We have already entered the last month of the year.

As the year-end approaches, I think of the Church Planters who have left their hometowns and are living as refugees. At this time, we will connect with Worker John Kim, who is assisting six local Church Planters in Türkiye, to hear about the situation on the ground.

Simon Lee

Hello, John.

John Kim

Nice to meet you. I’m worker John Kim. It’s a pleasure to meet you all through this video.

Simon Lee

First, could you tell us about your ministry?

John Kim

Yes, my wife and I, along with our two children, began refugee ministry in Türkiye in 2014. About three or four years later, we fully transitioned to working with Afghan refugees. Over the past seven years, we have supported various ministries, such as planting churches and establishing schools for Afghan refugees.

Simon Lee

What motivated you to undertake this ministry?

John Kim

I was originally doing ministry in Iran before coming to Türkiye, where I noticed there were many Afghan refugees but few people serving them. God gave me a new calling to serve the vulnerable refugees, which led me to transition to the Afghan ministry.

Simon Lee

Who are the local Church Planters you are coordinating with?

John Kim

I primarily coordinate six local Church Planters. While we are not an official denomination yet, we aim to form a community church called Afghan Hope Church. Although the churches are scattered across various regions, they share the same name, Afghan Hope Church. These local churches, under that name, are led by some of the local Church Planters who collaborate with us at SWM

The local Church Planters include Zobeir in Istanbul, Omid in Yalova, Brother Muhammad Saftari in Afyon, Mehdi in Belizik, Hasan and his wife Akram in Chorum, and Mortazad, a single brother, in Aksaray.

Angela, along with her sister, leads a house church with Brother Zuma and is currently in Pakistan. Angela is a member of the Afghan Hope Church and came to believe in Jesus after watching a Jesus film. We think she encountered Jesus through one of those films.

As for Akram and Hassan, they are an Iranian couple faithfully serving in the Afghan ministry. They are leading the online ministry Last Call. Most Last Call team members are in Pakistan, and they actively manage and lead the ministry online. This year, we have aimed to not only conduct online ministry but also plant house churches in Islamabad and the surrounding areas where they are residing.

Simon Lee

Do you have any plans for the future?

John Kim

Thankfully, we were able to plant a house church in Islamabad. We connected with believers there and began teaching them. We visited their homes and gathered 15 to 20 people from nearby households to hold house church services. They have already been meeting for several months, taking turns weekend gatherings in their homes.

In 2025, our Last Call team plans to focus on church planting and outreach. We also hope to plant house churches in various European cities. We’ve received some new supporters for this mission, and eight of our Church Planters are prepared.

In February next year, my wife and I plan to visit Pakistan for a worker retreat and a baptism ceremony for new believers. While there is some fear due to frequent security issues and terrorist attacks in Pakistan, we are more filled with hope and anticipation for the wave of new life that God will bring.

Please pray and partner with us for the church planting ministry of Afghan Hope Church in Pakistan. Thank you.

Simon Lee

Thank you. There are people working hard to plant churches and share the gospel in these areas. For those born and raised in the Muslim world but now living solely with their eyes on Jesus, our small support can make a big difference.

At this time of the year, why not share your warm hearts with them? This was Simon Lee from SWM.