2024, Greece

Introducing our Team Leader, Abby: I’m blessed to be able to lead this team to Greece! My husband and I were able to go on last year’s trip so when the Lord presented the opportunity to go again and lead, I was thrilled to have the opportunity! I really feel a connection with the people there and am excited to continue building the relationships. I’m an elementary teacher in Grand Rapids and love to do anything social with friends on my free time. My husband and I have been at Calvary Church 3 years now and we love all the ways we can get connected!

Introducing our Spiritual Leader, Sheri: I’m excited to take this step of faith, following God’s leading to be part of and serve The Church in Athens this summer! I know He has gone before us and will be with us and I pray to be an encouragement to the believers there! I’m so grateful to have grown up in Calvary Church and now my husband and I even get to attend alongside our kids and grandkids!

Introducing our Logistical Leader, Victor: I’m thrilled about our mission trip to Greece! I can’t wait to witness how God will work through our team to share His story. It’s an incredible blessing to be chosen as the Logistical Leader, and I’m ready to obediently follow wherever He leads. This trip is even more special as it’s my first mission journey with my wife by my side. Together, we’re eager to serve and experience God’s grace in new ways. During my free time, you can find me cheering on the Red Wings and Lions, enjoying a round of golf or a game of pickleball, and capturing moments through my passion for photography.

Introducing our Communications Coordinator, Holly: I am so excited to get this opportunity to serve God and the children of Pangrati with my husband, Victor. This is our first (of hopefully many) mission trip we are going on together.  I am eager to see how He uses us, works within in us, and grows us closer to each other and to Him, while in Greece. Victor and I love to travel and have been to Asia, South America, and all over North America. This will be our first time in Europe together.  We will miss our dog, Trace while we are away.

Introducing our Communications Coordinator, Noor: I am so excited and blessed to be able to go on this trip. I remember being told about this trip and I just hoped that God would give me the opportunity to go! Through a lot of prayer and hope he gave me the opportunity! Although I do have some nerves about going I know that through prayer and the support of our amazing group and the all our loved ones back home will all be okay! I enjoy going on walks with my dog, journaling, and hanging out with my friends. I’m excited to see all the ways God uses me and our team to show his love to the people of Pangrati!!

Introducing team member, Lydia: Due to unexpected life circumstances, I never would’ve guessed that God would call me to serve in Greece this summer. I faithfully obeyed God’s command for me to apply and when I got accepted, I knew that it would have to be his strength alone to guide me through this amazing opportunity. Getting to go with my husband has made my excitement for experiencing a new culture and serving alongside God’s people all the greater. When I’m not busy traveling to unexpected countries (haha), I enjoy going to broadway shows, trying new local coffee shops, and spending time with my husky.

Introducing team member, Carson: When I was asked to pray about applying for this trip, I was a bit apprehensive. However, after some prayer, my wife (Lydia) and I felt confident the Lord was asking us to apply and let Him decide the path forward. Now that we’re preparing to leave, I couldn’t be more excited to see what the Lord is going to do through this trip.
I’ve been on staff at Calvary for five years and am thrilled to be able to serve a different part of God’s Church with my wife this summer! When I’m not working on some music at Calvary, I’m probably hanging out with Lydia and our husky.

Introducing team member, Stephen: I am blessed to have the opportunity to go to Greece. As a young Christian, getting to see the Gospel work in real time has been a beautiful thing. Going to Mars Hill and being in the place that the apostle Paul did his teaching was a surreal experience. Seeing God work has been great, and I cannot wait to finish out the trip strong!

Emmanuel & Bethany Tsoutsas: Emmanuel & Bethany met at a refugee community center that Emmanuel managed in 2016 and married in October 2018. During the six months prior to their wedding, while Emmanuel worked with refugees in Athens and Bethany prepared to leave her home state of Arkansas, both felt a strong desire to explore the possibility of church planting, as they believe in the power of the gospel to transform lives through the work of the local church. After months of praying, they felt called to stay in Greece and were invited to join the church planting efforts of the Evangelical Church of Glyfada in Pangrati shortly after their wedding. The new church plant launched in 2021 and was particularized in the spring of 2024.

Liz & Sean Thelen: Liz and Sean have been serving as missionaries in Athens, Greece for three years. Their first two years were focused on language school, and now they are serving full-time with Pangrati Church, which is a church supported by Calvary through the Jerusalem Project. Officially, Sean is the Facilities Coordinator of the church, but wears many hats within our growing community of faith. It’s such a joy to work alongside a team from Calvary to help with putting on a VBS, and they can’t wait to see what the Lord does through their efforts! Liz is helping with the Pangrati Project coordination by helping with event set-up and scheduling as well as some administrative duties for the church.