new BUILDING (in the lara district)
Your gracious partnership has helped Antalya Evangelical Churches grow in faith and in number. And today, we are excited to share with you that the building project has been completed! We are thankful to see this day and know that it was possible because of your constant prayers and financial support. If we may, we'd like to take a moment and review the past 24 years that helped us to be where we are today.
To describe this momentous event, it is like when “…Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) The building is “Ebenezer” and is a declaration of God’s provision and faithfulness in how through and with your partnership, the Lord brought the vision from 2004 into reality and will continue to carry us further. Praise the Lord that when he starts something, he doesn’t stop until it is finished!
We are excited and eager to invite you and your families to see the fruits of our partnership, but due to the state-of-emergency being in effect in Turkey and the (lack of) travel advisory recommended by the US government, the date is unclear. We hope to be able to invite you in November, two months after the state-of-emergency ends; however, it is possible for the state-of-emergency to be extended for another three months. In short, we will not do this grand opening without you!
In summary, God did and is still doing amazing things through our ministry, and we want you to know that you are intricately part of what is happening here. So, thank you for your partnership! We hope that this letter and promise of a grand opening fills your heart with as much joy and praise as it does in our own hearts.
Looking forward, now that the physical building is completed, our next goal is to focus on preparing our congregation for the transition, developing newly appointed leaders, and foster confidence in sharing the gospel in our members to fulfill our vision. Our vision is twofold: 1) Discipleship of believers, 2) Sending believers into every community, neighborhood, and district within Turkey so that every Turkish Muslims has a chance to hear and accept the Good News. The latter will be accomplished when we near 200 members – a number that we believe is appropriate to transplant and not only be sustainable, but able to thrive in their new environment.
We would be encouraged and thankful if you are able to continue your partnership with us to support ministries including the refugee ministry, operational costs to fulfill the plans God has for AIK. We believe that with your continued support and prayer, our ministry will bring more fruit among the Turkish Muslims.
Thank you again for your partnership!
Ramazan Arkan
Senior Pastor, Antalya Evangelical Churches
Your gracious partnership has helped Antalya Evangelical Churches grow in faith and in number. And today, we are excited to share with you that the building project has been completed! We are thankful to see this day and know that it was possible because of your constant prayers and financial support. If we may, we'd like to take a moment and review the past 24 years that helped us to be where we are today.
- 1992 Our house church formed and began meeting in homes. We had minimal growth because we were not able to publicize our location for the safety of the families.
- 1999 When we started renting from the St Paul Cultural Center, our existence and location was made public through the local newspaper causing an increase in attendance and over time, an increase in the size of our congregation. The church building, in essence, was like a beacon, drawing in those who wanted to discuss and/or learn more about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith. Even today, we still have interested Turkish Muslims visiting us during the week and on Sundays. The building has also been instrumental for our members. They are able to meet with staff for counseling, praying and receiving encouragement as well as meeting for bible studies, discipleship classes, and prayer meetings in addition to Sunday services.
- 2004 The Lord gave Pastor Ramazan a vision where Antalya Evangelical Churches (in Turkish A.I.K.) would have their own evangelistic beacon, a building, to serve the Turkish Christians and bring Turkish Muslims into His kingdom. After much prayer and encouragement (Pastor Ramazan) received from the AIK congregation and others, the fundraising for this building project began.
- 2005 When the fundraising started, we must admit that we didn’t have much faith, but decided to obey the Lord. However, with the faith of a mustard seed, we are able to move mountains. Hallelujah! The Lord opened doors and brought partners, like you, so that our faith grew and we believed the vision was from the Lord.
- 2011 Initially we had anticipated uprooting from the St Paul Cultural Center because we are becoming too large for our current space (pictured above is a Sunday service); however, the Lord had a bigger plan. As the Lord grew our congregation in number, we felt an impression on our hearts to split ourselves between the current and new location, like a church plant. We have a history and reputation for being located in the St Paul Cultural Center for the past 11 years and started making plans on how to distribute our staff, congregation, and resources.
- 2013 We purchased land in the Lara District (pictured above) because it is a residential area primarily housed by middle class, educated families, a population that is open to having a church in their neighborhood and the population that we have wanted to reach out to. After we bought the land, the Lord told Ramazan, “Don’t just think about today, but think about the future.” With this revelation, we realized two things: 1) That the building is not for the sole use of church services, but should be multi-purpose, and 2) That the building was not only to be a blessing to this generation of believers but also to the generations to come.
- 2015 The exterior of the building was completed and the end of phase one of our project. The second and final phase was to fundraise and complete the interior.
- 2016 Now, 11 years later since we started this building project, both the exterior and interior are complete and we are ready for a grand opening. We are so grateful that you have come alongside us through this journey and through your partnership of praying and giving, we have, together, accomplished this goal!
To describe this momentous event, it is like when “…Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12) The building is “Ebenezer” and is a declaration of God’s provision and faithfulness in how through and with your partnership, the Lord brought the vision from 2004 into reality and will continue to carry us further. Praise the Lord that when he starts something, he doesn’t stop until it is finished!
We are excited and eager to invite you and your families to see the fruits of our partnership, but due to the state-of-emergency being in effect in Turkey and the (lack of) travel advisory recommended by the US government, the date is unclear. We hope to be able to invite you in November, two months after the state-of-emergency ends; however, it is possible for the state-of-emergency to be extended for another three months. In short, we will not do this grand opening without you!
In summary, God did and is still doing amazing things through our ministry, and we want you to know that you are intricately part of what is happening here. So, thank you for your partnership! We hope that this letter and promise of a grand opening fills your heart with as much joy and praise as it does in our own hearts.
Looking forward, now that the physical building is completed, our next goal is to focus on preparing our congregation for the transition, developing newly appointed leaders, and foster confidence in sharing the gospel in our members to fulfill our vision. Our vision is twofold: 1) Discipleship of believers, 2) Sending believers into every community, neighborhood, and district within Turkey so that every Turkish Muslims has a chance to hear and accept the Good News. The latter will be accomplished when we near 200 members – a number that we believe is appropriate to transplant and not only be sustainable, but able to thrive in their new environment.
We would be encouraged and thankful if you are able to continue your partnership with us to support ministries including the refugee ministry, operational costs to fulfill the plans God has for AIK. We believe that with your continued support and prayer, our ministry will bring more fruit among the Turkish Muslims.
Thank you again for your partnership!
Ramazan Arkan
Senior Pastor, Antalya Evangelical Churches