Blog

Sincere Praise Mission Trip to Athens 22/05/25 – 29/05/25.
Third Meeting – Sunday 25th May

1 John 1 v 5. This is the message we have heard and declare to you, that God is Light and in Him there is no darkness at all.

The heavens opened and it poured with rain as we made our way on Sunday evening to Pikermi in East Attica to a warehouse building made of corrugated iron, the meeting place of a local Christian fellowship.

As the occasional shaft of sunlight touched rain that had settled on foliage it cast an iridescent glow reflecting God’s beauty in nature. Truly God is Light and in Him there is no darkness!

Pikermi is a small town in east Attica twenty kilometres northeast of Athens located on the slopes of Mount Penteli.

As we entered the building we could see there were large sofas, set around small coffee tables. Just beyond that was the sanctuary with rows of neatly arranged chairs and a sign that simply stated City Church.

The choir gathered together and led by Minister Jenny committed the evening events into God’s gracious and capable hands.

Sincere Praise opened up with “Praise the Father! Praise the Son! Praise the Spirit three in one. We lifted our hands in grateful adoration to our Heavenly Father and as we sang the sound reverberated around the sanctuary.

Rev Taylor delivered a message directly from the throne room of heaven: The man by the pool of Bethesda (John 5 v 1- 8).

Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. Rev Taylor emphasised he had to get rid of his mat in order to move on with his life.

She said God is calling us to get rid of the old and dirty mats in our lives that tie us to the past; old grudges and hurts, the things people say about us so that God can be effective in our lives.

Pastor Dennis spoke from Isaiah chapter 6.

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

However when God asked who He should send to the people, Isaiah said, “here I am send me”.

Pastor encouraged those present that God wants to use them to reach the people of Athens for Him.

The awesome presence of Christ was felt in a tangible way.

The Pastor of the fellowship stood up, visibly moved after God’s messengers had spoken and expressed how encouraged and challenged they all were by what they had heard.

We can truely say that God has done exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or even imagine.

What a mighty God we serve!!

25th May 2025
Second Meeting

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.’

Sunday Morning,
As morning broke and heralded a new day our hearts were filled with gratitude for all that God had done.

Minister Jenny encouraged us to give thanks & praise to our Heavenly Father for His wonderful mighty acts.

We made the fifteen minute walk to the
church along dusty, littered back roads with many graffiti painted buildings.

The Apostolic Church of God, Athens was established approximately fifty years ago in an area of significant social deprivation with alcoholism, prostitution, gambling, drug addiction and freemasonry being the main challenges.

Pastor Anthony warmly welcomed us as we entered the church, a beautiful, spacious, light filled sanctuary.

As Sincere Praise ministerd in song the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit filled the room.

Pastor Dennis brought the morning message from Isaiah 6 v 1 – 8 under the rich anointing of the Holy Spirit. He shared how God had brought him back from death and used his testimony to bring a message of God’s miraculous resurrecting power to millions around the world. Pastor Dennis shared on the need for humility and warned against the destructive, obstructive nature and impact of pride.

All over the sanctuary people stood in response to the invitation for prayer for pride to be broken so that the power of God could flow to bring about revival.

Lives received spiritual healing, restoration and renewal.

We give God all the Glory!

Sincere Praise Mission Trip to Athens 22/05/25 – 29/05/25.
First Meeting – Saturday 24th May

Refreshed after a good night’s sleep we met for breakfast looking forward to the day ahead. We had prayed that the fragrance of Christ would be upon us and was so encouraged when the hotel receptionist commented that it would make his job so much easier if everyone who came into his hotel was like us.

After a short break it was down to business as usual as we remained focused on our purpose. The choir met for a brief rehearsal, committing the day afresh into God’s capable hands. We had the assurance that the Holy Spirit had gone ahead and had already done the work.

We arrived at Pastor Dimittris, Church, Athens for the evening youth service. Several young people greeted us with hand shakes and smiles telling us how pleased they were that we had come. We were struck by the passion they have to reach their community for Christ. Prior to the meeting they had walked around the church, laying their hands on the seats and praying over them.

As one of the young people opened in prayer the fervency and passion in her voice was unmistakable.

Led by Minister Jenny a melodic sound rang out as the choir sang each song carefully selected under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

The mixed congregation mainly young people stood up, some with hands lifted in the air while children excitedly clapped their hands. It was reported after the meeting that when the children were ushered out for their activities they requested that they be allowed to stay in the meeting as they wanted to praise and worship.

As Rev Taylor delivered a powerful, compelling message, from John chapter 4. ‘The Power of Faith’. Those gathered sat listening intently as the wind of the Holy Spirit suffused the atmosphere.

Pastor Dennis shared a tremendous message. ‘My Power is in My Peace’
His personal testimony of how the sovereign God brought him back from the dead and during his darkest period gave him a word from Isaiah 45 v 46 – 54, ‘I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places’.

Many were eager to share the impact of what they had heard.

The worship leader shared that some young people invited had heard the good news of the Gospel for the first time.

We give all praise to God for His awesome goodness and mercy and our grateful thanks to everyone for their prayers.

Sincere Praise Mission Trip to Athens & Thessaloni…22/05/25 – 29/05/25.

Day One // Thursday 22nd May

Rucksacks firmly on our backs we were on the move again. Luton Airport was becoming familiar territory to us. Two weeks ago we had left for Kosovo, today we were preparing to take an early morning flight to Athens. We were excited about what God was going to do. Trying not to look sleepy but with our best alert expressions on our faces we resolutely joined the long queue to check in.

We arrived in Athens to temperatures of 30 degrees. Our luggage was loaded onto the transport that was waiting for us and we begun the one hour journey to our accommodation in Kipseli Athens.

During the drive we were able to take in the scenery which was breathtakingly beautiful with mountain ranges in the distance and in front of them hills and land covered in lush green vegetation. Athens is nestled in a valley surrounded by several mountain ranges and hills.

We arrived at our destination aptly named the Victory Inn. God is truly in the detail!

After settling in and giving God thanks we took an unplanned reconnoiter around the local area before our evening meal. God had graciously given us a Selah period in which to pause and prepare for the meetings ahead.

Day Three // 4th May 2025

We awoke on Sunday morning to crisp fresh weather with light sunshine. As we entered the small church there was a sense of immense gratitude for all God has done during the two days that we have been here. The choir came together and prayed committing everything into God’s hands. We sensed His presence and His peace in a very real and tangible way.

As the choir sang the awesome presence of God filled the atmosphere. People came with open hearts and expectancy, the Lord did not disappoint.

The flow of the Holy Spirit carried people to another dimension. Rev Taylor brought the message from John chapter 15, Jesus the vine, we are the branches. Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that no external qualifications can set a person right with God – only a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can do that. As Revd Taylor shared the Word people opened their hearts to the message of hope and empowerment.

As Rev Taylor spoke under the anointing the spiritual atmosphere became charged, there was an evident change across the whole congregation. It was difficult to sit still and it was as if the wind of the Holy Spirit swept across the whole place and the entire congregation spontaneously stood to their feet., hands in the air proclaiming hallelujah! and clapping. It was as if a spirit of heaviness and all that is associated with it was broken. There was a real sense of freedom, joy and jubilation!

People who were previously reserved were smiling, hugging Revd Taylor, Sister Jenny and the choir members as if they did not want to let go.

Something tremendous had taken place, only eternity will be able to reveal it all. All the glory goes to God.