Craig Simonian
While I grew up attending an Armenian Apostolic Church near my home in New Jersey, it wasn’t until university that I came to personal faith in Christ through the ministry of Campus Crusade (CRU). It was during this time that I really experienced the Father’s heart for all the peoples of the world and knew one day, in some small way, I would join in what He is doing in the nations.
Having graduated with a degree in Economics, I went to Alliance Theological Seminary in New York. I then began a five-year stint working with the US Center for World Mission as Mobilization Coordinator.
Through these years, I maintained a very strong connection to my ancestral homeland in Turkiye, but I also had a heart for the Turkic peoples in the Soviet Union.
In 1993, my wife Joyce and I moved to Tajikistan where we served till 1999.
Because Tajikistan was embroiled in a horrific civil war during that time, I was a part of several Relief & Development organizations, leading Global Operations & Development in my last two years. We led many developmental and ecologically-driven projects with a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations. We were also involved in Central Asian church planting.
In 1999, God called us back to the US and we planted a Vineyard church in New Jersey, which I pastored for 18 years.
Along with pastoring I served as the Vineyard’s Mobilization Coordinator for the East Coast and then for the USA. I also served as an overseer for the Vineyard’s work in N. Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East while, at the same time, traveling with Dr. Rick Love, leading conferences on “Blessing Muslims” and “Peacemaking”.
I joined a group of Armenia pastors & leaders in the US in hosting a group from Turkiye to discuss issues of reconciliation. That led to my leading the Armenian-Turkish Peace Initiative in the US. In this role, I began meeting more and more pastors from Armenia, all of whom regularly invited me to visit “the Motherland.”
So, with the blessing of our church, I stepped down as pastor in 2018 and we moved to Armenia. Needless to say, leaving our two grown daughters and our families, as well as our church family, was no small thing, but serving the local church here has been a great blessing in our lives.
And now, we have the blessing and opportunity of also serving as Regional Coordinator of PRN in the Caucasus.
Our call for support
We are very grateful if you support us and our Peace & Reconciliation efforts all over the world with prayers and with financial resources. Both one-time and recurring donations are an important and valuable help to us so that we can do this more than necessary reconciliation ministry.
Will you pray and donate for us? For your donations, please click here.