ABOUT KOINONIA

Greece is home to Muslim refugees from the Middle East heading to Europe. These refugees apply for refugee status here in Greece and get a European Schengen visa. The period of receiving a European visa depends on the case, but it takes about 3-7 years. Our organization’s primary goal is to help them encounter God and teach the knowledge of God so that they can grow up to be fully mature in Christ. We view them as immigrants. 

First, providing adults to attend the GMU Online seminary in California: 

Among them heading to Europe, we encourage them to study American online seminaries to be leaders or pastors for the refugees. These students must be able to speak and understand English and have a college diploma to enter the seminary.

Second, for teenagers with Christian education to those who cannot go to school during the refugee period. With ASCI (Association of Christian Schools International) Curriculum and focusing on TOEFL Junior and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

From elementary to high school students take classes from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The lesson starts on Monday with Chapel, then English, math, Farsi(their language), computer, Bible QT, and other activities as well.

Kelly and Fred Shin were sent to Turkey as missionaries in 2015 sent by a local church in Los Angeles. Later in 2018, a friend in Greece invited them to Greece for a smartphone workshop for refugees. The mission field for them was moved to Greece in 2019 to educate the good news to Muslims and to train leaders among them. They started to recruit refugees who were willing to study God's word and sent them to the GMU online university in California. In 2020 right before the Pandemic, they started sending four Farsi language students to the seminary providing them shelter and all the necessities to study.

In November 2021, they formed a nonprofit organization in California named "Koinonia Education Center." "Koinonia" is Greek. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, it means  1: the Christian fellowship or body of believers, 2: intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community. However, Kelly and Fred named it for all of the lost souls to restore relations with God.

Koinonia Vision Statement:

To be a community of servant believers; grounded in the word of God; trained and equipped to witness to the world, and bound together by our love for Jesus Christ.

Mission Statement:

Building disciples and inspiring Academic Excellence through biblically-based education.

-To teach God’s word

-To train and equip God’s people for service

-To guide our children, youth, and adults in a spiritual formation process relevant to their need

-To connect with the community through outreach and evangelism with the hope that all will come to know the love of God and God’s will for their lives

-To present the gospel of Jesus Christ in such a way that turns non-Christians into converts, converts into disciples, who will turn go into the world and teach others for Christ.