Campus Update I GraceLife Durrës

Campus Update I GraceLife Durrës

By Carel and Alècia Erasmus

Albania was the first country in the world to be declared an Atheist state, and even today the percentage of believers in this East-European country is miniscule. Although many Christian missionaries have entered the country since the fall of the communistic regime (roughly 20 years ago), there are very, very few churches, and even fewer churches preaching the gospel. The overwhelming majority of people in this country have never heard about God’s love for them. Through the GraceLife Albanian church plant, all of us have just become part of God’s international mission of reaching the world with His amazing grace!

 

Since the beginning of the church plant in February 2015, we have seen many people’s lives transformed. The most exciting testimonies are coming from the teenagers who are experiencing growth in their personal relationship and their understanding of God.

One girl, for example, received very late notification that she had been accepted into University, after trusting for months and being told that she had not qualified. In Albania, education and jobs are hard to come by, and poverty is everywhere. Another young man, who has become more involved in the church over the last few months, is experiencing God’s peace for the first time in his life, and now has the ability to walk away from potential fights and exercise wisdom about how to deal with conflict situations. The Albanian culture is heavily controlled by their Mafia and is quite explosive; violent fights and family feuds are still part of everyday life. Testimonies like these are ground-breaking for a culture that has no Christian frame of reference, and as the lives of these individuals change through their experience of the love and goodness of God, they will influence their families, their city and their nation. God passionately loves the people of Albania!

Since our arrival as the full-time pastoral team for Albania, Durrës, so much has happened:

• The church has secured a full-time venue in the middle of the city. This full-time venue has helped people see that GraceLife is invested in Albania and is not planning on leaving until God says the work is completed.
• GraceLife Dürres ran an international summer camp where several youths and teens received Jesus as their personal Lord and Saviour.
• With the help of our partners, we started an English language programme where Albanians can enrol to learn English. Most people in Albania speak no English, and many of them are desperate to learn this language in order to have access to the work opportunities it could afford them. Here at our “English School” people who have never been to our church (and might never have come) can be impacted with the message of God’s grace. Of the twelve students registered for the course, eight are not currently part of the church. This is a great opportunity for us.
• The translation of Rooted (GraceLife’s discipleship guide) into Albanian has been completed. The first books will be printed and given to the members of the church at no charge. We have found this book essential for equipping people in the basics of their faith and how to live in God’s grace, and even in such a completely different culture, it serves as a brilliant tool for training believers to go out and make disciples.
• Two ladies from the local village have been employed to help the church with translation and administrative work on a part-time basis. This is a way for us as a church to financially partner with families who have great financial needs.
• We have seen a steady increase in church attendance from the beginning of the year until now.
• We have also started two LifeGroups (mid-week Bible study groups) where people are encouraged to engage and reason about what we are discussing at the Sunday worship services. For a culture in which the Biblical worldview is often not a familiar concept, these meetings are an essential part of reaching, helping and teaching people. We are seeing a stable growth in the understanding of basic Biblical principles (and of how to apply these principles in their daily lives) in the hearts of the believers here, and it is wonderful to see the change in their lives.
• We have engaged in street evangelism where we had the opportunity to pray for those who were sick and those who were in desperate need of prayer, and we were able to encourage people by showing them that God loves them and cares for them.
• GraceLife Dürres held its first “Connect and Belong” (an event where we share who we are as a church and give visitors an opportunity to become members of the church). From that first meeting, six people have completed membership forms and are now part of the family of GraceLife Ministries. For a country like Albania, this is a miracle!
• We have had teams from South Africa, Holland, Zimbabwe and the UK come to help us reach out and strengthen the church.
• And lastly, we have seen many miracles as we’ve prayed for and ministered to the members and regular visitors of the church.

As we look back over the year’s work, we rejoice over the lives we’ve had the privilege of impacting with the goodness and love of Jesus. But we also know that there is much more work to be done!