12 December 2012 Tirana, Albania [Julian Kastrati, tedNEWS] On the Saturday of December 1st, Adventist believers and seekers from all churches and groups throughout Albania convened at the last Festival of Faith for the year, celebrating the wondrous works of the Holy Spirit.
Pr. Leo N. España, Albanian Mission (ALM) President, in his year-end report exclaimed: “2012, what a blessed year for the Church in Albania!” He was referring to the highest number of baptisms to be recorded (21) in the last 15 years. “We thank God for His many blessings,” said España. “It has been wonderful to see how the Holy Spirit has worked in the hearts of the people through the work of pastors and church members who have been dynamic in their participation of the proclamation of the gospel.”
The congregation showed solidarity for the illegally imprisoned Adventist pastor and church member in Togo.
Pr Espana concluded: “Amid songs of praise, preaching, reports, meditation, fasting and humble prayers, our church has met today seeking for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We know there is still much to be done. As our Lord Jesus said in Luke 10:2 “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few” (NKJV).
“We are very excited to report that ADRA Albania and the Church in Albania are working together on a special Christmas project”, said Dr. Beatrice C. Kastrati, ADRA Country Director. “For the first time ever, Albanian children are joining German and Austrian children in giving Christmas parcels to poor and vulnerable children throughout the country. The annual distribution of thousands of Christmas parcels, kindly provided through ADRA Germany and ADRA Austria, is regularly highlighted on national and local television. “Here’s an excellent opportunity for ADRA and the church to encourage Albanian society to be more engaged in our own communities by giving rather than receiving”, said Dr. Kastrati. In response to the appeal, children from local churches and the general public pledged nearly 300 parcels.
The year will also be marked for the significant progress of internet ministries. “Thanks to the LIFEconnect platform, we can now witness, make real connections and even give Bible Studies to the unreached, in ways that we could never imagine before!”, said Sanda Veidemane-Thomollari, one of the most prolific Digital Missionaries (DMs) from Elbasan. Using the LIFEconnect Albania website and its Facebook presence, the online series ‘Exploring Life Together’ has already shown promising results. “Over 1 million Albanians are on Facebook, and as we post, we bear in mind that we are the light of the world and salt of the earth” said Blerina Hasani, an active DM from Durres.
“Preparation for outreach efforts throughout 2013 has commenced,” said Pr Julian Kastrati, co-ordinator for Publishing Ministries in Albania, who was the main speaker at the festival. “We praise our Lord for the increased number of publications for this year, especially in regard to Spirit of Prophecy literature”, explains Kastrati. “By Christmas we will have in print the highly-anticipated “Patriarchs and Prophets” by Ellen G. White for the very first time in Albanian. It is also a blessing for Albania to be part of the Great Hope Project. The translation of the books The Great Controversy and Experiencing the Joy, as well as the ‘ESCAPE’ and ‘CONNECT’ magazines has already started.
In his sermon, Kastrati invited everyone for the New Year 2013 and beyond to ‘wear the wardrobe of Christ’, consisting of His compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and covered by His forgiveness and divine love for God and one-another.”
In a special message to the world church, on behalf of the Albanian Mission, Pr España kindly solicits “please join us in prayer for Albania, so that the seed of the gospel may continue to bear fruit – fruit that lasts for eternity.”
For more information about the work of the church in Albania, click on these links: www.adventist.al, www.adra.al and www.lifeconnect.al [tedNEWS]
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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