Albanian Visit

In October 2008 as I drove through Albania with David my son-in-law I felt quite clearly the Lord giving me a mandate for Albania. This nation was raped by the regime that fell in 1991, as it emerges from the extreme poverty that communism left behind, Corruption, Mafia, Islam and Evangelical Christianity have all found ways to make their mark. I believe that Albania is considered the poorest nation in Europe. (Wikipedia offers valuable information about Albania)
It is estimated that as many as 1.5 million Albanians have left the country to work elsewhere, many are now in Italy or Greece, throughout Europe, the UK & the USA. This is where most money comes from as family members on the outside often send support to their families on the inside.

About 10 years ago it was estimated that there was a Christian Missionary for every 50 people in the country.
The situation today is that the mosques have re-established their presence; in some area’s the Catholic Church has regained old ground; Politicians are considered corrupt; Mafia is menacingly strong and the Evangelical / Pentecostal / Charismatic churches are generally small & scattered.

Shkoder: Northern Albania
This is the city I have touched the most. I believe Shkoder is typical of many of the cities of Albania.
Shkoder, I am told has a population of approaching 150,000. It is in the North of the country and close to the border with Montenegro. It is a pleasant city, sitting on a large lake, and close to the sea. Many of the residents have moved down from mountain villages and are very much Country-folk. It is the ancient capital of kingdom of Illyricum. see Romans 15:19

There are large Mosques, Orthodox and Catholic churches. There is a university; it is a corner shop & street market society. There are Mormons and Jehovah’s witnesses. There are 5 Evangelical / Pentecostal or Charismatic churches; A Baptist; A Brethren and 3 other unaffiliated congregations that have shades of difference yet are very similar to the sort of thing we would be familiar with. These groups are led by a mixture of locals & missionaries. They would probably total about 150 on a good day!

One of the things you notice is the number of people just walking around! There are many groups of men, sitting in a corner coffee house with their Macchiato (or Turkish coffee). Cars are either very old or pretty new Mercedes & 4X4’s! There are building projects, both houses and apartments everywhere, yet the majority still live in dilapidated apartment buildings dating back to the time of the regime. I know for sure there are many families with little money, living in poverty.

The Church:
The Church has been built on a missionary ethos; Missionaries started the church, handed over to locals who are often fairly young people. Most churches are of a western style of leadership, management and ethos and are dependant upon the skills of a key leader. I observe that in Shkoder the 3 Evangelical / Pentecostal / Charismatic are very similar, all have good relationship with one another, they are now face some struggles due to this DNA.
The group I have most connected with are facing a crisis. They are growing a little, Lynn (my wife) & I have just spent a week with this church and about 40 people where in the Sunday meeting. We spent time with the Pastor & his family, Lynn did an “Innovative women” event, I spoke in the church, together we did a marriage seminar and I met with many of the people informally for coffee.

The Pastor is young, married with 2 children and been the victim of a Blood feud for the past 3 years. The Feud has no end in sight and therefore he, his 8 year old son, brother & father are all supposed to be housebound! In his absence, his wife plays a significant role.

Klodi & Alketa are really good friends, they invited & introduced me to Shkoder. Klodi sees me as his spiritual father and has a very open heart towards me. They are like associates/assistants to the Pastor but due to the blood feud situation it is very difficult for all. Klodi usually leads worship, preaches and cares for the pressing needs of the flock. As this is posted on the internet, I ask you to simply consider this situation and realise the pressures and challenge this is to all involved. It’s difficult. I have offered to assist. I am seeking to have an on-going conversation and input. The Pastor is very pre-occupied with the blood feud, which is understandable.

The second group we are connected with is led by a group of 3 Elders, one of whom is also the Pastor… they are about 30 people and have a connection with a UK Baptist church. These elders feel a great challenge as they have only seen 2 people saved in 2 years and they are seeking the Lord concerning the way ahead. The Pastor also approached me as a father figure in his life. I know the other Elders a little and have met them for coffee. I also know the youth leader, he and his wife have connected with me ... There is also a connection with Campus Crusade!
During last week’s visit I was able to visit Tirana twice. On these occasions I made a number of significant contacts. We were asked by the leader of one church to visit and conduct a marriage / couples seminar. I also met a young man who is also a very gifted guy and desires a vision that will change a nation.

My Strategy.
The Lord said “Go through open doors” – this is an open door. I have no desire to personally build a church in Albania but I have a vision to establish a network of sons and daughters who desire something of the new and release these young men & women into full-blooded spirituality that is Jesus centred. I believe this will result in a church in every street, Pastors in every apartment building and a tidal wave of new Christians. I therefore plan to be in Albania at least 4 times a year. I will see if I can find a location to meet with people interested in developing this vision. We will then hang out together for some days, talk, pray & worship (and probably drink large quantities of coffee) together. There is great potential for a massive network of small churches.

Also:
Klodi has a vision to help the poor. He already does some of this through Eastern European Outreach a Dutch based mission. This is the sort of Evangelism I like and a key to the way ahead. I am looking to see if we can develop some assistance to offer schooling and support poor families. We currently support a widow with 6 children, we would like to expand this to many more families. I am also proposing creating work teams of unemployed young people to go & paint, clean, repair and restore the homes of older people. We can buy wood burning stoves for about 160€ that would enable people to be warm in the winter.

All of these require finance….
I am looking for families who might give each month to assist a poor family.
I am looking for people who might pay each month to help with school fees.
I am looking for people who might contribute to Klodi’s expenses each month as they too struggle to survive.
Every visit to Albania currently costs us about 750€ … I am looking for people who would donate resources to assist our team as we head into Albania to restore the ancient paths.

Finally
This summer we are looking at establishing a summer camp for young people. The 15 -25 age group. None of the young people have any income and we are looking at a cost of about 1000€. I am also looking for 5-10 young people to come over and be a part of this so if you know any who are interested – please let me know.

Next week I am off to the UK for a week.