- UPDATES FROM KOÇ FAMILY -
Last 12 Months
Acts 29 Retreat for Pastors and their Families / Fall 2021
Lovely time with Pastors and their families from Turkey, Bulgaria and America together. Pastor Steve (from Dayton Ohio) teach from the Bible. We specifically talk about marriage, family, and ministry and learn about humility... I also shared some biographical stories (life of Luther, Calvin and Whitefield) and we learn more about some of the historical figures. Kids and Teen agers enjoyed the studies and conversation together. Yasam Agaci Ministries served among us to help our kids and teens. This was a refreshing time.
Church Camp / Fall 2021
We gathered in Çıralı Antalya and spent few days together with our church members. We have had such a great time and able rest as well. Our plan was to start things with Haniel preaching on sunday. However Haniel injured his leg badly (weirdly enough we have the picture of the moment) and he was not really able stand well enough to be at the pulpit. So we changed plans and Greg preached the Word. Following few days Mark and I did do some teaching and devotionals. We were able to sing, praise the Lord and spent time with each other. It was definitely encouraging.
Pray for Haniel, for quick recovery. He has injured before very similarly, and this might take sometime as well.
Praise God for an amazing time. This was encouraging for sure. Also praise God that our brother Dehham came to Christ few days after this camp. It was such a joy. His picture below, he is in 4th picture, in grey adidas shirt.
Pray for Haniel, for quick recovery. He has injured before very similarly, and this might take sometime as well.
Praise God for an amazing time. This was encouraging for sure. Also praise God that our brother Dehham came to Christ few days after this camp. It was such a joy. His picture below, he is in 4th picture, in grey adidas shirt.
Visiting Pastors / 2021
On one of my updates, I explain about 6 Turkish pastors going through process of deportation. Technically their wives (whom are foreign ladies) are getting deported, but surely the targets are Turkish pastors. Many of them are close friends and some of them already deported. And it seems like there is no way for them to get back in. Some of the pastor's wives are illegally staying in Turkey at the moment. Even though they didn't do anything wrong, government make them look like they are threat to national security. For that reason helping them become one of my major focus. I have been visiting them, talking with lawyers and trying to find them some support. Below you will some some pictures from my visitations of Pastors.
First two pictures is from a visit Pastor Hakan in Moldova, I also invited Pastor Mesut with me for this trip.
Pray
Please pray for these pastors and families, as they go thru a really tough times.
First two pictures is from a visit Pastor Hakan in Moldova, I also invited Pastor Mesut with me for this trip.
Pray
Please pray for these pastors and families, as they go thru a really tough times.
Random Pictures / 2021
No 1: Josiah is practicing Christmas songs with Mark.
No 2: Youth hang out and me :) !
No 3: Playing pool with my boys
No 4: Translating and practicing new worship songs
No 5: Our family from Turkey and our family from US eating meal together
No 6: David with his classmates and teaching in a Republic day.
No 7: Josiah is no longer a kid
No 8: Video productions
No 9: Koç family... Yeyyyy
No 10: Knocking down the older brother
No 11: Family in the mountain cabin
No 12: Kerem, Buse and David visits waterfalls
No 2: Youth hang out and me :) !
No 3: Playing pool with my boys
No 4: Translating and practicing new worship songs
No 5: Our family from Turkey and our family from US eating meal together
No 6: David with his classmates and teaching in a Republic day.
No 7: Josiah is no longer a kid
No 8: Video productions
No 9: Koç family... Yeyyyy
No 10: Knocking down the older brother
No 11: Family in the mountain cabin
No 12: Kerem, Buse and David visits waterfalls
Via Christus Ministries / Fall 2021
This year Via Christus Ministries has been very active. We started to use social media much more fluently and working on many projects, such as website for Pastor's, book project on Justification and Pastoral Study (3 hours zoom call to study the Word)... And finally we were able to start our classic Pastoral Academy. A 4-5 days long study (face to face) and retreat. For this study, Dr. Sherif Gendy from Ligonier Ministries came to teach us Minor Prophets. It was great study since the subject often neglected by many of us. Dr. Gendy is Egyptian backgrounded so his way of teaching and manner is very close to our culture, so it fit our group so well. It was a wonderful time of rest, friendship and study. This was a refreshing start to academy after long corona break.
Here is few feedback from Pastors...
Pastor Andrey (from Bulgaria): Via Christus Academy is a refreshing time, good study, good people, good food ve good historic sightseeings. We collect energy to go back to ministry again.
Pastor Mesut (from Balıkesir Turkey): Via Christus Ministries' Academy is definitely provides Christ Centered and Bible focused education. My Church and I are immensely benefitted of this ministries materials, such as Academy, Books, Online Ministries. We are very thankful for their service to us.
Pastor Hakan (from Moldova): This academy is has special place in my life. I have met many pastors from the first day I started to join the studies. These studies definitively effected my life in a positive way.
Pray
Please pray for future academies, our ministry partners changed focus from Pastoral Education to Persecution Aid. This year we barely got the support. But unfortunately, our academy might not get funded for next year. We are excited to see they take persecution of Christians very seriously, however this might mean a major struggle for our own academy.
Here is few feedback from Pastors...
Pastor Andrey (from Bulgaria): Via Christus Academy is a refreshing time, good study, good people, good food ve good historic sightseeings. We collect energy to go back to ministry again.
Pastor Mesut (from Balıkesir Turkey): Via Christus Ministries' Academy is definitely provides Christ Centered and Bible focused education. My Church and I are immensely benefitted of this ministries materials, such as Academy, Books, Online Ministries. We are very thankful for their service to us.
Pastor Hakan (from Moldova): This academy is has special place in my life. I have met many pastors from the first day I started to join the studies. These studies definitively effected my life in a positive way.
Pray
Please pray for future academies, our ministry partners changed focus from Pastoral Education to Persecution Aid. This year we barely got the support. But unfortunately, our academy might not get funded for next year. We are excited to see they take persecution of Christians very seriously, however this might mean a major struggle for our own academy.
Family / Fall 2021
This is an interesting time for our family. Josiah started the high school. And he is doing much better than secondary school. Unfortunately we have had some issues with bullying (because he was a Christian) and loneliness. But he had quite few friends in high school now, and his studies getting better everyday. David was supposed to start school last year, but since life is so different with Corona we decided that he should wait a year. So he did started his first grade. To be honest, he doesn't like to do writing and homework, however he loves to run around. He is happy, cheerful and active boy... This time is nice for Buse. After having 2 boys plus husband at home for long time, now she can have a quite home for a bit until the boys are back.
Leadership Development Studies / Summer-Fall 2021
We have started a Leadership Development program thru the year of 2021. Some of our church members and members from other churches are joining this classes. It is often done in online thru zoom, but we do it face to face as well. These studies for those future Pastor's and Deacon's. We did these studies almost evey week thru the summer, and will be doing on and off thru the fall.
Pictures below is from the studies of Pastor Mike, Pastor Steve and Pastor Brian, they served us thru the summer and fall.
Pictures below is from the studies of Pastor Mike, Pastor Steve and Pastor Brian, they served us thru the summer and fall.
Antalya Protestant Church / Summer 2021
We hope you are doing well after pandemic. We started to worship again this summer, after very tough 18 months in our country. PTL we are moving and hopefully not going back to 2020 (even though we still have some regulations and high number of corona cases)
After starting the sunday worships, we decided to start a new sermon series. And now we are going thru Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. I am not the only person to preach this series, other brothers also preaches. We have some experienced brothers who has been preaching before, but we also have younger brothers who are started to practice to serve. Which our team is growing. We have 4 men (Aydın, Kaan, Özgün and Mustafa) going thru leadership development studies and also receiving more opportunities to serve at our church. We now have our church office open some of the weekdays and we are hoping soon that we will be able to start our Wednesday studies as well, and that way our leadership development guys will be able to involve more.
Pray
Pray that the Corona virus will be controlled, for people’s health and increased job opportunities.
Pray for new men to raise in Leadership Development Studies.
Praise
Praise God for the health of the members of our church
Praise God for providing wonderful opportunities in our ministries. This year seems very hopeful.
After starting the sunday worships, we decided to start a new sermon series. And now we are going thru Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. I am not the only person to preach this series, other brothers also preaches. We have some experienced brothers who has been preaching before, but we also have younger brothers who are started to practice to serve. Which our team is growing. We have 4 men (Aydın, Kaan, Özgün and Mustafa) going thru leadership development studies and also receiving more opportunities to serve at our church. We now have our church office open some of the weekdays and we are hoping soon that we will be able to start our Wednesday studies as well, and that way our leadership development guys will be able to involve more.
Pray
Pray that the Corona virus will be controlled, for people’s health and increased job opportunities.
Pray for new men to raise in Leadership Development Studies.
Praise
Praise God for the health of the members of our church
Praise God for providing wonderful opportunities in our ministries. This year seems very hopeful.
New Office / Summer 2021
Unfortunately landlord of my office has been raising price of my office every year. She was raising almost up to %50. Finally we made the decision to leave and rent a new place. However, by the grace of our Lord, we have found a place to buy (we weren't even thinking about it). We already have had some money aside, and one of our supporters gave a large donation to make this happen. The truth is this supporter (a church) didn't even know we needed money at the time. This is truly a hand of God moment for us.
Our office has 4 rooms. First one is a living area, which is connected to kitchen. Second rooms is my office, which I have my computer. We also started to use this room for video productions. Third rooms is library, and the forth one is the bedroom for guests. Praise the Lord for his provisions, we weren't even thinking we could own a place like this, but our God is good.
Our office has 4 rooms. First one is a living area, which is connected to kitchen. Second rooms is my office, which I have my computer. We also started to use this room for video productions. Third rooms is library, and the forth one is the bedroom for guests. Praise the Lord for his provisions, we weren't even thinking we could own a place like this, but our God is good.
