Lessons in Pioneering

OCTOBER 12, 2005

Teams from the Assemblies of God campus ministry, Chi Alpha, have been a help to the campus outreach ministry in Greece. For many on these teams, it was their first missions trip experience. They discovered that "pioneering" a ministry on the campuses in Athens means starting from scratch. There are no "pre-set" ministry opportunities, no meetings to speak at, no groups waiting around for leadership. It means heading to the streets and meeting people in the midst of everyday living. These students extended friendship in a country whose language they couldn't speak, whose roads were unfamiliar, and whose laws against evangelism make it feel scary to share you faith.

Chi Alpha Team in Greece These student were willing to get their hands dirty and to keep smiling in tough circumstances. One student stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, baking hundreds of cookies for an outreach after the rest of her teammates had fallen fast asleep. The teams pulled together, ironing out their differences, nursing sick teammates, and were still going strong even when close to their limits of energy. It is an inspiration to see these university students living out their faith and being the body of Christ in the mist of a chaotic, sometimes hostile, sometimes indifferent, but always needy world.