Zodhiates, Spiros: - Spiros Zodhiates was born March 13, 1922 to Greek parents on the island of Cyprus. After completing his Greek education, he attended the American University in Cairo, Egypt, The National Bible Institute, and New York University. He earned his Doctor of Theology degree from Luther Rice Seminary. In addition, Dr. Zodhiates was the recipient of several honorary doctorates.
While serving in the British Army in Cairo, Egypt, Zodhiates received The Voice of the Gospel, a magazine published by The American Committee for the Evangelization of the Greeks. To pass the time, he decided to write an article for the magazine. He wrote it in English and, not thinking about it, wrote the accompanying letter in Greek. When they realized they had found someone who loved the Lord and knew both languages, they invited him to come to America in 1946.
In 1966, they elected Zodhiates as president of what is now called AMG International (Advancing the Ministries of the Gospel). Under his leadership, AMG grew from a small ministry focusing on the land of Greece to a worldwide evangelistic and relief ministry. AMG International provides a wide range of social services, including care for orphans and leprosy patients, and has an expanding evangelistic thrust of advertising the message of the gospel through paid newspaper and magazine gospel messages in many lands and languages. His mission was the regeneration of souls, but he did not ignore the physical needs of the people he met.
The author of over 200 books and booklets in English, as well as 82 in Greek, Zodhiates started a book house, AMG Publishers, which has since grown into a significant producer of Bibles and Christian books.
On October 10, 2009, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates was called home by his Heavenly Father. Throughout his six decades of leadership, Dr. Zodhiates demonstrated a profound commitment to the Word of God and a singular focus on accomplishing his calling faithfully. His style was marked by frugal stewardship, great enthusiasm, entrepreneurial courage and unexpected generosity.