Joseph (Hovsep) Hovsepian

Founder

Joseph Hovsepian has been the volunteer pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Montreal since 1984 but has been active in leadership there since he first immigrated to Canada in 1960. His ministry experience goes back even further than that, to his youth in Greece, where he was born to Armenian parents and raised in an evangelical Christian home and church. From writing gospel tracts to radio ministry, from missions trips to Armenia to sharing God’s love with people in his neighbourhood when they visit his radio repair shop, Hovsepian has poured his life into evangelism and missions.

Click here to read Joseph Hovsepian’s testimony and to learn more about his personal and church ministries. You can also interact with him on his personal Facebook page, where he shares messages in English, Armenian, and Greek every day.

Hasmig, or Jessie as she is better known at church and in her community, was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1941 and accepted Christ as her Saviour when she was 12. In 1962, she immigrated with her parents to Montreal. Almost immediately upon her arrival, she met her husband-to-be, Joseph, during an Armenian church service at Temple Baptist Church. They married in 1963 and continued to serve faithfully at Temple Baptist Church as a team.

Jessie’s faithful work at Temple these past 60 years is legendary. Though her main role today is playing the organ every Sunday morning, in the past she led the monthly women’s meetings, spent countless hours in the church kitchen, and handled a large part of the administrative tasks. In 1987, she also assumed the role of pastor’s wife. Jessie has played a supportive role in the mission work our team is doing in Armenia, accompanying her husband on six of his trips.

Ruth (Hrut in Armenian) is a speaker, author, and podcaster. Ruth shares her addiction and sobriety journey to help others facing addictions or strongholds.

Ruth went through a separation and divorce when her three children were young; the youngest was five months old. She raised them on her own, struggling to put food on the table, went back to school, got a job in IT, and made her way to the top, only to lose her job and, along with it, her identity. During those 15 dark years, she lived a double life, one as a successful businesswoman and mum and the second as a “party girl.” Looking back at the party years sends shivers down her spine; she lived a dangerous and life-threatening lifestyle.

Ruth is now eight years sober. With sobriety came a new beginning and renewal in her walk with God. She published her first book, 100 Days of Prayer: A Journey into deeper intimacy with GOD, in 2022. And has a new book, The Ultimate Conversation: Is that you, GOD? which was released in June 2023. She shares her life story to help others write their own stories.

Ruth hosts a podcast, Out of the Darkness with Ruth Hovsepian, showcasing transformational stories of recovery and healing from traumas and addictions. Click here to learn more about Ruth’s ministry.

Ann-Margret, the youngest Hovsepian daughter, was born in 1972. She gave her life to Christ in 1980, on January 1—the same day of the year her father had made his commitment 29 years earlier. She was baptized a couple of months before her 13th birthday and started to serve the Lord on a regular basis when she turned 16, teaching Sunday School, counselling at a Christian summer camp, and providing leadership at the Dawson College IVCF group.

Today, Ann-Margret serves as the clerk of Temple Baptist Church, leads the women’s ministry, and serves in various other areas. In 2012, she participated in her first mission trip, to a First Nations village in northern Quebec, and then joined her father in the years that followed for six of the mission trips to Armenia. She works closely with him in this ministry, communicating with our partners in Armenia and our supporters around the world as needed, and managing any administrative tasks.

Professionally, Ann-Margret is an author and illustrator. She has had hundreds of articles published in various Christian publications and is the author or co-author of several devotional books. Click here to learn more about Ann-Margret’s work.