Prison Ministry When I read Pastor Orhan’s newsletters I am reminded of the verses from Matthew 25: 31 – 46. Unknown fruit Pastor Orhan has been faithfully reaching out to the poor and marginalised for decades, including prisoners. Despite sometimes receiving negative reactions from the authorities, he has visited people in prison for more than … Read more …
Early impressions We first went to Antakya in October 2023, 8 months after the earthquake. The immediate international help was over, the soup kitchens had shut. Apartments were being pulled down; the air was full of dust and the city smelt like a landfill. People’s lives and livelihoods were mixed in with the scattered rubble. … Read more …
Turks and Children For the most part, Turks love children. As you walk down the street you hear mutterings of maşallah (literally God has willed it, said over things of beauty), and shop keepers and elderly neighbours hand them sweets. Newborns are protected from the evil eye by having a blue nazar bead pinned to … Read more …
Çorum is an inland city in the Black Sea province of Turkey about 270 km (170 miles) from Samsun which is on the coast. The city has a population of 270,000. The church in the city continues to be a beacon to the people. It is open every day and many people, both Turks and … Read more …
I arrived in 2015, serving with Syrians. I didn’t come to stay… but God had other plans. This was the first time in my life that I saw Syrians accepting Jesus. They had seen the effects of war and ISIS claiming true Islam, and they didn’t want any of it. Changing questions Turkish people did … Read more …
Earthquake! February 6th at 3am is the anniversary of the earthquake that devastated 10 cities in the Southeast of Turkey and Northwest Syria. It left thousands of deaths, and unbelievable destruction… Millions of people left with nothing. Remember; people were caught in the earthquake in the deepest sleep in their homes. Those who woke up … Read more …
“I can change my wife, but I can’t change my mother” seems to be part of Turkey’s lore, betraying both an alternative religious stance on marriage and the cultural dominance of motherhood in family life. Within this context, a wife is seen as a person who puts children in the nest and food on the … Read more …
Imagine waking up on the morning of 25th December to an ordinary working day! In the media, television, radio, the newspapers… no mention of Christmas. I remember our very first Christmas in Istanbul. It was in the early 1990s, and it was strange… living in a country which does not celebrate Christmas. For those who … Read more …
Welcome to our new website. New beginnings are often a time to pause and reflect. As we worked on this website, we revisited our vision statement. Why are we here and where do we want to go? Working towards a strong and growing church in Turkey. These words encourage and motivate us. They contain hope … Read more …