11 October 2013 Tirana, Albania [Julian Kastrati & Dea Përtafi, tedNEWS] There was great anticipation in Albania leading up to the weekend of 4-6 October 2013 as many people looked forward to the follow-up of the ‘Connect to Escape’ series, featuring Dr. Miroslav Pujic, Trans-European Division Ministry to Postmoderns Director and the leader of LIFEconnect (LC) Social Media Evangelism. Following its hugely successful launch back in March 2013 the LC STREAM event had 130 people attend its reprise. Pastors and church members from Central Albania (Tirana, Durrës and Elbasan) invited their unchurched friends, who outnumbered church members in the packed auditorium at Hotel Tirana International.
Under the theme ‘Connect to Escape’, the three evenings covered the following topics: “When the world is collapsing, what to do?’ (Faith), ‘How to escape corruption’ (Integrity) and ‘Being wrong isn’t that bad’ (Choices).
“I was very impressed by the practicality and usefulness of the topics,” said Denisa Sinanaj, a Psychology major from Elbasan. For the third evening’s presentation, she said, “I’ll always remember the five steps I have to take in order to recover from a wrong choice.”
Aldo Dervishi, a Sociology student from Elbasan was particularly appreciative of the exercises to exhibit integrity, thus discouraging corruption. “If only all people practised these principles…the world we live in would drastically change. ”
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Reminiscing on the weekend event, Linda Çepani Gjika, a professor at Tirana University’s Faculty of Economics, felt that “there was a blessing in the programme for everyone, irrespective of their age and walk of life. All felt free to share their experiences and all benefited from the Bible-based principles, so eloquently presented by Dr Pujic.”
Pastor Sergio N. Borges added, “Needless to say, Dr Pujic’s presentations and his didactic approach were greatly appreciated by the audience; moreover, we have been blessed through these series to extend our network of evangelistic contacts.”
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“Once again we give praise to the Lord for the successful follow-up of the ‘Connect to Escape’ series,” shared a very enthusiastic Pastor Julian Kastrati, who was largely responsible for the event. “Seeing all of our churches benefit directly from the large number of visitors is indeed encouraging and overwhelming. This programme’s appeal has reached beyond Albania’s borders. Just to illustrate: it was particularly moving to receive a message from Qashif Imeri, who reported that thirty-four Albanians in diaspora convened in one room in Offenbach, Germany, praying for the blessings of the Tirana event.” “We have been doubly blessed this year with ‘Connect to Escape’ and the good news is: there’s yet more to come!” said Dea Përtafi, a committed LIFEconnect Albania activist, referring to the upcoming 6-8 December meetings in the same venue.
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Asked for his comments, Pastor Leo N. España, President of the Albanian Mission, said, “We are very grateful to our God because once again the event proved to be successful! People who attended the ‘Connect to Escape’ series were welcomed in a friendly and cozy environment, where they had the opportunity to make new friends, share personal experiences and learn about God’s word and His plan of salvation. People of all ages had a delightful time in fellowship. The variety of formats included in the programme made it possible for pastors and church members to interact with their invitees through discussions and reflections.” In his appeal to the church and pastoral team, Pastor España concluded, “Let us continue to pray and work to follow up this evangelistic initiative that will lead more Albanians to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour!”
For more information about LIFEconnect as a Social Media evangelistic platform and the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Albania, please visit www.lifeconnect.info and www.adventist.al. [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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