Illyrian Gospel Trust

My primary purpose in going to Kenya was to teach at the Angaza (which means illuminate in Swahili) Bible school. The school was situated near the town of Embu some two and a half hours drive from Nairobi. I was to teach there for 13 hours from the book of Ecclesiastes. The students were a diverse group; 50% coming from Africa and 50% from outside of Africa. This school was being supported by the Torchbearers school in Erseka that I teach at each year. So what did I learn?

1. The terrible danger of spiritual deception. On the surface Kenya seems like a Christian country. There are churches at every corner, billboards advertising various ministries and Bible verses on vans. But underneath the reality is different. So called apostles, prophets and pastors are all skimming money from the poorest with the prosperity gospel. One man claims to be Jesus; he claims to verify this by turning water into tea! Another told his followers to sell all that they have, give it to the church and then fast until they saw Jesus. Thus far 210 bodies have been recovered. The church and traditional religions are being mixed. People pray to Jesus in church and then to Mount Kenya as they go home! People with itching ears church hop and get most of their “food” from social media or YouTube. Ignorance of the Bible is widespread. There is a huge emphasis on “worship” but in one church near us the sermon was 7 minutes. People are spiritually starving and are prey to all manner of false teaching and practice. Pray for faithful Bible teachers and preachers. Pray for local pastors to be built up in sound doctrine and to lead their churches for God’s glory. Pray that believers would be equipped in the Word.

2. The immense need for the local church. I was privileged to go to two outreaches that students from Angaza were involved in. The first was at the Embu rescue center. Each week 150 people aged from 3 to 24 come to get a plate of beans and corn. They can be taught English and the gospel. Nearly all are homeless. Nearly all have addictions. Children as young as 10 were high on glue. They go from glue to a drug called “kat.” This is a leaf that is chewed and which has powerful effects. It is exported to Somalia where it is used by gang lords to keep their followers docile. From that young people go to alcohol and hard drugs. Most are dead by 30. It was a shock to see the miserable conditions, the sheer filth and the misery of these addicts.

We also went to a school for the physically disabled. Children with no legs or with bad physical disabilities live in a glorified shack. Next door is a local elementary school where they go in the day. Volunteers care for them but they are in tremendous need. It was moving to see students carrying them and caring for them.

However it made me realise once again the necessity of the local church. Humanitarian work, however worthy, is just a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. Without the gospel, without the family of the church and without local churches working together, these people will never have hope or thrive. If we fill a child’s belly today, he will still need feeding tomorrow. Only in the local church can true solutions be found for these needy people. Pray for healthy local churches in Kenya!

3. The great opportunities for gospel work. It was a privilege to do a Bible study in the gardens of Embu college with a small group (see photo). Isaac, who leads the group, says that there are 110 students at the main gathering each week. The university in Embu has far more Christian students. One of the Angaza students told me that he was responsible for leading a Christian union of 1,100 believers. Yet there is no training, no discipling, no mentoring of these student leaders let alone the rest of the believers. There is a huge open door but no one to follow it up.

One of the outreaches that the students had was to students of a Catholic school. They were able to preach the gospel there each week. The director of the school asked for a special session for the teachers on the Bible. Several came to the bible school and I was able to teach on Philip and the Ethiopian. They asked for a bible school for teachers in their long break, November through January, which could equip school teachers in the area. The opportunities are great but the workers are few!

4. The great potential of the African church. One of the students at the Angaza school, Wilber, was a real challenge to me. He and his friend Daniel were brought up in a Ugandan orphanage. Now in his early twenties Wilber supports himself by selling ice cream. He has a ministry among orphans and also helps widows who are left with children to support. Aids and Covid have ravaged his area in Uganda and many women have been left with children to care for. Wilber gives them a 10 or 20 dollar loan to start a business such as selling bananas. This means that they can begin to provide for themselves. Wilber has rented a center where mums and children can come for help. All this comes from his own pocket.

I talked at length to another student, Baraka, about the call to pastoral ministry. He is a young, serious man who has a desire to be a pastor but is unsure about whether this is from God or not. His work among students at university has been very good and he clearly has a gift for ministry. All around I met impressive African believers who are thirsty for the Bible. When I finished teaching I would spend hours with students who bombarded me with very good questions about the Bible. It was a delight to be among such spiritual people and there is no doubt that they have real potential for spiritual work. Pray for godly church pastors and evangelists to be raised up!

I don’t know whether I will ever return to Africa but one thing I do know, Africa has changed me!

Last month we had the opportunity to take our youth group from Fier to Tirana. The journey was a good time for getting to chat to the young people but the meeting that we had with the “Light church” was definitely a highlight. One of the Tirana young people shared his testimony for the first time. It was a powerful and honest testimony which challenged our young people a lot. Whilst they enjoyed the games and walking around Tirana and going on dodgems what really stuck in their minds was this testimony.

The same thing came over when we asked them what is the one thing that really stands out in all our meetings this year. It was the testimony of a brother from Gracemount Community Church as to how God had saved him from a background of addictions. This is the one thing they remembered.

This is surely a challenge to us as to how we teach our young people and how we live. We have had countless Bible studies since September but what they remembered was the testimony of a brother. We are doing a Bible survey with the youth in Fier and they have been engaged with the passages and lively in discussions but what matters to them is personal transformation. Pray for us this year as we plan what we will do with the young people. Pray that our testimonies will make an impact on their lives and pray that our teaching will be effective.

Pray too as we handle some “hot potatoes” this year. We are planning a monthly discussion on what the Bible teaches on controversial topics. We are starting with gender issues; with what biblical manhood and womanhood looks like and how we should respond to all the different trends around us. We also want to look at subjects like why the Bible should be believed and others. Pray that the young people will turn to the Bible for wisdom and direction rather than social media and peers at school.

A major issue for our young people is whom they listen to. Internet influencers are a major factor for them. One example is Andrew Tate, an online influencer who is not only sexist but promises people immense wealth and a luxurious lifestyle if they follow his advice. His Tiktok videos are immensely influential not just in the UK but also here. Parents are no longer an influence on the thinking and decisions of young people but media personalities and internet figures. Our young people are greatly affected by these influences. Pray that we would have wisdom in guiding our young people to the Word and pray too for Christian parents that they would influence their young people’s thinking and life choices. Pray that we as churches would respond well to the threats to a new generation.

Another thing that has struck us has been the need that our young people need space just to talk. One Saturday we prepared some discussion questions to see where they were spiritually. As yet we do not think that any are truly born again but their honesty in discussion was refreshing. But the conversations all moved on to the questions and issues that they are facing. The rest of the program that we had prepared went out of the window! We realise that we need to put time in our program for them just to talk and ask questions.

Praise God that we have had three new young people begin to come from our neighbourhood.  A neighbour of ours who came to Doreta’s ladies meetings is bringing two grandchildren and another neighbour’s daughter. They are slightly younger than the others but seem very happy to be with us. Pray not just for their conversion but that of all the youth and pray that the gospel will penetrate whole families.

Last year a survey was conducted by the Albanian Evangelical Alliance (VUSH) to commemorate 30 years of evangelicalism in Albania after the fall of communism. Out of the estimated 215 churches in Albania, 186 responded to the survey. So the survey is very comprehensive and its results will not be much affected by those who did not take part in it. A number of results particularly interested me and should lead us both to thanksgiving and prayer.

The number of professing evangelical believers has gone down. Previously the figure was thought to be 30,000 people. But now the number is half of that- just 15,000. In the last 10 years or so evangelicalism has halved. Indeed my personal opinion would be that many professing faith are not truly born again so the number will be lower than that.

A number of factors may have contributed to the situation. The first is the massive emigration that has happened in the last decade out of Albania. Villages are emptying at an alarming rate and in towns it is noticeable how few young people there are compared to 10 years ago. Some of those professing faith may have fallen away just as Christ predicted that they would in the parable of the sower also.

Whatever the cause, it is alarming that those who have left the country or left the church are not being replaced. There is a general impression that churches are less involved in evangelism and more involved in maintaining the status quo. Pray that churches would be more involved in evangelism and that God would bring more genuine converts into His Kingdom.

However Covid seems not to have adversely affected church attendance. Before Covid the average Sunday would have seen 11,050 people in attendance. Now it is 12,600. This is a cause for thanksgiving because so many churches in the West have struggled to get back to pre- Covid numbers and few would say that they have grown after Covid. Praise God that Covid seems to have affected the spiritual conditions in Albania positively.

Another interesting feature of the survey was to see how churches are being led. 40% were led by a single pastor. 24.7% were led by a pastor and elders and 4.2% pastor and leaders. 24.7% are led by a leadership group, 4.2% by an elders board and 1.8% are led by missionaries together with Albanians. There is a feeling that many pastors are preventing the emergence of new leaders and that some may be authoritarian and others cultivate a cult of personality in the church to protect their position. Pray that more church leaders may be raised up and that they would be godly in character and service.

What we do see now is that there is a considerable shift toward Albanian church leadership. 78.9% of Albanian churches are led by Albanians and 17% are led by Albanians and missionaries together. For this we have to be very thankful. Albanian leaders are also taking theological education; 20.3% have a bachelor’s degree and 36.7% a Master’s degree in theology. 38.7% have done some courses in theology. The question is how equipped are Albanian leaders for their work? Praise God for the emergence of Albanian leaders but pray that they would be more and more equipped for the work.

However does not mean that the Albanian church is self-sufficient. 99 churches said that they rented their own property compared to 65 who owned it. Most churches are still reliant on foreign money to be able to cover their monthly expenses. Most pastors are forced to take on a second job or get involved in projects so that they can provide for their families. This is taking many away from the Word and prayer. Most churches cannot support their pastors financially because of unemployment or simply because wage levels are often only sufficient to help a family make ends meet. Another factor is the size of churches- the average church does not have that many members. Pray that the Albanian church would be more and more self-sufficient. Pray for meaningful employment for believers so that they can invest in their churches.

Praise God for 30 years of evangelicalism in Albania but please keep praying for the very real challenges that the church faces here.

Will Niven

We thank God that for the last 30 years He has shown such faithfulness to the church in Fier. The church began in a humble garden with one man and several ladies who had been listening to the broadcast called “The Way of Peace.” They met together, talked about the messages they had heard and prayed. Later the church moved to a flat and floods of young people joined it. Much has changed during the last 30 years but the faithfulness of God has not.

On the 18th of September we were able to come together with may friends from all over Albania and from the UK as well to thank God for His work during the years. Fabjon Ivanaj preached powerfully on our need to be faithful to God’s gospel. Stephen Bell, who had led the work in Fier for several years, was able to share memories. Donika Hamitaj shared her testimony of how God saved her.

In the evening we had another celebration with the church. Between singing we heard greetings from several churches, celebrated the Lord’s Supper and several gave testimonies as to what this church means to them. Then we enjoyed a meal together.

We praise God for the last 30 years and look to Him for all that is to come!

This week marked a historic moment for Albania. After many years of waiting and long negotiations Albania has finally entered into negociatons to be a member of the European Union. Now it, along with Northern Macedonia, will go through a phase which may take several years to prepare the nation for E.U membership. What are the possible implications of this process for gospel work in Albania? I believe that we are facing a number of key questions:

• Will Albania have to change key laws concerning the family and gender? The E.U experts will be comparing Albanian law to E.U. law and demanding reforms. Recently a draft law that would have given the LGBT community far greater rights in the country, including the right to adopt children, was removed after lobbying from evangelical groups. Will Albania be forced to adopt the LGBT agenda? What was unthinkable even 10 years ago is now common practice in Tirana. Young gay couples are open about their relationship at high school and the LGBT community is being far more open in its behaviour in the capital city. Pray that Biblical standards for family life and for gender would not be eroded. Pray for the church’s response to these issues.

• Will this process increase the depopulation of Albania itself? Albanians have been on the moveover the last few years particularly to Germany. This has meant that villages are emptied of a whole generation of people; leaving only the elderly and those who cannot get out of the country. How will we have meaningful gospel work in the villages and how will we plant churches in smaller towns when you have hardly anyone between 20 and 40 years old there? How will the Albanian church ever stand on its own feet with such a drain on the population? How can we keep our professionals and graduates when finding work in the E.U. will be so much easier? How will we reach Albanians who go to places like the UK or to countries in Europe with little evangelical witness like Italy or Spain? Pray for wisdom for churches in reaching Albanians in Albania and beyond. Pray that believers would have meaningful employment which will enable some at least to stay and serve God here.

• Will membership of the E.U. bring any shortening of the gap between the rich and poor in Albania? The middle class has been steadily vanishing over the last decade or so. Poverty has been increasing while a small minority of the population gets richer and richer. Will joining the E.U. bring any economic benefits and will we see some relief for the poorest of society such as the blind?

• Will this lead to a decrease in Muslim influence or an increase in Western secularism? The increase in Muslim influence in Albania has been noticeable over the last year. The number of women in Tirana wearing headcoverings has doubled! Ramadan is being kept more and more. Yes, people are not going to the mosque and no they are not reading the Qur’an or being very strict about keeping Islamic law. But the change in the nation is noticeable. The question is will Islamic influence continue? Will Albania become a beachhead into Europe? Or will Albania become increasingly secular like Western Europe? One thing is sure, without gospel preaching and the planting of biblical churches there is no hope for the future of this nation. Pray that God would send workers into this harvest field and would continue to work in His church in Albania.

Will Niven

One of the greatest needs of the Albanian church is for preachers. There is a spiritual famine in many churches as many pastors and lay preachers preach with little or no training. Many preachers impose on a biblical text their own ideas or simply use a passage to support the sermon that they want to preach. The level of preaching is generally very poor.

We are blessed in Fier to have two Albanian brothers, Hektor and Stiljan, who preach and it has been a joy to see Fatjon in Patos begin to preach on a semi regular basis. Marjus is another brother from Patos who in his youth preached in a church in Ballsh and we would like to see equipped for this task for Patos. Our initial idea was to have a preacher’s class for them. However a number of other churches around Albania have asked us for training in this area.

At the same time we realized that anyone who is teaching God’s Word in the church needs training. Why should, for example, children’s and youth workers be expected to be any less trained in teaching the Word than a pastor preaching on a Sunday morning? Then we realized that there is a need in the work among the women of the churches also for women who can divide rightly the Word of truth.

So we have established a monthly meeting which is aimed at preachers but is open to anyone who is teaching God’s Word regularly or would like to. We have been able so far to have two preaching seminars; a mixture of in person teaching and being on Zoom. We have had participants from Tirana, Lushnjë, Kukës dhe Ersekë as well as folk from the churches we serve. It has been a joy to get to know churches that we have never had links with and to study together.

Our first seminar focused on why we must preach and what preaching actually is. The second then looked at finding the melodic line or the main theme of a biblical book.

Pray that these seminars will equip preachers and teachers of God’ Word and that we would see more workers raised up who will handle the Bible well.

It was a joy to be together with around 35 people from several different towns in the south of Albania for a seminar for those working with people with different abilities.

In Albania those with different abilities are often mocked, judged and neglected. Social workers, psychologists and other health care professionals often fail to diagnose people properly and are passive towards them.

If things are to change, change must begin in the church. That is why the AEP’s (Albanian Encouragement Project) forum for disabilities has organising seminars for pastors and believers who are either involved in this kind of ministry or who would like to. The first was near Durres in March whereas this seminar was for people in the south east of Albania.

We began the day looking at a Biblical theology of disability to see what the Bible really says about disabilities. Then we looked at how to integrate people with different abilities in our churches. We saw how our teams are to work and received some excellent advice about how to begin a ministry with those with different abilities. We also looked at the worldview of people with different abilities so that we might understand them better.

The key takeaway from the day was that the greatest need of people with disabilities is salvation. We might feed them, care for them and help them to integrate into everyday life but without salvation all this is worthless.

One particularly moving moment was when Niko Hamzallari shared his testimony about how he became a Christian having gone blind. His experience in the church in Erseke was so helpful for us to understand not only how to reach people with disabilities but also how to serve with them when they become believers.

There were so many questions and requests for help. Please pray that the working group behind this forum would have wisdom as to what to do next. Pray that a genuine network might be created around the country between those who work in this ministry. Pray too that the website that has been launched to help resource the Albanian church would be useful and be much used.

Yesterday we were shocked to learn from the media that a 66 year old woman, Liliana, was discovered in the village of Ferras frozen to death this week in the cold snap that has hit the Balkans. She had been dead around three days. Her electricity had been cut off because of non-payment so the electric fire that her children had bought for her was useless. None of her neighbours had gone to check whether she was ok. She had survived by collecting aluminum cans and selling them at a scrap yard but could not afford to pay her electricity bill.

What was hard for us was that this lady came occasionally to the meetings that we used to have in Ferras. Those meetings had to be abandoned because Covid was so rife in the village but we have no workers to keep this ministry going.

What is the solution? Food parcels, a soup kitchen or perhaps cash payments for the basics like electricity for the poorest in our society. Whilst all these things might be good and might help for a while they cannot be the solution. People will still need food and shelter and money to live on years from now. And who would administer such a scheme anyway?

The solution is the gospel of Jesus Christ. If the gospel really made an impact here:

• The electricity company would not cut off people who are desperately poor.
• The government would not be indifferent to the suffering of people like this lady but would bring real help.
• The village would have helped Liliana to survive and would have checked up on her.
• Her family would have thought more of her plight and helped her.

So the greatest need in Albania is for the gospel. For the gospel to make an impact however we need workers. Would you pray that the Lord of the harvest would send workers to His harvest fields? Would you pray that this society would be turned upside down by the gospel so that things like this do not happen?