EBT Missions and Missionaries

Ed Fort, DMin
Inner-City Chicago Illinois

Edward and Sokvary Fort are unaffiliated, historic Baptist missionaries to Foreigners on the Northside of the city of Chicago since September 1976. They have been commissioned and sent by the Empire Baptist Temple, Sioux Falls, SD.

The Extreme Northside of the City of Chicago is exceptionally diverse with many immigrants and many illegal peoples who have come to this area of the city. 52% of the adults in the Inner City of Chicago cannot read in the English language. It the goal and vision of Edward and Sokvary Fort to have gospel material in every language possible to reach as many people possible with a gospel message in tract form and more if possible. To date they have translated gospel tracts into multiple dozens of foreign languages.

Their mission church is unique in that they attempt to reach the unreached and those among whom Christ has not been named. This includes Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Animists and the World in their Neighborhood. They have services like a church but also allow for special circumstances that will result in an individual’s life who has been saved out of Buddhism, Hinduism, or Islam and the baggage that they bring in their lives. These people cannot readily serve the Lord and are hindered by Family and Culture to fit into a traditional Church setting.

Edward and Sokvary presently have people in their storefront mission church who speak the following languages: Dinka, Hindi, Nepali, Dzongka, Burmese, S’gaw Karen, Tedim, Hakha, Falam, Spanish, Zotung, Thai, Cambodian, Akanese, Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda and of course English. They preach and teach in English but use an assortment of interpreters which fluctuates from service to service. They have bibles and tracts in many world languages and use some of them in every service. They never know what language a new person visiting will bring into the church. They are there to match the challenges that a Babylonian environment like Chicago will throw at them and with the Grace of God and the wisdom of God they will translate materials into many new languages and have them available for others to use also. What an exciting time to live in and what an exciting ministry to be directly involved in. Thank God for this amazing ministry at this time in history.