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CHURCH PLANTING IN A
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Welcome to our website! We are very excited to share with you the journey that God has used to change our lives in miraculous ways, and we invite you to participate with us in this ministry that we've had the honor of being called to--the ministry of church planting in a Muslim country.
One of the greatest thrills and privileges we have as field workers in Ankara, Turkey is sharing the gospel with people who have never heard the message before; not even once! News headlines in the country plaster violence, terrorism, and hatred unrelentingly. What they fail to announce is the grand and glorious workings of our Lord Jesus Christ! What a delight it is to be that bearer of hope, joy, peace with God, and eternal life (Rom 10:15).
Our first church plant began in 2008 and our second one began in 2017; currently there are 37 regular attenders to these two churches. Our Christian bothers and sisters from these fellowships are all former Muslims who have repented of their rebellion against God and put their faith and trust in our Lord Jesus. They understood the cost of turning their backs on Islam, which meant turning their backs on the world system, on their families, and on their social networks (life safety nets). It also meant certain persecution, but just as our Lord saw the joy that was set before Him in going to the cross, so our brothers and sisters saw the incomparable worthiness of new life in Jesus! Many of these topics are detailed in the "Newsletters" portion of this site.
Thank you in advance for your input, participation, partnership and general interest in this ministry. May the Lord use you greatly, for His glory and the furtherance of His Kingdom!
Our first church plant began in 2008 and our second one began in 2017; currently there are 37 regular attenders to these two churches. Our Christian bothers and sisters from these fellowships are all former Muslims who have repented of their rebellion against God and put their faith and trust in our Lord Jesus. They understood the cost of turning their backs on Islam, which meant turning their backs on the world system, on their families, and on their social networks (life safety nets). It also meant certain persecution, but just as our Lord saw the joy that was set before Him in going to the cross, so our brothers and sisters saw the incomparable worthiness of new life in Jesus! Many of these topics are detailed in the "Newsletters" portion of this site.
Thank you in advance for your input, participation, partnership and general interest in this ministry. May the Lord use you greatly, for His glory and the furtherance of His Kingdom!
Our First Church Plant - Hope Church - Ankara, Turkey
We began Ankara Hope Church in September 2008. It was a rough beginning because in general, with the inherent dangers involved in even inquiring about Christianity, and the ever-presence of undercover police infiltrators, the Turkish nationals were suspicious of each other and had a very difficult time trusting others. "Who is this person sitting across from me," they would think "Is it someone from the secret police? Are they spying on this group to see who will come?" All kinds of thoughts were passing through their minds, it seemed as though Satan himself was standing behind them, whispering these thoughts into their ears.
We met consistently as a group, several times each week. Slowly, people began to put their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus. As they did, we had the incredible opportunity to witness the hand of God at work in birthing a fellowship that has now become known as Hope Church.
Every year we have gone to a remote area on the Red River, about 70 kilometers outside of the downtown area, to gather together and hear the testimonies of those who have been called out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Jesus. After giving their testimonies and having a time of singing hymns and praising the Lord for His gracious hand in our lives, we would enter into the water and baptize those who had received Jesus by faith.
The fellowship has grown over the years and before we returned to the US on furlough in 2013, we had the privilege of seeing God work in the hearts of 28 locals who now follow Jesus with a grateful heart. Currently they're a 2 members who are in leadership training and we are hopeful that this fellowship will be self-sustained by 2030.
We met consistently as a group, several times each week. Slowly, people began to put their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus. As they did, we had the incredible opportunity to witness the hand of God at work in birthing a fellowship that has now become known as Hope Church.
Every year we have gone to a remote area on the Red River, about 70 kilometers outside of the downtown area, to gather together and hear the testimonies of those who have been called out of darkness and into the marvelous light of Jesus. After giving their testimonies and having a time of singing hymns and praising the Lord for His gracious hand in our lives, we would enter into the water and baptize those who had received Jesus by faith.
The fellowship has grown over the years and before we returned to the US on furlough in 2013, we had the privilege of seeing God work in the hearts of 28 locals who now follow Jesus with a grateful heart. Currently they're a 2 members who are in leadership training and we are hopeful that this fellowship will be self-sustained by 2030.
Our Second Church Plant - Anatolian Christian Church - Ankara, Turkey
We began Anatolian Christian church in July 2017. At the time we weren't thinking about starting another church plant in the city, but it seemed to be the way that Lord was directing us. We were actually in the process of establishing the Haven of Hope ministry, which began as an outreach to women and children of domestic violence but quickly expanded to include to a ministry that helped provide necessities to elderly widows, the poor and downtrodden in the community, earthquake victims, as well as a ministry that focused on ministering to college students. Our intent at the time was to provide for these needs and share the gospel message with all who God sent to us at the center.
After a few months of this ministry, one of the men who was coming regularly, a Turkish believer who had come to faith 30-years prior, began to encourage us to start a new church at the center. He told us that he personally knew of many christian families in the area, that for whatever reasons, didn't currently have a church family to attend—this immediately sent up some red flags, but we decided to prayerfully pursue the thought a little more. After much prayer and planning we spoke with the group, telling them that we intended to have a church service the following Sunday morning, followed by a time of food and fellowship. We let everyone know that they were free to invite anyone they wanted to attend, believers and non-believers alike. We thought this was probably going to be a one-time service, but we wanted to see if God was going to take it somewhere. To our great surprise there were over 60 professing believers who came! It was the beginning of something very special to us!
After a few months of this ministry, one of the men who was coming regularly, a Turkish believer who had come to faith 30-years prior, began to encourage us to start a new church at the center. He told us that he personally knew of many christian families in the area, that for whatever reasons, didn't currently have a church family to attend—this immediately sent up some red flags, but we decided to prayerfully pursue the thought a little more. After much prayer and planning we spoke with the group, telling them that we intended to have a church service the following Sunday morning, followed by a time of food and fellowship. We let everyone know that they were free to invite anyone they wanted to attend, believers and non-believers alike. We thought this was probably going to be a one-time service, but we wanted to see if God was going to take it somewhere. To our great surprise there were over 60 professing believers who came! It was the beginning of something very special to us!