Written by: Niki Sarafidis
Article source: JOY! Magazine
I am a first-generation Greek living in South Africa, and like all Greeks, I have a healthy (perhaps a little too healthy) respect and love for Greece and its culture, as well as a 20-year relationship with a missionary organisation known as Hellenic Ministries. Now imagine my horror, consternation, and anguish at not having an opportunity to visit Greece over the past 27 years. I cried out: “Why God? Why won’t You open the doors for me to visit this country that is so close to my heart?” Truthfully, I still don’t know the answer to that question, but what I do know is that God started to open doors and speak…
A message in numbers
Towards the end of last year, God started to speak to me through the numbers of my birthday (2 and 7). Like all good rational beings, I initially thought that this repetitive number in my life was just a series of coincidences. But it became quite uncanny: booking numbers, credit card numbers, reference numbers, seat numbers, arrival dates… It was as though the Lord was finally saying to me that this was my time! But with this great opportunity came great responsibility – the responsibility to listen to what God was saying to me, and then to get back to South Africa and talk about what God wanted to say to His Church.
Why Greece as a mission field?
Considering that Greece is currently the number one tourist destination in Europe, and that it boasts some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, as well as a magnificent cultural heritage that spans thousands of years… why would I be so reluctant to sell Greece as a mission field? I mean, who doesn’t love a good pork souvlaki with tzatziki? From a South African frame of reference, the physical needs of the people living in Greece (including refugees and the Roma [gypsy] community) are not as dire as many of the people living in South Africa, so it’s difficult to pitch Greece as a mission field from a humanitarian perspective. However, spiritually, there are very good arguments that should entice you to see Greece as a needful mission field.
The challenges of sharing Jesus in Greece
However, Greece is tricky as a mission field… First, the New Testament was written in Greek to the then Greek world: Thessalonians, Corinthians, Ephesians are some of the more obvious examples. This fact by itself makes it extremely difficult to tell a Greek that they need a relationship with Jesus. Second, the Greek Orthodox Church has always been known for its inflexibility and resistance to change. To this day, the Greek Orthodox liturgy is held in the ancient Greek language. Third, many of the Greek people equate being Greek with being Greek Orthodox, so criticising the church is seen as criticising their culture. Fourth, the Greek Orthodox doctrine is incredibly sound, so you cannot tell the Greek people that what they believe is incorrect because… well… it’s correct. And last, Greece is the only country in the world where you will find no mosques. It seems, therefore, that it is the very inflexibility and stubbornness of the Greek Orthodox Church that has kept Islam from permeating Greece’s culture and way of life. Considering the extraordinary number of refugees that have landed on Greece’s shores, the fact that no mosques have been built is unprecedented. It’s supernatural: is it possible that Greece is the frontier where East and West meet, and a raging, silent, spiritual battle is taking place?
Hellenic Ministries: a beacon of hope
Hellenic Ministries (HM), over the last three decades, has assisted refugees to not only survive in their new environments but to integrate into communities with language skills, artisan skills, and with a sense of hope in Christ for a better future – one filled with purpose and love. On this trip, I had the privilege of hearing one of the HM board members tell his story of how he and his family fled Tehran over 30 years ago, and how, upon arrival on the shores of Greece, they were given an opportunity to work and provide for their needs. This man is now a highly successful businessman who is on fire for Christ and making a huge impact in God’s Kingdom. Hellenic Ministries is a beacon of God’s love to thousands who are floundering in a dark world. It assists refugees from countries like Egypt, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Nigeria, and many more. HM also runs literacy, education, and skills programmes for the Roma community in Greece, showing the Roma people that they are loved and valued by God. Hellenic Ministries also has a summer church-planting strategy, with the intention that many new evangelical churches will grow and flourish in Greece, thus deepening the relationship between the Greek people and our Lord and Saviour.
A vital frontier in a spiritual battle
Although Greece has its fair share of social, political, and economic problems, it is abundantly evident that it is a vital frontier in the ongoing spiritual battle that the world finds itself in. Unbelievably, beautiful, idyllic, hospitable Greece – land filled with culinary delights, ancient history, hues of blue, street cafés and marble pavements – desperately needs our (Christians around the world) assistance.
For more information on the short-term and long-term missionary projects that you can get involved in in Greece, visit the Hellenic Ministries website (hellenicministries.org).
This article is featured in the July issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 18/07/2025
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only.
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