Posts by ahixson
Using Architectual Design to Support Ministries
As GEM worker, Fred Naff, walked through a certain graffiti-covered neighborhood in central Athens, he heard several different languages spoken around him. This part of the city had become home to many people who had fled war and oppression. Ironically, the area had formerly been the headquarters of Greece’s neo-Nazi party. When Fred entered the…
Read MoreCoffeehouse Ministry in Hungary
With tables and chairs ready to receive guests, the front porch of the small concrete building offers a welcoming space to rest and get a snack or drink. What was once the village’s only bank branch is now a coffeeshop. The cafe’s name, Feltöltő Kávézó, translates from Hungarian to something along the lines of a…
Read MoreEvangelism through the Performing Arts in Greece
Anastasia’s jaw dropped when she learned which role the director had assigned her. In the classical Greek play, her character was to speak crass and crude lines, filled with sexual innuendo. Suddenly, a hobby she loved had turned into a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. A full-time pharmacist in Rafina just outside of Athens, Anastasia is connected…
Read MoreSix Months into the War in Ukraine
Today marks six months since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. That number feels significant because many of us didn’t expect this to still be going on. Many thought it would be over long before now. Some may have even put it toward the back of their minds. As I sit beside my new…
Read MoreEncouraging Locals to Fulfill the Great Commission in Germany
Crystal, a Greater Europe Mission global worker in Germany, first noticed Karina* when she came to church pushing her younger brother in a wheelchair. The young woman, no more than thirty but looking much older, walked with slumped shoulders and a hesitant gate. Her hair was dirty and disheveled. Stains marred the rumpled blouses, skirts…
Read MorePrison Ministry in France
“I’ve trusted in Jesus for about six years now,” the dark-haired, middle-aged prisoner confided to GEM worker Leroy Zumack. “And now I want to be baptized.” Leroy could hardly believe his ears. This request from Hamid was another surprising development in a string of amazing events. For fifteen years, Leroy had faithfully shown up at…
Read MoreGEM Is Inter-Denominational: What Does That Look Like?
“Tell me about the Christian culture in Czech Republic?” I asked a friend serving with GEM in one of the most atheistic countries in the world. “In my local context, we are connected with Wesleyans, Brethren, Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists, Anglicans and some other Protestants,” she told me. And do you…get along? I thought. She chimed…
Read MoreServing Ukrainian Refugees Practically
While refugees are fleeing danger, many aspects of everyday life continue. Children still need schooling, families still need to keep in contact, and adults still need to work to provide for their families whenever possible. In May, GEM workers traveled to Romania with eDOT to assist in helping Ukrainian refugees by providing them access to…
Read MoreTraveling Prayer Van in Czech Republic
Despite rampant atheism, Czech Republic possesses a rich history of prayer. In the eighteenth century a group of believers who were exiled from Moravia (a location that is now part of Czech Republic) prayed without ceasing for more than a hundred years, resulting in the sending out of hundreds of missionaries. And while communism forced…
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