Albania An Open Door to the Muslim World

Transcription

1 Albania An Open Door to the Muslim World Join Us In Reaching Muslims for Christ

2 The Background of Albania Bringing the message of salvation to the part of the world dominated by Islam has been a tremendous challenge for centuries. Darkness has blanketed this part of the world. The shepherd heart of God is continually seeking to gather His lost sheep from other folds. God has uniquely positioned Albania to play a significant role in reaching this fold for Christ. Located between the East and the West, Albania is a country where long ago the Apostle Paul proclaimed the gospel (Rom 15:19). Five hundred years of Ottoman Empire rule imposed Islam on the people of Albania. As a result, today about 70% of Albanians come from a Muslim tradition. In 1991, when Albania first opened after over 40 years of strict atheistic communism, there were only 16 known Christian believers in the entire country. Missionaries poured into the country, and the gospel spread like wildfire throughout Albania, similar to the beginnings of the early church as described in the book of Acts. In 1992, Campus Crusade for Christ sent its first group of staff and students from America to Albania. What they found was overwhelming. They were met by spiritually hungry young men and women who were filled with questions about God, Jesus Christ and the Bible. Within a year, hundreds of students had placed their faith in Jesus Christ and joined Bible studies in their dormitories. God was truly doing something special! In the fall of 1993, after the first full year of student work, the first two Albanians joined the full-time staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. Over the last 20 years, as the result of ongoing evangelism and discipleship on campus, tens of thousands of university students have heard the gospel, many of them have become followers of Christ, with more than 108 now serving full-time with Campus Crusade for Christ. Today there are more than 25,000 committed believers throughout the country. 2 A l b a n i a, a n O p e n D o o r t o t h e M u s l i m W o r l d

3 Over the centuries God has been uniquely preparing tiny Albania with a Muslim majority to become a significant and strategic stepping stone to the Muslim world to places like Kosovo, Turkey, Macedonia, Bosnia and Lebanon and to play a key part in building an unstoppable movement among Muslims. In 1996, CCC Albania sent 5 staff on a short-term mission to Lebanon. Three years later, the Kosovo crisis presented another opportunity for Albanian missions. With a large population from Muslim backgrounds, Kosovo has been impacted with the gospel like never before. Now the flame of God s fire is spreading from Albania and Kosovo to Turkey. Because of a common history of several centuries which has left its imprint in both of our cultures influenced by Islam, there is a close affinity between Albanians and Turks. The Current Reality Campus Crusade for Christ in Albania has six distinct ministries. We want to touch every level of society with the gospel. 1. Campus Ministry (located in five countries: Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia, Turkey) 2. Family Life 3. Executives and Professionals 4. Agape Albania Church Movement 5. High School Ministry 6. Operations Our Vision: We are trusting God that by year 2020, we will see spiritual movements everywhere, so that everyone knows someone who truly follows Christ. Albanians are being sent to bless others with the Gospel, especially muslim countries. Our Strategy: Win, Build, Send Win: Giving every person the opportunity to clearly hear the gospel and offering every person the opportunity to make a decision to receive Christ. Build: Helping new believers grow in Christ-like character and become passionate followers of Jesus Christ. Send: Sending Albanian laborers to go and make disciples wherever God leads them; whether in the secular field or the mission field, within Albania or beyond. 3

4 Opportunities for Your Involvement Will You Come and Join Us? We would love for you to come to Albania to be a part of this great harvest field and to catch a glimpse of what God is doing. We have several opportunities for involvement for individuals and church groups, all of them side-by-side with our experienced Campus Crusade for Christ Albanian staff. 1. University Campus Outreaches 2. High School Ministry Outreaches 3. English Summer Camps 4. NISU (Tirana Neighborhood Summer Outreach) 5. FamilyLife Summer Camps 6. Partners in the Albanian Harvest Tour 7. Professional/Executive Ministry University Campus Outreaches The strength of Campus Crusade s ministry in Albania continues to be at the university level. We would love for you to pair up with our university staff as we interact with students on campus and in dorm rooms. Conducting surveys, distributing our student magazine, practicing conversational English are a few of the ways that you can help us begin to build friendships either at the start of the school year or part way through the school year. Desired Age of Participants: University students or older Dates: One to two weeks in March or October Place: Tirana, Elbasan, Korca, Shkodra, Vlora, Albania; or Prishtina, Kosovo Contact Information: endodaj@hotmail.com 4 A l b a n i a, a n O p e n D o o r t o t h e M u s l i m W o r l d

5 High School Ministry Outreaches Do you have a heart for high school students? Would you like to share a ministry adventure with your teenager? Our high school ministry outreach will give you the opportunity to develop friendships with high school students. Activities throughout the week cultural exchanges, sporting activities, fun and games, discussions are all geared toward building friendships. Near the end of the week, students are invited to a large group event where the gospel is clearly presented by our high school ministry staff. Desired Age of Participants: high-school age through grandparents. Ideal (but not mandatory) if both child and parent can come on same project Dates: One to two weeks in March and July or another period during the academic year Place of Ministry: Tirana, Albania Contact Information: kaondanjela@gmail.com English Summer Camps Albanian students are eager to learn English, especially from a native English speaker like yourself. Friendships develop and opportunities to talk about spiritual issues flow naturally from casual conversations and during planned discussion times. Desired Age of Participants: 30 years of age or older Dates: July Place of Ministry: Albanian beach, such as Shengjin Contact Information: englishcamps.albaniaccc.org 5

6 NISU (Tirana Neighborhood Summer Outreach) NISU (which in Albanian means to kick off ) is a project organized by Agape Albania which is a mission critical component of Campus Crusade for Christ Albania focused on building church movement. The purpose of this project is to help start new church plants or small groups in new neighborhoods through summer activities targeting youth through English colloquial using short films, activities for children and whole families. Desired Age of Participants: 18 years of age or older Dates: July 1-7; July Place of Ministry: Tirana Contact Information: agapealbania.com FamilyLife Summer Camp Do you have a desire to minister to couples and families? Our FamilyLife ministry will give you an opportunity to minister to volunteers, pastors, and church leaders, by helping strengthen their marriages and also by training them in starting and developing a FamilyLife Ministry in their churches or communities. Desired Age of Participants: Preferably married couples who have been married for at least 5 years. Dates: One week period in July. Place of Ministry: Tirana or a hotel by the beach. Contact Information: familja@jetefamiljare.org 6 A l b a n i a, a n O p e n D o o r t o t h e M u s l i m Wo r l d

7 Professional/Executive Ministry Are you an experienced business person or a professional in fields such as education, politics, media, or medicine? Albanian professionals would be eager to hear about your experiences, challenges and successes. Helping us to organize and lead business seminars and workshops from a Christian perspective open doors to further engage Albanians with the gospel. Dates: One to two week period, October through May or July Place of Ministry: Tirana, Albania Partners in the Albanian Harvest Tour Desired Age of Participants: University students or older Dates: First week of May Place of Ministry: Tirana, Albania and several tourist sites Partners in the Harvest is specifically designed to give you a firsthand encounter with Campus Crusade s ministry and impressions of daily life in Albania. You will have the opportunity to interact with staff members, learn about Albania s history, and taste its rich culture. Our desire is that you will leave refreshed in your walk with God and gain a broader understanding as to how you can play a part in establishing God s Kingdom in Albania and the Muslim world. The opportunities are many. The harvest is plentiful. Contact our partnership office (information on back cover) and then come and join us in Albania, the open door to the Muslim world! 7

8 I had no idea of the strategic importance of Albania and the role it and this ministry can play in reaching the Islamic world for Christ. Thus, I no longer see Albania as just another mission field. This is a Great Commission gateway, staffed by incredibly gifted and dedicated people, which my church and I need to become more committed to as strategic partners. Rowanne Haley C o nt a c t Partnership Office Phone: (770) (please leave your name and contact information) partnerwithalbania@gmail.com Us