Country background:
Background (*Name change due to security reasons) Pastor *Paul, a Middle Eastern refugee, left his homeland with his family in 2013 to plant churches in Izmir, TUR. In 2016, he relocated to IST city to continue his mission of reaching the city's growing population of asylum seekers and refugees. Despite the significant influx of asylum seekers and refugees, there were no workers conducting services in Kurdish or Arabic within IST city. Pastor *Paul's primary focus has been reaching out to these communities with the Gospel. Over the years, Pastor *Paul has established two thriving church community that serves the needs of these vulnerable populations. Before the pandemic struck in 2020, the church had set a goal to reach 10,000 individuals. However, when the pandemic began, they adapted their approach, utilizing social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram for evangelism. Most of their content was in audio format due to limited resources for audio-visual production. IST City IST city, being an expansive city covering 5,461 km2, the 6th largest city in the world, presents significant travel challenges. Commuting to and from their workplaces consumes approximately 4 to 6 hours on average due to the city's vast expanse. (for comparison, Metro Manila 636 km2, Singapore 734 km2, and Kuala Lumpur 243 km2) TUR’s Asylum Seekers Situation The asylum seekers in TUR largely entered the country through smuggling routes and face challenges in obtaining refugee status due to the high number of existing refugees. TUR currently hosts the largest population of refugees globally, totalling around 4 million (source: UNHCR) – in comparison, Singapore’s population is 5.4 million. Financial hardships are prevalent among these individuals, many of whom work gruelling 12-hour shifts in factories. Lacking legal documentation, they are often exploited as inexpensive labour. Additionally, their children are forced into factory work once they reach the age of 14, foregoing educational opportunities due to their undocumented status. Church Location
The church's online presence is primarily maintained through a single-person-managed Facebook page where they stream services on both Facebook and YouTube. However, securing a physical location for Sunday gatherings remains a challenge. Currently, they rely on the space provided by an Iranian church, as conducting home-based gatherings poses legal risks that could result in deportation if discovered by authorities or neighbours. Current Ministry Activities Presently, the church operates with a core team of four full-time staff members. The church's core ministries include:
Challenges Faced The church faces several challenges in its mission to reach IST city's asylum seekers and refugees: Language barriers: Many of the asylum seekers do not speak Turkish and Kurdish and Arabic services are not widely available, limiting the church's reach to a significant portion of the target population. Limited resources: The church lacks the financial resources and personnel to fully meet the needs of the growing refugee community. Legal restrictions: As many asylum seekers lack legal status, gathering in unregistered religious spaces can lead to deportation and other legal issues. Transportation difficulties: IST city's vast size makes it difficult for asylum seekers to travel long distances to attend church services. Future Plans Equip church members with media skills: Providing training in media production and computer literacy will enable church members to reach a wider audience and generate online income, reducing their reliance on labour-intensive factory jobs. Accelerate Gospel-sharing through media: Leveraging the power of media, particularly social media platforms, to spread the Gospel message to a broader audience. Secure a permanent location: Finding a suitable space for the church to gather will provide a stable and welcoming environment for worship and community activities. Prayer Requests The church seeks prayers for: Wisdom and guidance: Navigating the complex challenges of reaching and serving asylum seekers and refugees requires divine wisdom and guidance. Financial support: The church needs financial resources to expand its ministries and provide more effectively for the needs of the community. And a space where they can meet weekly, and freely. Legal protection: The church prays for protection from legal issues and the ability to operate freely and openly. Spiritual growth: The church prays for the spiritual growth of its members and the continued expansion of the Gospel message among asylum seekers and refugees. Conclusion Pastor *Paul and his team’s dedication to serving IST city's asylum seekers and refugees is a testament to the power of faith and compassion in the face of adversity. Despite the challenges, the church continues to grow and make a positive impact on the lives of those it serves. With continued support and prayers, the church is poised to play an even greater role in sharing the Gospel and providing hope to those who have been displaced from their homes. (*Name change due to security reasons) Let's just leave it like this,
Missionaries, not the modern heroes. Missionaries, not the old time heroes. Missionaries, not the trendy heroes. Missionaries, not the fading heroes. Missionaries, they are the all time unappreciated heroes. "Pray for their works" Always praying for their works but never prayed for their hands. And have you ever prayed for their families? Their safety? Their food? Their hearts? While other missionaries were suffering not just in the place they were sent. But also in the place who send them, In the place they left and also in the place who will receive them after their mission. Pray for our missionaries! They are also suffering in depression, anxiety and fear. Pray for our missionaries! They are also suffering in loneliness and poverty. Pray for our missionaries! They were outnumbered by the unreached and unevangelized. Pray for our missionaries! They are the commissary of the Gospel in the place we can't reach. Pray for our missionaries! ******* YOU may not be called to go, but you can stand with a missionary in prayer. Contact us, and we can provide you details on how to partner with a missionary. Want to take your first step in missions? Not sure where to start? Send us a message, let us journey with you! #ReachingTheGospelDeprived #ReachingTheLost #GreatCommission #AThirdOfUs It is not merely just a word.
We have been called; Many are neglecting, Only few are going, Why are we all sitting? While the the world is needing. We're keeping ourselves safe, While the world is calling to be Saved. Salvation and Forgiveness are free, Why can't we do our responsibility? A cry that has been neglecting for decades. A mandate that has been forgotten for ages. This is a wake up Call, To make this thing viral. MAKE MISSION VIRAL! ******* With 4.6 BILLION who are Gospel deprived and going towards eternal death. Will we pursue our own dreams? Will we chase our own desires? Will you respond? Want to take your first step in missions? Not sure where to start? Send us a message, let us journey with you! #ReachingTheGospelDeprived #ReachingTheLost #GreatCommission #AThirdOfUs https://projectablaze.weebly.com/ This post was first submitted by our author and appeared at: Discipleship: of Love and Command – GlobalCAST Resources The commission that Christ left for us before He ascended, is to make disciples of all nations. Making disciples is only possible, if we are disciples ourselves, hence the Great Commission is a journey of discipleship. I am now based in the Philippines, walking on this journey where each step feels uncertain, overwhelming and even impossible at times – just like when Peter stepped out from the boat to walk on water, heeding the call of my Master, fulfilling His commission that’s ever bidding. . There are many times, where my feet fails me, and I sink into the waves, where I feel disappointed, hurt, but it is at those moments that I realize what the love of the Father meant. I am on the field as a worker, not because I am better, nor because I have a stronger faith, but because I have experienced His love for me. I am on the field as a worker, not because I am better, In the past two years, I started to have the burden to be involved in missions mobilization work – creating awareness about the urgency and need to reach out amongst the neediest peoples, challenging believers to take that step to go cross culture. At that point in time, I did not view mobilization as discipleship. To me, discipleship was the “course”, “lessons” or “bible studies” that we do with believers to help them grow in faith. It was a very “shallow” view of what Christ meant about discipleship. I used to view mobilization as missions conferences, events, setting up missions booths, etc. Mobilization events, even the big ones may be sensational and may cause people to commit to cross cultural work based on an emotional response. Over the past 3 years of mobilization, God have brought me to a realization, that each believer is to be discipled to find their role in His global work – making disciples of all nations. Mobilization should rather be a discipleship journey that disciples walk along-side disciples towards fulfilling the Great Commission, a decision that is based on a commitment to love Christ, to deny ourselves and take up our cross. Each believer is to be discipled to find their role in His global work This journey of obeying the Great Commission often changes us more than the communities we are in. God uses the communities we are in, to transform us too. In the beginning, I had a narrow view in mobilization of just wanting young adults to apply to go out as cross-culture workers, but I have learnt that if they are not making disciples where they are right now, they will not be making disciples when they have a change in address. if they are not making disciples where they are right now, Missions mobilization shouldn’t just be something we do during conferences, camps, missions week, or special events, it must be a discipleship journey that is done intentionally, constantly, rather than occasionally when the chance arise. The fields are ripe and ready for harvest; we need to sound a trumpet call for the labourers. I believe that a disciple who is discipled well, will indeed develop His heart for the nations. If we step out to obey the Great Commission just out of compulsion, it will make us weary and tired, but when we experienced His love and is compelled by His love for us to step out, we find joy in the journey. We are not commanded to go, but the greatest command to us as disciples is to love, we go as a result of love for Him and for others. We are not commanded to go, but the greatest command to us as disciples is to love, we go as a result of love for Him and for others. This article was first posted on our Facebook page: Ablaze- for the Nations - Posts | Facebook (November 23, 2020) What would you do differently, if you know someone is waiting for you? Christmas is coming soon. And many of us celebrates it – some of us knowing why we celebrate, but most of us not. We recently made a video of this, please go and watch it, and please kindly read this. It is a huge privilege (which I can’t emphasize enough), of knowing the true reason of celebrating Christmas – His birth. And a much bigger privilege if we know the reason, and have also placed our trust in Him as our Lord and Saviour. Do you know that about 4.6 BILLION people, do not know about His birth? We are not even talking yet about those people who live in our communities who do not know Him yet – people who have the chance to live “near” to a believer. 86% of other religious adherents do not have personal contact with even a single Christian. They have not met you, yes you – whether you are a nominal Christian, born again, Catholic, evangelical, etc. 4.6 BILLION people are born, live their lives, and die, without a chance of even hearing the mention of His name – because we do not go to them. You may ask, how can this be in such a modern age of technology that they have not heard of the name Jesus? You, as a Christian do you know the names of other religious group leaders, gods and prophets? Let’s try it, can you name the “founder”, prophet, leader, or gods of the following religions: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Shintoism. How many of us know about the Sikhs? Or Sikhism? We may have “heard” of that word, but do we know about them? Similarly, many of those who make up the 4.6 BILLION people will not even know about the religion “Christianity”. 1 in 3 child born, will be born in a place 1 in 3 child born, will be born in a place where he or she will have zero access to the Gospel. No Christians near to him/her, no Christian schools, no Churches, not a single believer in his village, town nor city. And worst still, he speaks a language that the Bible hasn’t even been translated in to. Most of you who are reading this, are privileged – you may or may not have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, but you have the chance to make that decision. And for those of you who have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, we may be taking this privilege for granted. How many of us are doing something in reaching non-Christians? Statistics shows that 91% of all Christian outreach/ evangelism targets other Christians (born again, Catholics, nominal Christians, etc). Let’s be honest and evaluate our ministries carefully, how much are we doing that are not targeting other Christians (but other religious groups)? If you are a leader, or church pastor, how much of our church ministries deals with reaching out to other religious groups? I am not saying that what we are doing is bad, or we should stop doing what we are doing. But are we obeying His commission? Yes, not all of us are called to uproot ourselves to another nation, but we can do many other things that plays a role too. You have this chance to hear the name Jesus, have the huge blessing to call yourself a Christian or Catholic, because someone came to your nation, to tell you that Jesus was born and died for you – to set you free. What are you doing, carrying this true Hope in you? More than half of the world is seeking for hope – actually everyone alive is seeking for Hope. Some have found Him, but most are left in the dark waiting, desperately seeking. What are you doing? How will they know if you do not go to them? Or at least do something. HEY! You have been ENTRUSTED with a message. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” God, entrusted you with this message of Hope, what are you doing with His trust? How much of what you are doing daily, contributes to His command – of making disciples of ALL NATIONS? God, entrusted you with this message of Hope, We get to celebrate Christmas because Mary said, “be it unto me, according to Your word.” She submitted herself to God. We get to celebrate Christmas because Joseph heeded God’s instruction to marry her. He obeyed God.
We get to celebrate Christmas because Jesus, Himself, left the throne above, took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. Obeying His Father. The lives of Mary and Joseph didn’t go as they planned or wanted it to be. Do you think Joseph wanted to go to Egypt? Do you think Mary planned to be pregnant before marriage? Why didn’t God waited for them to get married first? No, He doesn’t follow their timeline – and He is not going to follow your timeline anytime soon. But they obeyed the Father. As you celebrate Christmas this year, will you also obey His world in reaching ALL NATIONS, TRIBE and TONGUE? The 4.6 BILLION are not just numbers, they are also wonderfully and fearfully made in His image – JUST LIKE YOU. Will you remain silent and not do anything? And when you obey Him, your life will NOT go as how you plan it to be. BILLIONS are waiting for you – you are the light of the world; you carry this true Hope in you. Now, bring it to the waiting world. |
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