Hovsepian Ministries

Hovsepian Ministries is a CA based non-profit organization, founded in 2007 by Haik's family with the purpose of encouraging and mobilizing Iranians around the world in their Christian growth.

Hovsepian's family ministry began as a result of their great inspiration: Haik Hovsepian, a loving husband and father, who was martyred in Tehran, Iran in 1994. After fifteen years, the Hovsepian family still feels Haik's absence everyday, but at the same time they know where he is and will meet him soon. For them, forgiveness, is a daily journey.

* Photo was taken two weeks before Haik's disappearance in Jan.1994

The life of Haik Hovsepian, as the Superintendent of the Protestant churches in Iran, has set a spiritual example for all of us to follow. Haik was a caring father to four children and a faithful husband to Takoosh. He was an outspoken Christian apologist, evangelist, and a gifted musician. After almost Fourteen years of Haik's martyrdom, the church of Iran still remembers him as a faithful leader who never left the flock at any cost. His martyrdom has raised many fearless servants to continue the work he had started.

Since the start of Haik's ministry as a pastor in Gorgan, Iran in 1964, the Hovsepian family has gone through many crises. While Haik and Takoosh were traveling with a missionary family, a tragic accident killed their first born son. Though this was the first of many tragedies, they trusted in the Lord and continued their faithful ministry. Takoosh says "Christian life is like a university, which you never graduate from. After each tragedy we faced, we thought we learned it all...all the spiritual lessons, but later you realize it's indeed a long process to become like Christ."

In 1982, Haik became the Superintendent of Assemblies of God churches in Iran, and several years later the representative of all Evangelical churches in Iran.

He did not believe in succumbing to government pressure and chose instead to “tell the world” about the plight of Iranian Christians. He said, “If we go to jail or die for our faith, we want the whole Christian world to know what is happening to their brothers and sisters.” His efforts reached it's climax in 1991 when Iran's church received the news of Pastor Hosein Soodmand's martyrdom in the city of Mashhad and soon after, in 1993, with the news of execution order of Pastor Mehdi Dibaj, a convert from Islam, who was already in prison for almost ten years.

Haik worked very hard to bring the attention of human rights as well as other violations of religious freedom of Christians in Iran with the world. Due to the world’s reaction, Dibadj was released on January 16, 1994, only few days before his official execution date.

On January 19, 1994 Haik disappeared from the streets of Tehran. The authorities reported his death to his family on January 30; he was stabbed 26 times in his chest.

Indeed, Haik gave his heart to Christ twice.
Once when he invited Christ to his life as his Savior,
and second, when his heart was torn apart for his faith in Christ.

After the martyrdom of Haik, several other Iranian believers, including Pastor Mehdi Dibadj, Pastor Tateos Mikaelian, and Pastor Mohammad Bagher Yusefi, also known as Pastor “Ravanbaksh” (soul giver) disappeared and were found killed.

The martydom of Haik and experiencing the daily forgiveness and healing that God brought about, has motivated and inspired the Hovsepian family to share the message of forgiveness and love with the world, and to continue the work that Haik had invested his whole life into.

For more information about the work of Hovsepian Ministries, please click here.