SUMMER UPDATE

Three weeks ago, Antalya Protestant Church welcomed Oguz Alhan and his new bride, Anna, back to Antalya. Oguz and Anna married on August 11, 2018 in Silom Springs, Arkansas. Pastor Kerem Koc and Mike and Debbie Matlock attended the wedding. After the marriage ceremony Oguz and Anna took off for a week long honeymoon through the heartland of America, stopping at St. Louis and Chicago before returning to Anna’s hometown, Lawrence Kansas.
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Oguz and Anna were brought before the church on their first Sunday back in Antalya so Pastor Kerem could introduce Anna to the congregation and pray for Their marriage. Oguz and Anna will be serving at Antalya Protestant Church and Oguz will continue to be Pastor Kerem’s administrative assistant. Please continue to be praying for  them as they transition and adjust to this new season of life.
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Leadership at Antalya Protestant Church is serious about Word ministry. The expository preaching of God’s word is paramount because it is God’s inspired word that changes God’s people, bringing them together and conforming them more and more into the likeness of our Savior. Pastor Kerem finished an expository sermon series on the book of Nehemiah this July that began last winter and he is now preaching a sermon series on the seven churches from the book of Revelation. He hopes to finish the seven churches series in October and dive into First Peter. But word ministry doesn’t end with the preaching of a sermon every Sunday evening. It starts there, but how is that sermon applied to church member’s lives? For this reason, Pastor Kerem and Antalya Protestant leadership stress the importance of the church’s Wednesday night meeting where the sermon is discussed at a more practical, applicable level. The goal is for church members  to engage with the content of the sermon under the guidance of Kerem and other leadership, and to be challenged to conform their lives to God’s word. Please continue to pray for the word ministry of Antalya Protestant Church. Pray that God’s people in Antalya, through the preached word, would glorify and enjoy Him to the praise of his glorious grace.      

SHARE
After a short break this past summer SHARE will begin its normal scheduled drops of necessities for Syrian Refugees in Antalya. As usual, volunteers from Antalya Protestant Church will bring donated items necessary for living (Staple foods like rice cracked wheat, beans, and lentils and sometimes clothes and personal hygiene items) to shanty-like villages on the outskirts of Antalya where most of the Syrian refugees live. Volunteers will be guided by two teenage Syrian boys who know a little Turkish and can direct the volunteers to families that need the supplies. Please continue to pray for this ministry. Pray that gospel conversations and relationships will grow naturally as a result of SHARE’s mercy ministry. If you would like to learn more about SHARE please visit the SHARE page on reachturkey.net/share

What is a Healthy Church Sermon Series
This summer, Antalya Protestant Church welcomed visiting pastors from Canada and the United States to preach “What is a Healthy Church” sermon series. The sermon series was thought up by APK’s leadership team as a great way for the church to be blessed by the knowledge, experience and expository preaching of the visiting pastors.
Eric Landry, from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Austin, TX,  was the first in the line up to visit APK. Pastor Landry preached a sermon from Acts, focusing on what the church is and its relationship to the kingdom of God. Dr. Tim Trumper followed and preached about revival from Acts 2. Dr. Trumper also taught at the Via Christus Spring Academy. Mike Bartlett, from Grand Rapids, MI, visited next and preached about having healthy relationships in order to have a healthy church. The theme of relationships continued as Trevor Rysavy from Calgary, AB, and Ty Neal from Las Vegas, NV both preached on the importance of forgiveness within the local church. 

These men not only preached from APK’s pulpit, but also taught at APK’s leadership development program; a program that prepares men within the church to serve in ministry. All the visiting pastors took time to meet with this group of men to study God’s word and to share their valuable experience of serving the church.

Koç Family Update
Summer of 2018 for the Koç family was of course busy, but by God’s grace Kerem, Buse and their two boys Josiah and David Kuzey are doing well. The Koç family were thankful they were able take a vacation. The family visited Kalkan, a smaller city near Antalya that’s by the sea. In Kalkan they enjoyed time with other family members and celebrated David Kuzey’s third birthday. Also this summer, Kerem was able to visit pastors and local churches while in the United States for Oguz Alhan’s wedding. Please continue to keep the Koç family in your prayers. Pray that the Lord will use them mightily here In Turkey and that will they press on with joy to the upward call of Christ Jesus our Lord.