Day 8: May 15

We began our day with a tour of the Athens Cathedral led by Greek Orthodox Pastor Spyros. Spyros is a good friend of Pastor Giotis, and is partially Calvinist in theology. The cathedral was breathtaking and filled with icons and relics of Mary, Jesus, the apostles, and many more. Spyros explained the history of the Orthodox Church and the importance of tradition. We were fortunate to sit down for a Q&A afterwards. It was interesting to watch Pastor Giotis and Spyros directly yet lightheartedly challenge Spyros on his beliefs. In contrast with the majority of Greek Orthodox people, Spyros recognized justification by faith through grace, but also stressed the importance of works after salvation.

The interior of the Orthodox cathedral

Listening to Pastor Spyros

Later in the afternoon, we met back up at the church to hear from Pastor George. After graduating from Westminister Theological Seminary in the U.S., George moved back to Greece to start a church plant. The church has thrived and expanded, and now runs a ministry to small businesses in Glyfada. The Bluprint ministry provides training, funding, and consulting for local businesses in the midst of the ongoing economic crisis. We plan to help Bluprint gather community information by surveying business owners.

We also heard from Alice Burges, who ministers to university students in Greece. She gave us a feel for life as a university student in Greece. Things are much more laid back, there isn’t much rush to finish your degree, most live at home, and hardly any are protestant Christians who take their faith seriously. There are only a handful of evangelical protestant students in Athens, and Alice works with them to encourage them to continue in their faith through small groups and evangelism.

Phaedra is Pastor George’s wife. She is involved in the Center of Hope, a ministry to refugees, where groups of us will be volunteering over the next three days. She gave us a brief overview of what they do and what we will be helping with.

After dinner we joined Eric, an intern at the church, for the Tea Van ministry. We drove out to an abandoned airport outside Athens, where the Greek government has established a large refugee camp, with tea to serve to the refugees. As we arrived and started setting up, adults and children came out of the airport. We served tea and biscuits, played with the children, and talked with different people. Many of the children spoke English and loved to play games such as soccer, volleyball, and chase. The adults kept more to themselves, as many did not speak English. Despite language and cultural barriers, we enjoyed our time with the refugees. It was heartbreaking to see a rundown airport with no running water, permanent housing, or sanitation serve as a home to over 1,300 people. The parking lot where we played with the kids was covered with broken glass, and cars, buses, and trucks continually drove by. It was hard to see people living in such terrible conditions just waiting for a chance at a better life.

Playing soccer at the refugee camp