Filipus Program Details:
Timeline: Filipus is a ten month program beginning in September and running until the end of June.
Residential: Participants accepted into the Filipus program are required to come to Ankara to be in community with other program participants and Filipus staff. Parts of the program will involve travel to other cities as well as to another country but the base is always Ankara.
Provision:
Filipus is a ministry that continues by God's provision. Those involved in helping run this program—administrators, teachers, mentors, or various ministry partners—volunteer their services and their time, trusting that God will provide for their needs. Basic living expenses of program participants, such as room and board, are provided for through the generosity of the wider body of Christ.
We are so grateful for partners from around the world who make this ministry possible. Please contact us if this is something that you feel you or your group would like to invest in.
Structure:
The first eight months consist of a rhythm of early morning devotions, followed classes which run from 10:00-13:00, each topic lasting for a week or two.
Afternoons are spent engaged in group prayer sesssions, outreach and mercy ministries, practical skills training, cleaning, or meeting with mentors.
Evenings are generally open for homework, joining church activities, connecting with friends, or for relaxing. At least one night a week is reserved for a Filipus family dinner at one of the Filipus properties or at a staff home.
Following the initial rhythm of class, ministry, prayer, and fellowship comes an in-country internship where participants travel to other cities around the country to serve with a church community or a para-church ministry different from their own.
During internships participants have opportunity to apply what they have been learning in Filipus with a greater level of responsibility as they serve the wider body of Christ in Turkey. The internship is an opportunity to learn and grow by experiencing a different environment, structure, and community.
The final portion of the Filipus program is an out-of-country internship. Partcipants travel together to a neighbouring country and for three weeks serve together with partner churches and ministries. In the past, Filipus program participants have traveled to Bulgaria, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Cyprus and Armenia.
Holidays:
There are two week-long holidays in the course of the Filipus program. One to break up the classes portion of the program and another before the students head off to their interships.
*Note: The exact dates tend to vary from year to year.
Requirements for program participants:
• Must have made a commitment to Jesus as Lord and saviour for more than one year.
• Must be baptised.
• Must commit to a lifestyle of prayer, study, ministry, community, and faithfulness.
• Must be able and willing to set aside other obligations and responsibilities (such as school or work) for the full ten months in order to be able to engage fully with the program without feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from other participants.
• Must be able and willing to abstain from alcohol, tobacco products, and the pursuit of dating relationships for the duration of the program. Participants are expected to commit to a higher standard of holy living for the duration of the program in order to focus more intentionally on God and the Filipus family, and in order to present a good testimony to others.
• No illicit drug use, immoral sexual practice, or violence will be tolerated.
• Room and board is provided for participants formally accepted into the program but personal expenses (clothing, telephone packages, hair cuts, etc.) are to be found by the participants—either through personal savings, support from family, friends, or a church, or through some other means.