Coffee Talk
With Marc & Denise Atchley

If you've seen the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) you may remember a scene where Ian meets Toula's family ... the entire family!  The scene is set at Dancing Zorba's, the family restaurant, and opens with Toula trying to teach Ian a typical Greek Easter greeting, "Χριστός ανέστη!" (Chris-TOS a-NES-ti!), and the response "Αληθώς ανέστη!" (Ali-THOS a-NES-ti!). The joke is how Ian butchers the pronunciation.  But what we found so interesting when we first saw this film (with no idea that we would ever be moving to Greece!) was that the common greeting wasn't "Happy Easter", though "Καλό Πάσχα" (Ka-LO PAS-ka) is used somewhat.  Rather, throughout the Eastern Orthodox world, folks great each other on Easter (or Pascha) with "Christ is risen!" and the response, "He is risen indeed!"  For some it may have no more significance than saying "God bless you!" when someone sneezes.  But the believer's hope hangs on that one simple fact, "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!"  And what a wonderful tradition to proclaim this truth to everyone we meet on Easter Sunday!

One Formula, Two Calendars, the Sun and Moon
As we prepare ourselves for life and ministry in Greece, we're learning that there are a number of differences in the way that we as typical American Protestant Christians celebrate Easter in comparison to those in the Greek Orthodox Church.  The date is a good example!  Our church, like other Western churches (Roman Catholic and Protestant) celebrated Easter on April 1.  But for the Eastern Orthodox Church, April 1 marked Palm Sunday, with Pascha following on April 8.  Why the difference?       

Interestingly, both churches - East and West - use the same formulation set out by the First Council of Nicea in 325: "The first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal (Spring) equinox."  But they use different calendars.  For purposes of establishing the date for Pascha, the Eastern churches continue to use the Julian calendar first introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar.  Churches in the West, however, use the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 (and now in general use around the world).  Additionally, Eastern churches use the fixed date of March 21 on the Julian calendar (currently April 3 on the Gregorian calendar) for the vernal equinox, whereas churches in the West use a more astronomically accurate time for vernal equinox which may be March 20 or 21 on the Gregorian calendar.

This difference in dates is just one of many things that divide Eastern and Western churches.  Yet when we consider the nominalism of "Christians" all over, as well as the growing number of un-churched, it's evident that churches East and West desperately need revival.  Not a revival meeting ... but a Spirit-borne awakening, a reformation, that produces repentance and living faith in individuals and in families, churches, communities and nations.  For years, our church (Christ Covenant) has encouraged the formation of "revival prayer" groups to pray specifically for revival.  And we want to see this happening in Greece as well!  If you are interested in joining a revival prayer group or would like to learn more about starting your own, please let us know!

April has been an incredible month for having meaningful conversations with Greeks and Greek-Americans about the risen Christ and the need for a personal relationship with Him.  And through each friendship God is deepening our love for Greece and confirming our call to ministry there.

One pair of friends is an American pastor and his Greek wife who have lived and ministered in Greece, and who are good friends with many of the Greek Evangelicals in Athens.  They have been so encouraging and helpful as we have sought to raise awareness and funding for this ministry.  Other friends are Greek Orthodox who we've come to know at Greek School or through other means. In different settings these friends have listened thoughtfully as we described our desire to see Greece experience a Spiritual revival.  It's obvious to most that Greeks (and Americans, for that matter) cannot look to government or other institutions to solve their problems.  Our position is that the only hope for society and its institutions is for individuals to have a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  And so our aim is to help people - Greek, refugees, whomever -- to know Christ in a personal, intimate way.

Sevier Heights

Marc's mother is a long-time member of Sevier Heights Baptist Church (Knoxville, TN), a large, faithful congregation committed to reaching Knoxville and beyond for Christ.  After she spoke with Pastor Holly Miller and Missions Pastor David Powell about our plans, we were soon contacted by Mr. Powell and invited to meet with the church's Missions Committee.  We had a terrific time with them this past Tuesday, 24 April, talking about the needs and opportunities in Greece and the ways in which God had prepared us for ministry in that context.  The Committee was very encouraging and expressed their desire to support us in prayer and perhaps financially should their missions budget allow.  We look forward to their partnership, and pray that the Lord will grow their love for His work in Greece!

Mountain Fellowship

This past Sunday, 29 April, we visited the congregation of Mountain Fellowship (Signal Mountain, TN), one of the sister churches in our Presbytery, and were given the opportunity to share about our call to Greece.  It was a wonderful time of study and worship!  In Sunday school Pastor Jimmy Davis led us through an exploration of Psalm 78, which reminds us to remember, to trust, and to obey (v. 7).  Then in the worship service he taught from Psalm 110 and Colossians 3, both of which describe Christ's sovereign rule as King.  This is especially relevant to us as our plans of relocating to Greece this summer are in question.  Rather than allow disappointment and discouragement to dictate our attitude, we have to remember that the risen Christ is enthroned in heaven and will accomplish all of His purposes ... in his own time.  We need only trust him and, with the Spirit's strength, remain faithful.

We had a number of pleasant and encouraging conversations with church members and we're excited to keep in touch with them as we continue on this journey.  We will look for a decision from the Missions Committee a bit later in the year and, as with other churches, will pray that the Lord put in their heart a passion for His work in Greece.

Mark and Denise Atchley
TEAM