About The Workers We Support
People often ask: "Who are these workers you support, what is the work they do, and how exactly is the money used?" A quick summary is that we currently support 6 workers with an annual gift, paid monthly, to supplement what they receive from their local church and, in a few instances, from spare-time earnings. We want to double the number of workers supported and the level of gift in the near future, a four-fold increase in our current annual budget of £7,500 ($13,500). We also want to increase the number of active prayer supporters.
Workers need this supplementary support for basic household expenses, rent, taxes, national insurance, and similar items - Turkey is quite a European country in this respect. There are expenses for schooling (no free school buses in Turkey), and for medical treatment. Turkey is a big country and travel costs to visit and encourage isolated local groups of believers, or for outreach activities, can be considerable. Even a simple thing like providing hospitality for a small home meeting can strain finances.
Supported workers have major responsibilities for Bible teaching and preaching, and for vitally important youth work. They also do a lot of counselling, both marriage and general, as well as leading Bible studies and other small group activities. Literature distribution is another task carried out by workers - very often of items published by Firm Foundation Trust. Teaching, mentoring, and counselling are very important in the absence of an evangelical Christian tradition in Turkey.
You will find links to the detailed testimonies of supported workers on our Other Information page - along with useful summary prayer bookmarks for each one of them.
The Church at Diyarbakir - Led by Ahmet and Cigdem.
Diyarbakir is the main city (1.3 million people) of the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey, which borders on Syria. Its historic black basalt walls are perfect examples of the military architecture of the Middle Ages (see the excellent website guide to Turkey: www.allaboutturkey.com for more details).
The church at Diyarbakir numbers about 50 people. It is fortunate to own its church building and be fully recognised officially as a church - a rarity in Turkey. It is active in following up seekers in the region's cities of Batman (60 miles to the east), Erzurum (150 miles to the north east), Mardin (60 miles to the south east), and Siirt (110 miles to the east) - with the aim of establishing fellowships there. It is also active in youth work and hosts the annual regional youth conference, attended by around 50 young people. Regular screenings of the 'Jesus' film are held for people in the neighbourhood. You will find more information about this fellowship on the English translation of the church website (www.diyarbakirkilisesi.com).
Antakya (Antioch) Christian Church - Led by Hamdullah and Elmas.
Antakya (Antioch) is the main city (over 180,000 people) of the Mediterranean region of Turkey, just by the upper right corner of the Mediterranean Sea. It has been an important city since ancient times (see the guide to Turkey: www.allaboutturkey.com website for more details).
The church at Antakya numbers about 30 people. It has a strong focus on evangelism and is working to establish churches in the neighbouring cities of Iskenderun (30 miles to the north) and Samandagi (15 miles to the south west). It has also been very busy following up enquirers resulting from activities of the Turkey Afri-Asia Creative Outreach group (TACO).
Besiktas Church in Istanbul - Led by Kaan and Alexandra.
Istanbul is Europe's largest city, with a population of over 11 million. It is situated on both sides of the Bosphorus - the narrow strait leading from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. It is Turkey's cultural and financial centre and has been a leading city since ancient times (see the website guide to Turkey: www.allaboutturkey.com for more details).
Besiktas church numbers about 50 people. It is located in the same area of the city that is home to the famous BESIKTAS football team. The church is active in house groups, bible studies, seminars, and prayer meetings. The church also has its own (Turkish) website: www.besiktaskilisesi.net.
Internet Outreach Work - Facilitated by Gul (Rose in English) in Izmir.
Izmir is the third largest city of Turkey, with a population exceeding 3.7 million. It lies on the shores of the Aegean sea, about 200 miles south of Istanbul.It has been an important city since ancient times (see the website guide to Turkey: www.allaboutturkey.com for more details).
Gul is a widow with three sons, and has a specialised ministry of spreading the Good News amongst ladies and younger people via the Internet. She also provides Bible teaching, counselling, and visiting services within her own church.
The Church of Altintepe in Istanbul - Led by Fatih and Ahu in partnership with Carlos Madrigal.
Istanbul is described under the entry for Besiktas Church above.
Altintepe church numbers about 50 people and shares with Diyarbakir the distinction of being officially recognised. It is the main centre for the Partners International work of planting and encouraging evangelical churches in Turkey. Because of this a good deal of teaching goes on there, and Fatih is heavily involved in that. Outreach and youth are also a major activities, with regular screenings of the 'Jesus' film and an annual summer youth camp.
Supported Workers
