prayer and an address to the six candidates: the “shepherd family”—Rafael, Armine, and their two older children Diana and Gor—Roza, a member of Pastor Stepan’s church, and Anahit, whom we had also mentioned in a previous post. The address included the confirmation of their commitment to their faith, and every question Pastor Joseph asked was met with a resounding “Ayo!” (Yes!) The group then moved toward the pool to be baptized. It was the first time we saw “self-immersion” (the pool would have made it difficult for Pastor Joseph to “dunk” people the traditional way) but with the support of his arms and Arayik’s encouragement, each candidate wholeheartedly plunged under the water after the Pastor repeated the standard declaration: “Based on your profession of faith, and at your request, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Each one emerged happy and smiling and excited, and it was a delight to see their joy as they grouped themselves together after their own turn, watching and waiting to welcome the next candidate to join them.

When the service was over, Pastor Joseph presented each one who was baptized with a certificate, a New Testament, and a cross pin or pendant. Then the women changed back into their regular clothing but, as it was a hot day and we were beside a swimming pool, Rafael and the kids got back into the water and were soon joined by some of the other people present. Meanwhile, others enjoyed the fruits and pastries that Emma had picked up for us and, as usual, there was a lot of good discussion and fellowship. It was nice to see that some people had come just for the support of their family or friends, and this was like a reminder of how the church should be: people from all backgrounds coming together to celebrate each other and their common faith.

We returned to the hotel to rest, a bit tired but with our own hearts full of joy after sharing in today’s service. As we are preparing this report, we realize that this is a nice way to end our trip: sharing about an event which is like the culmination of the Christian experience; an important step in a journey which may have started long ago or only recently; the outward expression of an inward transformation; the beginning of what is to come next. Please keep these six special people in your prayers, and please continue to pray for Armenia and the ministry here.

If you’d like to watch a video of the baptismal service, our friend Sanadroug Hajian posted his nine-minute recording on Facebook here. You can also view the photos below in this album (for easier scrolling).