A Global Heart for the Gospel
Steve Sharp’s Story
Hi, I’m Steve Sharp. My wife, Gaylynne, and I have been members at CityBridge for about 10 years. We live in Wylie, and our Global Heart Ministries U.S. office is located in Plano at The Hope Center. We also have two offices overseas focused on reaching Central Asia and the Middle East.
What you just saw in the video is a glimpse of how our overseas team is serving in some of the most unreached Muslim nations in the world. In fact, I just returned a couple of weeks ago from Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan to the north. While I was there, I visited one of the few legal churches in the region. The city leaders had installed seven cameras around the entrances and exits to capture facial recognition of every believer attending. They even placed two cameras inside the worship center to monitor those worshiping.
One pastor, however, responded with incredible faith. He looked behind him and said, “Jesus is coming soon. Look… He is right behind us.”
From Small-Town Roots to a Global Calling
When I reflect on my childhood growing up in Oklahoma, I’m filled with gratitude. I had the blessing of godly parents and a loving church. I understood the world through the lens of John 3:16. Jesus called me to follow Him at age 9, and by age 13, He called me to share the Gospel with the world. The example set by my parents and other believers in our small-town church deeply influenced my life.
Like many, I went through some rebellious teenage years and drifted in and out of fellowship with Jesus. Even then, I knew He was near and that He cared for me. But I didn’t fully grasp what it meant to walk with Him daily.
At 19, I began singing and sharing my testimony in churches and at secular venues across Oklahoma and the U.S. Reaching the lost was always on my heart. Even in secular settings, I found ways to share the hope of Jesus. I wrote worship songs for churches I served as a worship pastor and helped believers around the world worship Jesus in their own languages and with their own instruments.
Reaching the Unreached with Creative Tools
Over the years, God has given me some creative ways to share His message. I traveled for years as a Christian concert artist and co-founded the Power Team—some of you may remember them. But it was in 1999 that I clearly felt God's call to bring the message of Christ to the hardest-to-reach nation in the world: Turkmenistan, a completely closed Muslim country on Iran’s northern border. At the time, I didn’t even know what a Muslim was.
To reach Turkmenistan and other nations, Global Heart Ministries spent 14 years producing and broadcasting the first-ever Christian television content in the region. We broadcast on four satellite TV systems, reaching millions of viewers every week.
Today, our overseas videographers and graphic designers create powerful social media content designed to reach people at their most vulnerable—when they are suicidal, abused, or desperate for healing. Our team provides counseling, and many people encounter Jesus in dreams. Hundreds reach out to our national team members to learn more, receive a free Bible, and discover the full truth of the Gospel. We disciple new believers and equip existing ones to train others.
A Church That Fuels the Mission
Gaylynne and I are incredibly encouraged in our walk with Jesus through CityBridge. We’ve found deep community in our group and meaningful opportunities to serve—especially through the Men’s Bible studies. We also see the love, training, and discipleship at CityBridge as a model for churches in countries like Iran, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.
Please pray with us. Our vision is bold: that the message of Jesus would become an unstoppable force in Central Asia and the Middle East.
