“Everyone has gone, we are afraid that you will go too”
The Board of Representatives of the Association of Protestant Churches in Turkey was hosted by the Southeastern Board of Leaders and the Altınözü Church of Jesus Christ on March 25, 2023.
It was emphasized that the Altinozu district was chosen to facilitate the arrival of those who serve in the region and the people who will attend the meeting in order to facilitate and bless them in a special way in places where the wounds have not been healed due to the earthquake on February 6, which affected 11 cities.
The meeting was preceded by the Lord’s Supper shared by about 100 members of the ministry and the church leadership, followed by prayer and singing.
Vedat Özel, chairman of the Southeast Leaders’ Council, invited Selim Bayrakçıoğlu, a leader of the Church of Jesus Christ, to share. After his speech emphasizing God’s effective power in every situation, those serving in the region took the stage to give brief testimonies.
Providing information about their work, regional representatives talked about food, children, shelter and counseling services. It was underlined that most teams worked in full cooperation with local authorities and churches.
Bedri Peker stated that everything is in God’s hands for good and said that they serve 70 families in the tent city they established.
Refik Topçu, one of the directors of the First Hope Association, talked about the activities of the association. He stated that they started to serve with search and rescue, hygiene trucks in the first days of the earthquake and that the Sahara hospital established with Samaritan’s Purse will be incorporated into the Ministry of Health after 45 days of operation.
Ali Öztürk, the leader of Izmir Alsancak Işık Church, described their food ministry through their kitchen. He quoted locals as saying “everyone else has gone and we are afraid that you will go too”. He added that they will continue their services as long as the neighborhood is there.
Rabia Yılmaz Tufan stated that they will serve both church leaders and ministers in the region with a very large staff in terms of counseling and trauma.
After the presentations of the people working in each region about their work, the meeting was ended with a final hymn and a closing prayer by Ahmet Güvener. (Soner Tufan)
