Vision Trip 2025: The Church in Türkiye
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My name is Ben Gerhardt, and I am a freshman at Covenant College. I want to 1) share with you an exciting opportunity that God has given me, and 2) invite you to partner with me in pursuing it through your prayers and financial support. In May 2025, I will be traveling to Türkiye (the Asia Minor of the New Testament) for an incredible opportunity to learn about God’s past and present work in that historically rich region. Through this vision trip, I will see how God's people around the world continue to worship, serve, and live out their faith in a multicultural, majority Muslim context.
Türkiye is a place where East meets West, both geographically and culturally. In this country, ancient cultures and traditions intersect with modern ideas and technology. I look forward to learning more about the history of this place, where much of the book of Acts and early church history unfolded, ancient church councils were held, and Christianity first became the religion of an empire. I will also have opportunities to explore this culturally rich area and where Christ's church continues to grow in a variety of different expressions.
These videos for prayer give a taste of the culture and people there:
I will be traveling to Türkiye as part of a cohort of twelve freshmen here at Covenant College, under the leadership of one of our professors. Our group will seek to understand where God is at work in this country, where more than 99% of the population identify as Muslim. We will meet with believers who are serving in creative ways, will also look for opportunities to serve and be channels of God’s truth and love throughout our travels.
What are the purposes of our trip?
- Celebration: We are thankful for all that we've learned in this first year of our studies at Covenant and look forward to applying some of that knowledge as we explore another part of God's world with our cohort. We hope to taste and see more of His goodness as we spend time as a community in this transformative setting.
- Information: As we meet with Christian and Muslim leaders in Türkiye, we will have opportunities to learn about the cultural/spiritual context of this largely-Muslim country. Much of early church history took place in this area, and we hope to grow in our understanding of our Christian heritage as we learn more about Türkiye's people and places.
- Exaltation: We will have opportunities to worship with our Turkish brothers and sisters, using indigenous songs and liturgies that have been developed in their context.
- Incarnation: We will have opportunities to spend time with local people, seeking natural opportunities to encourage believers and share the gospel in word and deed.
- Exploration: We will meet with local leaders to explore ways that individuals and congregations can partner in gospel work in that setting.
- Transformation: We are praying that the Lord will use the experiences and interactions on this trip to grow each of us in the grace and knowledge of Christ, and to further equip us to serve Him now and in the future.
In all of this, we are hopeful to get a glimpse of the Lord’s heart and vision for Türkiye!
If you would like to donate via check, make the check out to Covenant College, put "Ben Gerhardt's Vision Trip" in the memo line, and mail it to this address:
Dr. John Plating
14049 Scenic Highway
Lookout Mountain, Georgia 30750
Organizer
Ben Gerhardt
Organizer
Crystal Lake, IL