Christmas Boat in Halkida!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Is 9:6.

The House of Worship Team, The Morning Star Team, members of the two local churches as well as many friends of the ministry gathered at the port of Halkida, on the island of Evia, Sunday evening to share the joy of the season with the islanders there.

After many years of attempting to make this event happen, this year was the first time that we were actually able to make this dream a reality.

The Morning Star was beautifully adorned with Christmas lights from the bow to the stern as well as all 20 meters high to the top of the mast! Additionally, lights and garland and bows and ornaments decorated the boat both inside and out. It was truly a shining moment for the boat and a living illustration of a traditional Greek Christmas symbol, the boat.

Many who passed by were attracted to the brightly lit boat. This gave us the perfect opportunity to explain to them the history of the boat and how it traveled from California to Greece to be used for ministry purposes.

Dressed in Santa hats, we had multiple forms of ministry happening at the same time. The band was playing on deck, servers were handing out hot chocolate and cookies on the pier, cooks were preparing warm drinks in the galley, others were offering tours of the boat and evangelism teams were conversing with people along the waterfront.

It was incredible. Such a picturesque time, such an opportunity to share the HOPE of the season-Jesus Christ!

Thank you so much for praying for this outreach. Please pray for lasting fruit from the many spiritual conversations we had that day.

Christmas Love Meals

Remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

What a special time to share the love of Christ at our Christmas Love Meals. This past weekend we served over 700 people as we hosted three different meals for the refugees and the homeless. The hall was brightly decorated with lights and trees and stars, and the room was filled with warm cheer as many hands worked together to bless those who live out on the streets of Athens.

The festivities began Saturday afternoon as we served a gourmet chicken meal to the Greek homeless people. In addition to the warm lunch, we entertained them with Greek Christmas carols and worship songs and the story of Jesus’ birth. After the meal, the guests were served traditional Greek sweets and fruit and each were given a gift as we said goodbye.

Saturday evening the crowd swelled as the hall was filled with Farsi speaking Afghan families. Students from the American Community School entertained with Christmas songs and as a special treat, Shawn Skinner performed a fire dancing routine. The audience was enthralled and we then explained that Jesus is the Light of the World. The children received toys, the families a food bag and blanket, and the young men a coat or sleeping bag.

Monday evening our final love meal was for Arabic speaking people. The hall was full once again. Christmas cheer sang out from the stage as a band played and a skit was performed that told the story of Cain and Abel, and the sacrifice that is acceptable to God. We followed this by sharing how Jesus came to earth to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. After the dinner and desserts, the music continued and spontaneous dancing erupted around the room. This was perhaps the liveliest party of all, and a fitting end to the weekend.

Thank you to so many who helped make these festivities possible, from the coordinators, to the cooks, to the decorators, to the countless volunteers who served and cleaned up and to those of you, our friends, who gave sacrificially to provide for these gifts and meals. A very special thank you to Helping Hands Ministry for the generous donation of numerous toys that we shared with happy children!

Construction begins at the Hope Center!

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You.
Psalm 33:22

Finally, after a 2.5+ year process, the building is legally in our name and construction work has begun on The Hope Center. The architectural drawings have been completed and clean up has started!

South African Pastors Visit!

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people. Philemon 1:7

Six pastors from South Africa spent the past week in Greece viewing the
Biblical sites, interacting with local Greek pastors and experiencing the
various aspects of the work.

They were staggered by the need and the effectiveness of the work of Hellenic Ministry (HM) in Greece. They have all promised to return and bring teams with them for the New Testament distribution next summer. This heralds the start of new partnerships for HM in South Africa.

They were particularly impressed by the effective work being done via the
Love Meals and the discipleship groups amongst the refugees. They were also
moved by the plight of Evangelical pastors striving to communicate the
evangelical gospel in a society where Evangelicals are regarded as
"heretics" and are often ostracized by the rest of the community.

We would like to encourage other Christian leaders and pastors from around
the world to come to Greece and see the work that is being accomplished by
Hellenic Ministries. Greece has never had a revival or a reformation -
maybe it is God's time for Greece!

Nico Bougas

Athens Marathon October 31, 2010

Yesterday nearly 13,000 people ran past our house 4 blocks away on Marathon Blvd. It was the commemorative Athens Classic Marathon that marked 2,500 years since the battle of Marathon and that traced the course run by the fabled Greek soldier who ran to Athens to bring the news of the victory.

History records the story of how the Persian Emperor, Darius, attacked the little city of Marathon, 42 kilometres north of Athens and lost to the Athenians. Believe it or not, this was the same “King Darius” who looked down into the den of lions to see if Daniel was still alive!

Times have changed, battles haven’t. There is huge battle raging here in Greece and in the heavenlies for the precious souls of the Greek people. The fabled Pheidippides was the messenger of victory then! Today, it’s you and I who must proclaim that the victory has been won over this land. We must herald the news everywhere that victory is sure.

Thank you for persevering and “running this race” with us in prayer. The battle is dependent on you! The Kingdom of God is gaining ground here in Greece. Keep praying, keep running and proclaiming His victory!

Hebrews 12: 1-1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Johnathan Macris

Teen Worship Begins!

Last night we as teenagers had our first Teen Worship event of the year. A group of 10 teens organized the program and led the worship!

We were surprised at the turn out of kids that came as we had up to 50!

It was a time to grow as a team since there are new members and it was a blessing to see a new group forming replacing those that are no longer teens and not a single person remaining from the original team.

Praise the Lord that this ministry is moving forward!

The evening was filled with music, laugher, worship and a wonderful presentation on Faith, our theme for this year. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

We left encouraged and blessed, believing that the Lord has mighty works to do through this generation as we stand up for what we believe in and reach out to our peers; this being the goal for Teen Worship, to encourage and strengthen the Christian teens of Greece!

Natassa Macris

The Lord is my Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. Ps 23:1

It was yet another Sunday evening where people of all ages gathered together to worship God once again.

Upon entering the room, you could feel the difference of atmosphere that was in contrast to that of the world outside those walls. Being in a room with people you might not even know usually brings about a certain awkwardness or uneasiness you can't escape, and yet in this case everyone seemed to be bonding and uniting on a whole new level. It might have been the candles, it might have been the music, it might even have been just someone's smile, but in my opinion, something beyond our own understanding is what brings us together. This is what being part of God's family is all about, feeling like you belong even if you’ve never been there before.

The night began with a video of a cute little girl singing with everything she had and praising God. The joy of the Lord was reflected in the spark of her eyes as she sang the words of the song. It was a good example to the rest of us, reminding us how true worship should be about where your heart is. Later on we all sang a few songs accompanied by the worship team band. The presence of God could be felt throughout the room. Carrying on in that same atmosphere, the drama team presented a small pantomime showing how God takes all our burdens away. Jonathan Macris expanded on that thought using Psalm 23 and talking about Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He then challenged us about how we are following the Shepherd and if we are telling others about Him.

The night ended with everyone socializing over a table covered with snacks and sharing their experiences with each other. It was a really blessed night and we are looking forward to seeing how God is going to continue working through this ministry and what He is going to teach us in the year to come.

Anastasia Papadopoulou