Our friends and colleagues who have journeyed the Isaish 19 Highway with us over the years, Peter and Shushan Telian, have the vision to rebuild the altar in Armenia. They are doing this by creating a place to draw near to God through prayer, worship, and fellowship over coffee while offering Christian resources and media. The name, ALTAR, refers to the first altar recorded in scripture that Noah built after the flood in this same region. (Gen. 8:20) The worship, intercession, and the pleasant smelling sacrifice upon the altar remain the calling of the Armenian nation and ALTAR to this day. The founders took it upon themselves to create the ALTAR, a multi-faceted ministry center of 1800 square feet.
The Altar Coffeeshop Before & After
The Altar has become a meeting place and is the first and only Christian cafe/bookstore in Armenia. At the core of the center’s vision is a prayer room that is open to the public. It serves as a ‘secret place’ where people can draw near to God through prayer, worship, study, reading, etc. The center also hosts a recording studio that is currently being outfitted to serve for worship projects, interviews, and other content creation. Altar Coffee and Books has been operating for 8 months and is gradually becoming financially self-sufficient.
Before renovating and opening, they signed a 4-year rental contract, including the first right of refusal should a buyer come along, as well as a fixed purchase price pre-renovation. In the first month after opening, a buyer appeared wanting the space. They firmly believe the right option is to make the down payment to buy the building, so it can continue to be a long-term blessing to the city and nation. The purchase of ALTAR is being overseen by the board of ARC International, the tax-exempt organization which acts as the giving portal and liaison between Armenia and the rest of the world. The ARC board consists of 5 individuals, including Altar’s founder, pastors, ministry directors, and a businessman. They currently have over $75,000 secured for this purchase. The current need to complete the purchase is just over $94,000.
Would you join in building the altar in Armenia and supporting the ALTAR ministry center to continue facilitating this calling for the nation? THANK YOU!
Organization Name: ARC International in partnership with Altar Collective
To view giving options, click here: https://www.aplos.com/aws/give/ARCInternational/BuildTheAltar