“I’m going on holiday to Turkey next week. Where is the closest Adventist church?”
The lady on the phone was typical of a number of inquiries I get at the British Union Conference (BUC) office.
“Where will you be going in Turkey?” I asked. She named a resort, and I checked Google Maps to find its proximity to a church. “The closest church will be a nine-hour drive away.” I paused to let the information sink in.
She gasped in surprise. “Surely there must be one closer than that!”
“There are only two Adventist churches in all of Turkey, and I’m afraid the closest one is nine hours from your resort.”
“The children and I were looking forward to going to church.” There was disappointment in her voice.
“Do you speak Turkish?”
“No, but we thought it would be nice to fellowship with other believers.”
“There are isolated pockets of believers in other parts of the country, but no organized group that I can direct you to.”
The lady seemed reluctant to end the call. Perhaps she hoped I would suddenly think of another church if we continued to talk. “There are 76 million people in Turkey who need to hear the gospel,” I told her. “Please join us in praying for more laborers in the harvest field. It would be nice to be able to say in a few years time that we have several strong churches in Turkey.”
Barnabas Hope recently spoke at our BUC office morning worship and recounted his experience of driving 15 hours one way to baptize some Iranian believers in Turkey. He was the closest Adventist pastor!
Please pray that the evangelistic materials our team has produced will impact thousands in Turkey, resulting in kingdom growth and the establishment of many churches.
