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Christian missionaries shared the Gospel in Greece
11-08-2008
On Mars Hill, the very place where the apostle Paul had preached Christ almost 2,000 years before, 60 short-term missionaries from the International World Changers Program with International Mission Board held an impromptu praise and worship service. An Iranian man pushed through the crowd to learn more and obtain a copy of the song lyrics, reports MNN.
"Do you understand what is going on?" asked Jerry Johnson, Baptist Collegiate Ministries senior minister for Georgia Southern University.
"Yes, you are Christians," the man answered. As Johnson began using the song lyrics to share the Gospel, the man brought his daughter over and told her to listen so they could discuss it later.
"God sometimes takes m--from Americ--and a guy from Iran, and we meet in Greece," Johnson commented later. "I think that is God's timing."
"He knew that there was something different," said Bernard Dafneyk, another team member. "So he wanted to join in. I think that is awesome that our worshipping out there was a form of ministry to people."
The team was able to share the Gospel with over 43 different ethnic groups during the week-long International World Changers missions trip. International World Changers (IWC) provides high school and college students with a missions experience overseas during their spring, winter or summer breaks.
The outreach included trash collection, drama, movie production, basketball, English lessons, Gypsy ministry and refugee ministry.
While picking up trash on the streets, one group of team members took the opportunity to hand out Bibles to shopkeepers and residents. Many of them had never before read a modern Greek Bible. The Bibles were stamped with a seal of approval by the Orthodox Church, so that the group would not be perceived as Protestant heretics.
The Orthodox Church preserved cultural ties in Greece throughout a rocky history of dominance by other nations. Today, it is the main source of cultural identity for the people of Greece. Unfortunately, it emphasizes devotion to the church rather than personal salvation through Jesus Christ.
"They need to experience God," a Southern Baptist worker told IWC students at the beginning of the week of outreach. "We need you to help us do that."
Despite the power of the church, however, there is a variety of cultural diversity in Greece. Many immigrants and Roma Gypsies take refuge there, as well as a few ethnic groups that follow Islam. Some IWC team members utilized their knowledge of French, Spanish, and German to communicate with the people.
"God continues to show me how He uses us," said worship leader Sam Banfield. "I never thought I would use German again, and here I am speaking to an Iranian man in German."
Annual IWC trips are making a significant impact in Greece.
"IWC is our top strategic partner," a Southern Baptist worker says. "Every year they give us a push."
