Short-Term Opportunities:
Asia Minor
Eastern Mediterranean
Overview
Come, and work with us alongside Turkish speakers, international students and migrant workers in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Play your part in what God is doing in the Eastern Mediterranean; learn about the culture, language and ministry in a Muslim context, and discern what God is doing in your own life.
There are only three or four Turkish speaking congregations and just a handful of workers on the island. The World Horizons team in the Eastern Mediterranean work with one of those churches and are committed to seeing it grow.
There are also thousands of international students and migrant workers from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa in the Eastern Mediterranean. The church hosts a weekly Bible study meeting in English which is geared towards international students. This has become a kind of second congregation and has opened up new doors of ministry.
Opportunities
Barista trainer
Help train local believers, students and ministry leaders in coffee-making skills. Experience in coffee-making is required.
Length: Various.
Time of year: Various.
Café volunteer
Serve at our Café on the island, help organise and take part in open mic nights and art exhibitions as well as developing your barista skills.
Length: Various.
Time of year: Various.
Opportunities
Ministry and Business Training Participant
Join a three-month, intensive, residential training programme with an additional three-month internship component working with a coffee roastery and a small natural wine production business.
Length: 3-6 months.
Time of year: Starts in September.
Winemaker
Help train local believers, students and ministry leaders in our wine production. Experience in winemaking required.
Length: Various.
Time of year: Various.
Information
Location
We work on an island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
People Group
Turkish speakers, international students and migrant workers from Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Culture
The south of the island is Greek-speaking and is a member of the European Union. The north side of the island is Turkish-speaking and predominantly Muslim. Only Turkey recognizes it as an independent nation. The rest of the world considers it to be occupied territory. Still, it has its own borders, for which you need a passport to cross. The official population is approximately 400,000, but that figure doesn’t take into account the large numbers of tourists that come and go throughout the year.
Team Vision
The vision is to ‘make disciples of all nations’ as the team use a coffee roastery and a small natural wine production company to help the church to grow on the island and beyond.
Information
Team Strategy
The World Horizons team in the Eastern Mediterranean are committed to doing ministry training with a focus on the Muslim World in the context of community. They have developed a ministry training programme which receives students from this region and beyond. The programme is a three-month, intensive, residential training with an additional three-month internship component. It is hosted on a peninsula on the Mediterranean coast at a hotel with a small organic farm and vineyard.
The ministry training has a business training component that helps sustain the work of the growing community and gives students a way to support themselves in ministry wherever they go. The team have started a coffee roastery and a small natural wine production. Students will learn skills related to coffee roasting as well as barista skills. The island is a coffee consuming culture, but there are no roasters focusing on high quality coffee, so the community hope to take advantage of that opportunity. In addition, the students will learn about the whole spectrum of wine making, including growing and harvesting grapes, making the wine, bottling, serving, and evaluating it.
The island has been making wine for 6,000 years as a vital part of its national culture and economy. For the community, this represents an opportunity to benefit the region by developing a business that has died out in their area of the island, and to build something that is already an authentic part of the culture.
Information
Cost
The approximate cost of the training programme is $350 per week per person plus flights and insurance. Costs include accommodation, food, mobile phone costs, transportation, ministry travel expenses, language lessons, toiletries, and a small admin fee towards the Eastern Mediterranean ministry fund.
Application Requirement
Those under 18 will need to apply and come with an adult who is responsible for them.
Anatolia
Overview
Come, and work with us among Turkish speakers, Arabic speaking refugees and minority ethnic groups.
We use arts and culture activities and classes to bring together those who know Jesus with those who have never heard of him. Placements would be particularly suitable for those with artistic and creative skills.
There are also opportunities to pray with the team and help with English conversation clubs. For those with basic level Arabic or a desire to learn the language, there is the opportunity to serve refugees and help disciple the growing Arabic speaking church in Ankara and nearby cities.
Opportunities
Artist in Residence
Exhibit your artwork and create new pieces at the The Mozaik Arts and Culture Centre. There is gallery space for solo, or group shows as well as an art studio. Join the team in hosting cultural events and workshops.
Length: 1-3 months.
Time of year: Various
* All participants will participate in team life, which may require serving in different ways regardless of your placement.
Opportunities
English language helper
Help ESL (English as a Second Language) learners improve their fluency by helping at English conversation clubs. Native English speakers only. ESL training or experience is an advantage, but not required.
Length: 2 weeks.
Time of year: Any.
* All participants will participate in team life, which may require serving in different ways regardless of your placement.
Opportunities
Skills Training and Discipleship (Arabic Ministry)
Turkey has the world’s largest population of Arab-background refugees and migrants. Teach vocational skills with the aim of improving participants’ job prospects. Working directly with our Arabic ministry leader, disciple new Christians in Ankara and other Turkish cities. Basic level Arabic is an advantage.
Length: 1-3 months.
Time of year: Various.
* All participants will participate in team life, which may require serving in different ways regardless of your placement.
Opportunities
Vision, prayer and worship
Come pray alongside the team, help break up the hard spiritual ground and prepare the way for new works to begin. Pray in Ankara and other Turkish cities. Particularly suitable for those seeking vision or inspiration for longer term ministry in Asia Minor.
Length: 2-3 weeks.
Time of year: Various.
* All participants will participate in team life, which may require serving in different ways regardless of your placement.
Information
Location
Ankara, Çanakkale, Istanbul and other central Anatolian provinces.
People Group
Turks, Arabs, Kurds, Arabic-speaking refugees from Syria and Iraq, Farsi-speaking refugees from Afghanistan and Iran.
Culture
Turkey sits between East and West, drawing elements from both to produce its own unique blend of culture. Arabic, Farsi and Kurdish are spoken in addition to Turkish.
Team Vision
To prayerfully serve together alongside the local church. To see believers discipled and new churches started among the Turkish people.
Information
Team Strategy
Ministry Training: Through both formal and informal means the team aim to see local Christians empowered to share the good news of Jesus Christ and start new churches.
Church Planting: The team look to develop church planting movements that support, strengthen, and multiply the existing church in Turkey.
Pioneering: The team connects with people on the margins of society, using creative means including visual story telling. The The Mozaik Arts and Culture Center in Ankara, run by the World Horizons in cooperation with local believers, is a place that brings together those who know Jesus and those who have never heard of him. The team are also engaged in prayer and compassion ministry with the vulnerable.
Information
Cost
The approximate cost is $225 per week per person plus flights and insurance. This includes accommodation, groceries and utilities, public transport, low personal costs, language learning and ministry travel.
Application Requirement
Those under 18 will need to apply and come with an adult who is responsible for them.
Get in Touch
If you’re interested in participating in one of our short-term opportunities in Northern Cyprus or Türkiye (Turkey), please complete the contact form below.