Open Doors

How the Shutdown in Greece Multiplied the Church

Southeast volunteer Charles McKibben first visited Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel (AMG), Southeast’s Mission Partner in Greece, in early 2016. On his last day, they made the hourlong trip from the Athens area to the southern tip of Greece. His hosts explained that he would not see an evangelical church that day. At the time, there were only 350 evangelical churches, with 30,000 members, in all of Greece. The country’s 11 million people are overwhelmingly Orthodox, and evangelical small groups or home churches were not easily started.

Nevertheless, the dream of AMG and the Greek Evangelical Alliance (GEA) was to plant churches throughout the area. Recognizing the size of this task, the leaders committed to rely on the Father for unprecedented opportunity rather than their own plans or strength. Prayerfully, they pleaded for a way to see the people around them have opportunity to connect to Jesus.

One Million Refugees

Shortly after Charles’ visit, the circumstances began to change when one million refugees started pouring into Greece. AMG and GEA began offering meals, water, and tea to refugees when they arrived in the Athens port.

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Southeast joined the partnership to help open a relief center in the port area. Laundry facilities, hot showers, and internet access were a big draw, but primarily the center offered a safe place to gather. There was even childcare.

For many of the refugees, most of whom were Muslim, this would be their first face-to-face encounter with Christians. It was an ideal opportunity to give them a favorable impression. There were many questions and discussions about faith and Christianity and the opportunity to connect.

Although these refugees were “in transit” and moved through Athens fairly quickly, volunteers had the opportunity to introduce the Gospel and follow up with some individuals after they moved on. Mostly the prayer was for the refugees to leave Athens open to further discussions as they encountered Christians down the road. The volunteers recognized their primary influence was to prayerfully intercede and connect to the Father on the refugees’ behalf. The circumstances then shifted again.

Refugees pass through a relocation center in Greece. Political tensions caused the flow of refugees both in and out of Greece to virtually stop. Those in Athens were now being given permanent refugee status and other European countries were no longer accepting them.

The relief ministry was quickly replaced with Homespot, a ministry center offering basic language and life-skill classes. Among other services, Homespot provided muchneeded help with the paperwork required for housing, financial assistance, and immigration. The biggest attraction, though, was van rides to the different government offices. These could be an hour long and provided uninterrupted time to share the Gospel and offer refugees a connection to God.

Through these efforts, a regional worship service became multi-ethnic. It was normal to have people from two dozen countries in attendance with translation into five or six languages. There was even a children’s choir and a special Arabic-language family camp. Bible discussion groups began and grew rapidly.

Refugee women find community and resources through AMG.

Growth Through Distancing

The next shift was dramatic—the COVID-19 pandemic. All of Greece shut down immediately. No more large worship services in many languages. No more classes. People could only leave their homes for a limited list of specific errands, and even then, they had to register with the government when they went out.

Like in the U.S., contact was limited to electronic meetings with smaller groups. Bible discussions could continue online and regular meetings began to be held in various homes, providing the opportunity to prioritize connection over production. A few relief visits to distribute food and other necessities were allowed and provided brief times of fellowship.

God’s plan wasn’t limited by government restrictions. His work continued on His schedule. The enemy may have intended to close the churches, but God opened the opportunity for a church in every house. This has been the most effective time for their ministry, with more people participating in those small groups every week than ever participated in their church gathering. Now no one is lost in the crowd. Everyone gets individual attention and the ability to participate by prayer, learning, and discussion.

Remember the original dream for this area of Greece? The Homespot refugee center is only a few blocks from where Charles and the team had lunch and discussed the dream of planting evangelical churches in this region. Now, in houses throughout the region, groups gather for worship together and reach others electronically.

The team in Greece has seen that connecting with the Father has led to impact they couldn’t have known to ask for. The results are something only God could have accomplished. They’re just following His lead and holding on!

Learn More

To keep up-to-date on short-term trips that serve partners like AMG, text Mission Trip to 733733. You can also get involved with refugees in our area with ministries like Hope Collaborative (hopeccd.org) and Refuge (refugeintl.org).

Prayer Requests

• Praise God for using painful, difficult circumstances to bring about growth and transformation as only He can!

• Pray for the refugees who were exposed to the Gospel in Greece, that the seed planted grows into new and multiplying faith in their lives.

• Ask God to equip and sustain the new believers in Greece as the church continues to multiply in that region and beyond!