Engage Greece
Engage Greece, located in Thessaloniki, is for students who want to spend significant time overseas pursuing missions work but don’t want to get behind in university course work. The program is the perfect combination of schooling and ministry in Europe. The threefold mission is to push students to excel in academics, cultural immersion, and personal ministry. The program lasts three months and gives young people the chance to live overseas and pursue their vocation. Consider the benefits of three months abroad – not only will you walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through the streets of Thessaloniki, but you will make your own mark on this ancient city. You will build friendships that last a lifetime. You will fight for social justice. You will have moments that make you stop and think, “I can’t believe I get to do this.”
Service Opportunities
Engage Students Spend 15-25 Hours Weekly in Service through:
Campus Ministry: Thessaloniki is a huge university city, and home to the largest university in Greece and the Balkans. In a city of over 1.1 million people, there are approximately 150,000 university students! Our Engage students spend time each week doing cultural interviews on campus, hosting connect groups, parties, and events for young adults, and building meaningful relationships with students in order to connect them to our long term team and Zoe family.
Zoe Church: We passionately believe that a church can change a city! Zoe Church was launched in 2012 and is a unique church in our city. We have weekly services in both English and Greek with modern worship, opportunities to show compassion and meet needs in our community, connect groups where we can grow in our friendships and faith, and events throughout the month that are great for building community and inviting friends. Engage students are a vital part of the Zoe family, serving in their area of gifting, such as kids ministry, worship, social media, or more. Engage students are also a bridge from the university to the church.
Compassion / Social Justice Projects: Though campus ministry and Zoe Church are the primary ministry focuses for Engage students, throughout your time here, there will likely be an opportunity to be involved in some sort of compassion or social justice project. For example, we partner with A21 in the fight against human trafficking. Engage students have the opportunity to learn about human trafficking with a red light district tour and may also get the chance to serve alongside A21 with occasional awareness events such as the Walk for Freedom, the A21 exhibit at the International Film Fest, and informational sessions for refugees on how to protect their families from trafficking. (Please note that we are not in control of these events and participate as the opportunities arise.)
Excursions: In addition to exploring and touring the biblical city of Thessaloniki (where the program is based) with its rich history and stunning scenery, students will have the opportunity to visit various historically significant sites including Athens, Philippi, and Meteora.
Engage Greece Dates and Cost
Fall Semester (Sep – Dec) $4,500
Spring Semester (Feb – May) $4,500
Summer Internship (May – June) $2,500
Due to visa restrictions, Engage Greece students can stay a maximum of 3 months. Students desiring to continue in the Engage program longer than 3 months can transfer to another site after completing the Greece program. Engage Greece requires a minimum stay of 6 weeks, but is able to customize the length of stay anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months to fit your availability. Contact us if you need the length of stay customized and we can let you know the cost and if housing is available for your request dates.
Engage Fees Do Not Cover: airfare to and from the site, personal pocket money, personal travel before, during, or after the Engage program, and personal toiletries and entertainment. Students will individually purchase plane tickets, however, the Site Directors will provide instruction and guidance in purchasing tickets.
Please Note: Engage fees do not cover student’s university fees and tuition.