Paul’s hardships and persistence

Through this experience, we hope to break the “bubble” in which many of us live in and get in touch with the reality that our brothers and sisters experience in other contexts.

Why is this topic important:

Most Christians in the West live in societies that are either “Christian” or pluralistic and tolerant. Their faith and their decision to follow Christ has no cost.

Reading the New Testament we see a rather different picture. Faith costs and has sorrows.

Also, the experience of many believers in other contexts includes sacrifices, rejection, social isolation, persecution, and even threats.

What we are going to do:

The purpose of this day is to learn through God’s Word how Paul viewed and dealt with the sorrows that are associated with his faith in Christ.

We will also have the opportunity to get to know in person and hear the experiences of believers who come from a Muslim background or who live as a minority in a majority that marginalizes them.

The Goal:

Through this experience, we hope to break the “bubble” in which many of us live in and get in touch with the reality that our brothers and sisters experience in other contexts. 

At the same time, however, we will see the hard side of discipleship in which God calls us all.

Your Host:

Giotis Kantartzis

Born and raised in a Christian family, Giotis felt the call to pastoral ministry at the age of 16. He completed the Bible School in Greece when he was 21 and started serving the Greek Evangelical Church of Volos as its pastor. He then went on to continue his theological studies in Boston, while serving as the pastor of the Greek evangelical church there. For the past 20 years he has been serving as pastor of the First Greek Evangelical Church of Athens. Through the ministry of First Greek Evangelical, he was enabled to conceive and initiate a wider vision for church planting in Athens, leading to what is today called the “Polis” network.
Giotis studied Sociology (BA, Panteion University) and Theology (Diploma in Theology, Greek Bible School) in Athens before transferring to the USA for further studies (MSt, Boston University School of Theology, and MDiv, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary). He also holds a PhD, awarded by the theological faculty of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Since 2019 he has been serving as a coordinator for City to City Balkans. He is married to Nopi and they have three sons, George (25), Theofilos (23), and Jason (20).