John Mark was born in Cilicia in 1899, Osman city, Turkey, in pastor’s family of Armenian Evangelical-protestant congregation, practicing child baptism. The family adhered to Biblical rules of: honoring the husband, elderly and respecting mother-wife.
John’s mom died when he was 3-4 years old. Gifted boy went to school at the age of 4 and completed 4 classes by the age of 8. At the age of eight he was admitted to the missionary college named after Apostol Paul in the city of Tarsus (the birthplace of the great apostle). Usually the institution was admitting youth no younger than 16 years old, but principal, well acquainted with John’s father, made an exception for him. He made a good choice: the boy was intellectually on par with older youth while morally managed to exceed them, earning the principal given title «my little preacher». Upon 2 years of study typhus disease caused him to take a break.
In 1909 by sultans order, Muslims organized Christian’s pogrom, and at that time 10-year old John lost his father, who was left with one chance to escape death - conversion to Islam. His father boldly declined such option... asked time for prayer... kneeled down and said: «Lord forgive them for they don’t know what they do. But as for me, I entrust my soul into your hands». Upon finishing his prayer while still bound, his head was cut down by Turks. John learned about it from a Greek pharmacist, whose life was speared by Turks.
After the martyrdom of his father's death, he started the 3rd year of education in the missionary college, but got sick with trachoma (eye disease) and had to stop his education again. Later he came to believe, that his disease was from God to open him «the door of eternal delight, eternal salvation through regeneration».
Upon father’s death, left an orphan, he settled with older sister who had kids. To avoid being a burden to her (she was poor), as a believer boy calling upon God’s name, he tried himself in various jobs and trades and showing an extra ordinary ingenuity, prospered. Around this time his involvement in friendship with young guys marked by vicious lifestyle, contaminated him with sin. One Sunday he spotted an open Bible on his sister’s table and while reading it, he learned how far away he wondered from God.
In 1913, when he was 14, he learned that an evangelical, the one he used to listen to while in the college, is in the city and will be preaching, he came to the meeting and attended them since then. Though he responded to many altar calls, he yet continued to sin... But after lengthy, fruitless attempts to get loos of sinful habits, he once cried out to Lord Jesus from the bottom of his heart: «...You can change my heart and free me from love to sin! Do this, and I’ll give my life over to You. But if you love me... put me now to death so that I would sin no more». Suddenly a miracle happens. The burden of sin disappeared... the heart was filled with piece and joy... Since that time his life got radically changed.
He turned to Bible with great intentionality and soon realized that a Christian should be baptized by faith upon regeneration. However due to the circumstances beyond his control, he wasn’t baptized till 1917 in Baku, Russia, where a large group of Armenian Christians, followed by many dangers and ordeals of the military actions on the Russian-Turkish front, settled up.
While in Russia, they also wandered through the cities of Baku, Astrakhan, Georgievsk, Pyatigorsk... At this city they were aided by Russian Baptist church. In 1920 a group of Armenian refugees, led by John Mark, resettled to Kislovodsk, where authorities allotted them with three vacant homes for shelter and bible school. This very school became a platform for John Mark’s talks on the subject of «God’s saving plan». Members of Russian Evangelical congregation, led by the pastor F. Sanin, the chairman of Northern Caucasus Evangelical Christian union, attended these talks. Having learned Russian colloquial language fairly quickly, John Mark, in cooperation with F. Sanin, began visiting Russian Evangelical congregations. In 1922 brother J. Mark together with F. Sanin have attended populous Evangelical Christian congregations in Moscow and Leningrad, where he passionately expounded «God’s saving plan». There he got to meet S. Prohanov, the chairman of AUCEC.*
In 1923 he got married with Armenian girl, a Christian from among refugees who fled Turkey; simply a week later, being commissioned by F. Sanin, he went to the city of Vladikavkaz, there he led revival services in the congregation of Evangelical Christians, followed by numerous conversions amidst nonbelievers.
Before long, at the annual convention comprised of Evangelical Christians representing Northern Caucuses, he was proposed a ministry of a traveling evangelist with financial support from Evangelical Christian union (AUCEC). In 1926 all-Russia convention of Evangelical Christians took place in the city of Leningrad, where F. Sanin and I. Galustyan represented northern Caucuses; there they presented their reports.
In 1927 arrests began to take place; the financial state of churches declined, and John Mark switched over to self-support. Brother Sanin was arrested and passed a word of warning from jail, informing John Mark about an impending arrest. By this time John’s Mark family grew to seven people. In 1935 he moved to the city of Cherkessk and being engaged in the manufacture of paint brushes, he was able to buy a house at halves with another believer and got a small economy. It was a family saving measure, since in 1936 he was arrested.
Upon fifty days of interrogation, accompanied by threats to "rot him in jail", the investigation was concluded, and he was sentenced to five years in the northern camps. Brother John Mark was sent to Kolyma, where he arrived in September of 1937. In the term of five years due to exhaustion and illness, numerous times he was on the verge of death. Repeatedly, nearly close to get blind, he would lose the presence of his mind, weep bitterly, and then ask God to pardon his weak patients towards suffering, contrary to how it befits a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2: 3). And God was relieving his camp conditions and restoring his strength and sight.
In the summer of 1942, having served five years and seven months in the "valley of the shadow of death", he returned home to his family and on August 11th the city of Cherkessk was occupied by Germans. Brother John Mark initiated the restoration of regular gatherings of the Evangelical Christian congregation which existed prior to the 30s. They’ve rebuilt the house of prayer, organized material aid to the elderly and impoverished, and God granted repentance to unbelievers and awaked spiritually dormant church members. The missionary group up to 70 people was organized to visit the villages with preaching and singing. Late fall of that year, 50 souls were baptized by faith in the icy waters. Spiritually strong brothers, Yesaulov P. and J. Doroshenko, together with the Baptist church pastor S. Dzhaguta, teamed up John Mark to labor in the villages. John Mark’s motto was: no trace of the former division should take place between Evangelical Christians and Baptists.
Soon after, Germans began to retreat, sending all men under the death threats to their rearward to prevent replenishment for the upcoming Russians. In view of the new circumstances the three brothers, prepared for the missionary work, began to move from the south-east to north-west, preaching in large and small Evangelical and Baptist congregations. The two-horse cart of brother I. Doroshenko eased their nomadic life. Their route was: Cherkessk, Armavir, Taganrog, Mariupol, Kakhovka, Kherson, Nikolaev, Kirovograd, Vinnitsa. From Vinnitsa their westward movement continued by freight trains: Kamenetz-Podolsk, Lviv, Krakow, Warsaw, Lübeck, Berlin and other German cities.
In his book, brother Galustyan writes that in all abovementioned cities, he had frequent and prolonged opportunities to preach and talk, mainly aiming at evangelism, resulting in awakening of dormant Christians, and turning to God of unbelievers, who would later be baptized by faith, and joint Baptist and Evangelical churches.
His evangelistic trips at the end of the 60s proved to be fruitful in winning souls for Christ amidst Slavic ECB** of Australia and South America, and then to the Middle East among the Armenian Evangelical congregations in Beirut, Damascus, Amman and Istanbul. During these years brother John Mark completed extensive written work of his talks on the subject of "God's saving plan", published in two volumes. In 1973, he experienced great joy, thanks to the care of his cousin-sisters, to meet his wife after 30 years of separation and spent with her 3 months in Lebanon.
Spending his later years in Los Angeles, brother John Mark, arranging home meetings, visited many families of believers. Many brothers and sisters recall that time with deep appreciation to him and to the Lord. During these meetings, brother Mark spent time talking with unbelieving neighbors, and some of them, having turned to the Lord, remain to be exemplary Christians until present.
Taking turns, two believers drove John Mark to the home meetings. They testify that being with him they learned a lot from brother Mark, got spiritually stronger and now continue his work. One of them arranges regular inmates’ services in prison.
Before his departure to be with the Lord, John Mark spent about a month in the hospital. Many Russian brothers who visited him testify of his fervent prayers for the work of evangelism among Russian and Armenian people. Both were dear to his heart. He met death with faith and hope that he is going to meet his Lord and Redeemer to continue to praise Him for eternity.
On October 2, 1987 John Mark went to be with the Lord, the One whom he loved to the last breath. During his 88-years of life he labored much for the glory of Christ, aiming at sinner’s salvation by His grace; having met a lot of difficulties and sufferings, he won ... His eternal lot is among the winners: "To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Revelation 2: 7).
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* AUCEC - All-Union Council of Evangelical Christians - translator’s remark
** ECB - Evangelical Christian Baptist - translator’s remark