Global Partner
History of Partnership - Greece’s Spiritual Condition
The people of Greece are highly religious in nature, as 90% of the population officially belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. Yet few Greeks attend church on a regular basis, and most are never taught what it means to have a personal relationship with God through Christ. Still, religious fervor remains high, and those who adhere to other Christian denominations are considered heretics. Though evangelicals in Greece are a small minority, numbering less than 30,000 people, many are active in evangelistic ministry and outreach efforts. Because of this, as well as the country’s economic difficulties, many Greek believers see the hand of God moving in a fresh way upon their country.
Hellenic Ministries (HM), based in Athens, Greece, is an international, nondenominational Greek mission organization, seeking to serve Christ throughout Greece, the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean by way of bold evangelism, intentional discipleship, refugee outreach and missionary training initiatives. HM’s vision is to see the nation of Greece transformed into a people who seek God’s heart and serve Him wholeheartedly.
Hellenic Ministries is involved in a variety of ministries, including church-planting initiatives, refugee care on the islands and in Athens, large-scale Bible distribution, Roma gypsy education and outreach programs, evangelistic TV programs, and much more.
Fellowship’s Involvement to Date
Over the past decade, Fellowship has sent several teams to work with Hellenic Ministries in Greece:
2008: Vision trip with Mission’s Pastor, Brian Petak
2009: Worship conference event with Fellowship worship leaders
2011: Worship conference #2 event with Fellowship worship leaders
2015: Fellowship team joined HM’s Operation Joshua for the summer Bible distribution effort
2017: Pastor Dan Vorm worked with refugees on the island of Lesvos, and joined Operation Joshua for Bible distribution
Biography
Johnathan Macris is president of Hellenic Ministries (formerly Hellenic Missionary Union) and the oldest child of well-known Greek evangelical missionaries, Costas and Alky Macris. Johnathan graduated from Moody Bible Institute in 1985 and then returned to Greece to serve his mandatory year in the Greek Army. He and his wife, Miriam, married in 1987 and have five children: Justin, Natassa, Kyle, Karsten and Jorryn. He eventually went on to complete ministerial studies and was ordained as a minister of the Gospel in 1994 through the Wheaton Bible Church.
Since the beginning of Hellenic Ministries in 1980, Johnathan has been vitally involved in the mission’s emphasis of evangelism and church planting, discipleship and missions.
In his leadership capacity, over the years, his responsibilities have included personnel manager, summer evangelistic campaign director, member of both Greek and American Boards and de facto administrator of the daily affairs of the mission. He assumed the boards designation of president in 2001.
While the burden for Evangelism and Discipleship continues to mark Hellenic Ministries’ priorities, Johnathan is emphasizing the need for the ministry to fulfill its role and call to raise up, equip and send Greek workers into the harvest field of world missions.
Expenditures
Each year, we work with our global partners to refine how our involvement might support their essential ministry efforts and projects, and learn about their kingdom-advancement and ministry expansion dreams—if God would provide the means to make them happen.
Last year, God provided resources for our partners' efforts with over $700,000 from our Global Christmas giving. Our plenty, providing for their needs. We encourage you to pray and ask for the Lord’s leading in how your generosity can have an impact all around the world, all to the glory of God!
We will distribute 60,000 hard bound Greek New Testaments to villages throughout Greece. These funds will go toward the full cost of $140,000 to print and bind the Bibles.
$30,000
The discipleship aspect of OJ is a huge impact on the youth of our country. Due to the suppressed Greek economy and increased Covid related costs of living, the participation cost is beyond what those in our context can afford. These funds will help support Greek, Balkan and refugee participation in the distribution of Bibles.
$10,000
Acceleration Church Planting team members travel regularly to locations of interested people to study the Word after OJ Bible Distribution. These funds will help cover the cost of their follow up trips.
$3,000
Engaging, training and empowering young people for long-term work is at the heart of what we do. These funds will allow us to scholarship 3 individuals to go through the Bible School in Athens and participate in church planting internships.
$7,500
These funds will go toward the $145,000 needed to support our church planting initiatives.
$7,000
These funds would go toward the $35,000 needed to provide housing, aid, transportation and wages for an Arabic speaker.
$15,000
During times of black-outs, a generator would allow us to continue our operations.
$5,000
These funds will support the writing of a book on refugees in Greece.
$6,000
Contact Us
Email JB Palmer for more information on Johnathan Macris, our partner in Greece.