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By Andrew Nicodem

For Pastor Georgios and the Second Evangelical Church o Athens,

Koukaki is home. For almost a decade, the church has chosen to be avessel o change and hope in their town. They want to be known by

their actions throughout Koukaki as a church community that cares

or the needs around them.

The mentality o the local church is that you cannot ignore lo-

cal needs. It is a challenge to not orget the neighborhood that the

church is in, declared Georgios. This active remembering took the

orm o service. Out o the basement o the community center, they

began to provide or the needs around them by creating a clothing

and urniture distribution center, a place where the many reugees

and lower income amilies o Koukaki could receive articles that they

could not otherwise aford. The church gave the oppressed in their

community a place to nd relie and maintain their dignity. Through

this, they began to be known.

As Georgios noted, Being a part o what is going on overall gave us

some credibility. Families rom the church began to rally around the

idea o serving their neighbors, and soon a new element to their min-

istry was addedood distribution. Twice a week, on the ront steps

o the Second Evangelical Church, meals cooked in the parishioners

HUNdrEdS SErvEd IN THE KoUKAKI NEIGHborHood of ATHENS, GrEEcE

homes were split amongst the

25 or so people who came. Atereating, they were invited into the

church to study the Bible.

Over time, the ministry grew.

Today, 120 people gather twice a

week when ood is delivered and

served in the churchs ront court-

yard. Relationships have been cre-

ated, needs have been met, and

lives are beginning to be changed.

Now there are house visits, VBS

camps, community street clean-

ups, calendar distributions, and

numerous other ministries that all

serve the Koukaki district. This is a church that understands what it

means to serve in word and deed.

Because the current economic crisis is devastating many middle-

class Greeks, the number o those who need assistance rom the

church continues to rise rapidly. The vision to expand, or to even sus-

As the economic

infrastructure ofGreece wobblesprecariously,few things inthe countryfeel certain.Decisions beingmade withinthis nation could

even trigger aglobal chain ofcollapsing andrestructuring.

WATCH FACEBOOK+ TWITTER FOR OURUPCOMING SOCIALMEDIA CAMPAIGNFOR KOUKAKI

The ront o the 2nd Evangelical Church o Athens, located in the diverse neighborhood o Koukaki.

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tain the work that the church is doing needs both nancial and physi-

cal support. The community needs help to establish a center to eed

the oppressed and reach many more with the Gospel.

Thats where the Athens Kukaki chuh Ministy cente

Speial Pjet comes in. As an outreach o the Second Evangeli-

cal Church o Athens led by ITeams Team Leader Themis Sirinidis, this

center will provide urgent relie to this community deeply impacted

by the Greek economic crisis. For example, by installing a kitchen

signicantly more people will be able to receive hot meals. Installing

showers and laundry acilities will provide dignity to the homeless

and those without access to water or electricity.

Koukaki remains a neighborhood in need. But that need does not

deter Pastor Georgios. With a smile and a shrug he says simply, That

is our neighborhood. Its his home, his churchs community, and the

district where they are making Christ known, one service project at a

time.

Athens Kukaki chuh Ministy cente

will pie the llwing:

Basic necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene

Training in basic Greek and English language skills

Christian witness, including Bible studies and discipleship

MEET ANdrEW NIcodEM ANd rYAN GILLES

VIEW THE FULL PROJECT SUMMARY AT INSIGHT.ITEAMS.US

In the Athenian neighborhood of Koukaki,unity is a word spoken infrequently, butlived out daily. In the middle of this urbanmelting pot, Greeks live alongside Albanians,

Afghans, Iranians, and countless others.Natives to the land share housing complexeswith immigrants and refugees, OrthodoxGreeks alongside Muslims, the middle classmelding with the lowest class. Tis tough

neighborhood is also home to a growing sexindustry and prone to crime.

Two years ago, we began to ask the question o how God can use ALL o us, our

love o people, our gits o encouragement and empathy, our desire to serve those

who are orgotten, and our talents in writing and photography, write Ryan and

Andrew. This dream began in two very separate hearts, and through Gods inge-

nuity, became a reality.

Beore preparing or their 15 month journey together, Andrew and Ryan were

strangers. Andrew was impacted years ago by his encounter in Jerusalem with an

inspiring Palestinian Christian. His story ueled a restlessness in Andrew to nd

others whose lie stories reverberated with Gods power. That led to a ormative

conversation with ITeams President Scott Olson in which Andrew was challenged

to consider how Gods story at work in Andrew might t into the work He is doing

through ITeams to transorm lives and communities. Creative possibilities rapidly

took shape.

Meanwhile, Ryan was looking or ways to exercise his writing gits to tell stories

o Gods activity in inspiring ways. Years earlier, Ryan spent six weeks in Zambia

where he was moved by a widow named Elina who was striving to care or over 20

orphans in a sl um. Their smiling aces were a testament to Gods redemptive work

in the midst o great adversity.

God brought Andrew and Ryan together to help the oppressed. Their stories

and photos will be eatured at www.iteams.us throughout the next year.

We hope, write Andrew and Ryan, that the stories we write and the images

we capture will be read and seen by people around the world and will bring en-

couragement to those who need a reminder that God is alive and at work around

the world, and a challenge to get involved in that work.

A building destroyed by fre a ew blocks rom the church in Koukaki.

Reugees fnd a bit o home at the Athens Reugee Center (ARC) on Tuesday

aternoons as they gather or a hot meal and a Bible lesson.