Greece Missions Guide * All information in this document must be read and acknowledged before booking your ticket. Situation in Greece Greece is a very fragile nation, facing massive debt, unemployment, immigration, and lack of stability. The Greek Orthodox Church is the largest religion and is more of a nationalist title versus a relationship with Jesus. Greece is currently a hub for refugees from the Middle East fleeing into Europe. There are tens of thousands of people currently living in Greece as refugees. They are fleeing to Greece due to terrorism, war, and political issues. In Greece, there are more refugees than what the government can handle. They sleep in tents, in abandoned buildings, at the ports, in cramped camps and in the streets. AVC Hellas is an established cultural center in the heart of Athens and provides support for both, Greeks and Refugees. The Center provides meals, education, theological training, daycare, women s ministry, evangelism, discipleship, basic medication and more to the refugees in Greece. Many of these refugees have had little to no understanding of who Jesus is according to the Bible. This is a great opportunity to reach them with the Gospel. We encourage you to go with no expectations, but to serve. Some days may be different than others. Make Philippians 2 your goal; to follow Christ s example of humility and servanthood. Realize your service for people and the Lord will make a great impact on people s lives. You may never see or hear about it, but God uses our obedience, big or small, to accomplish His divine purpose. What a privilege it is to be a part of God s mission! 1
About Father s Heart Ministries ACP Father s Heart is a branch of ACP Switzerland (in German, AVC). Our ministry is under the leadership of Brother Farzad, and we desire to share the Father s Heart with the Muslim nations and those who are suffering. Our work is mainly in Greece and Kurdistan (Turkey and Syria). We do four main things: 1. Evangelism 2. Discipleship 3. Church Planting 4. Humanitarian aid. To find out more about our work, vist: http://avc-en.org/about/fathersheart. Activities: Our ministry is focused on bringing the Gospel to the Muslim people, and to do that our team in Greece is working in any way possible to bring relief to refugees. Our activities consist of distributing food, clothing and medical supplies, street evangelism, outreach to drug addicts (only certain volunteers can participate in this particular outreach), English, German and Greek lessons, weekly services, children s ministry and Bible study. Every morning, after group devotion, you will be told what you will be doing for the day. All volunteers are expected to participate in the activities, in cooking and in maintaining the upkeep of the building. The work here can be hard and not your typical idea of a mission trip. You might be working on a project that you were not expecting to do, but whatever you do, whether it s street evangelism or sorting out clothes donations, it is all for His glory. We are missions focused so, please, come here with a heart to serve the mission, however that may be. Room & Board: During your time serving in Athens, your accommodation will be in our second building. You will need to give a 5 deposit for your key, which will be returned at the end of your stay. The upstairs is for women and families, with two dorm rooms; one containing six beds and the other is a family room. There is one bathroom with a shower. The men s dorm rooms are downstairs, one room of 9 beds and another room of 2 beds. There is one bathroom with shower. The building is not air-conditioned. In summer it can get very hot. You might be sharing your dorm room with new believers from Iran and Afghanistan that are part of our discipleship program. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in the dining room. 2
The total cost for room and board is 25 euros per person per night. The funds for your room and board should be paid in cash at arrival or if you are coming from the States you can pay through World Outreach Center. Please give your money for room and board to David Marino, Ruth Daniel, or Parisa Daniel. Also please inform us of what time you will arrive in Athens. A proper orientation will be given when you arrive or the following day. When you arrive to our building, we may not be able to meet you there right away so, please, come in and make yourself comfortable. There is nearly always someone there. Passport and valuables can be given to be kept in a safe. AVC assumes no liabilities. You are responsible to be sufficiently insured (health etc.) Free Day: There are no activities on Monday, neither will there be meals provided on Monday although you can use the kitchen to prepare your own meals. Do not book your arrival or return ticket on Monday. Rules and Regulations: Men are not allowed in the girl s dorm rooms, nor women inside men s dorm rooms. Women should minimize make-up and wear clothing that is appropriate. Dress modestly while walking to and from the shower; do not walk through the hallways in a towel. Do not engage in any romantic relationships with nationals or refugees. Out of respect for the culture, men and women should not be alone but stay in groups. Make sure a member of staff always knows where you are. For security reasons, don t go out at night unless with a group. The curfew is 11pm. You must be inside your dorm room by 11pm. For an extended curfew, please first ask a member of staff. Do not lend money to anyone, if someone approaches you wanting money, tell a member of staff. Unless married, a man and women should never be alone together and must remain in groups. Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and smoking shisha is forbidden. Modest dress means that pants must be near the knee and your body is covered. If the rules are not followed or problems occur, we reserve the right to send you back home at anytime. 3
Communication with Muslims: Keep communication with opposite sex minimal unless you know them. Be sensitive when taking pictures. Avoid politics and debate. Women and men do not shake hands with each other. Keep the conversation on the Gospel, and don t venture into Islam and debates. It is best not to share your social media information with the people you will be ministering to. Don t give money or any valuable gift to any refugee. Be sensitive when touching children. Respect the rules of www.keepingchildren safe.org.uk/resources If you have a desire to pray for and/or lay hands on someone, always please ask for his or her permission first. Clothing: Remember: Always dress modestly in order to avoid offending other cultures and making it a barrier to sharing the Gospel with them. Bring clothes that are comfortable to work in. There is a washing machine available. Ministry Information: If you have any questions, please ask a member of staff: For questions regarding building maintenance, the daily activities you have been assigned to, your dorm rooms and meals, ask Mohsen Asadi. For questions regarding evangelism, English Lessons, communication and outreach, ask David Marino. For questions regarding children s ministry, worship and outreach to women and kids, ask Ruth Daniel. If you have questions regarding German Lessons, women s ministry or any other questions, ask our ministry secretary, Heidi Henschel. For questions regarding our ministry ask Parisa Daniel, Director of AVC HELLAS. Contact Information: AVCFathersHeart@gmail.com Mohsen Asadi: +30 6946832853 Ruth Daniel: +30 699373253 David Marino: +30 6971880652 Heidi Henschel: +30 6942804757 4
Our address is Psaron 42, 10438, Athens. Transport and Location: Once arrived in Greece, volunteers are expected to find their own means of transport to and from the mission center. There are three possible ways of transport to and from the airport ( Eleftherios Venizolos Airport): By taxi, which costs from 35-45 euros. The taxis wait outside the airport. By bus, which costs 6.80 euros. You can buy the ticket from the ticket machine. Get bus number X95, get off at Syntagma and then take the metro for the rest of the way. You have to buy a metro ticket for 1.40. By metro, which costs 10 euros. You can buy the ticket from the machine at the metro station. Reduction for 2 and more persons and persons over 65. Metro timetable from the airport: Departure from Athens Airport 06:30, 07:00, 07:30, 08:00, 08:30, 09:00, 09:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 18:30, 19:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00, 21:30, 22:00, 22:30, 23:00, 23:30 Time until arrival to Syntagma is 38 min Metro Timetable to the airport: From SYNTAGMA Station 05:40, 06:06, 06:36, 07:06, 07:36, 08:06, 08:36, 09:06, 09:36, 10:06, 10:36, 11:06, 11:36, 12:06, 12:36, 13:06, 13:36, 14:06, 14:36, 15:06, 15:36, 16:06, 16:36, 17:06, 17:36, 18:06, 18:36, 19:06, 19:36, 20:06, 20:36, 21:06, 21:36, 22:06, 22:36, 23:06 Airport bus timetable X95 to Syntagma 00:10, 00:25, 00:40, 00:55 01:10, 01:25, 01:40, 01:55 02:10, 02:25, 02:40, 02:55 03:10, 03:30, 03:50 04:15, 04:40 05:05, 05:25, 05:45 06:00, 06:10, 06:22, 06:35, 06:45 07:10, 07:20, 07:35, 07:45 08:00, 08:10, 08:25, 08:40, 08:50 09:00, 09:15, 09:30, 09:40, 09:55 10:10, 10:25, 10:40, 10:55 11:10, 11:20, 11:35, 11:45 12:00, 12:15, 12:30, 12:45 13:00, 13:15, 13:25, 13:40, 13:55 14:10, 14:25, 14:35, 14:50 15:05, 15:20, 15:35, 15:45 16:00, 16:15, 16:30, 16:45 17:00, 17:15, 17:30, 17:45 18:05, 18:20, 18:35, 18:50 19:10, 19:25, 19:40, 19:55 20:10, 20:25, 20:40, 20:55 21:10, 21:25, 21:40, 21:55 22:10, 22:30, 22:45 23:00, 23:15, 23:30, 23:45, 23:55 Once you have arrived at Syntagma you need to change to the Metro red line 2 towards Anthoupoli. Get off at Metaxourghio, take the exit at the left to Diligianni and the mission center is only a short walk from there. If there is no Metro, take a taxi. 5
Athens Metro Map: Walk from Metaxourghio metro stop to Mission Center: RED: Metaxourghio GREEN: Mission Center 6
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