CFC Albania Team Forming

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CFC Albania Team

CFC is actively partnering with a newly planted church in Tirana, Albania. Situated in the eastern part of the country’s capital city, this church is in the region known as Fresku. With a population of 60,000, Fresku is nearly identical in size to Lancaster City. However, even in a region this size, Fresku has never had a church within its borders. Until now.

The Fresku Gospel Church has opened its doors and Albanian evangelists are preaching Christ’s salvation. New converts and the church leaders there need our help.

What Types of Help Are Needed?

If you have an interest in the CFC Albania Team, there are many ways you can help:

1. Praying for this new church with others on the CFC team – we will meet monthly to pray.

2. Praying with new believers via email – no foreign language skills are required as most Albanians are eager to work on their English. You can connect with new Christians in the Fresku Gospel Church and join in prayer together via email.

3. Mentoring new believers via email and Skype – similar to the prayer partner need, you can help new believers mature in their faith by going through a mentoring program via email or with a simple Skype hookup. Most Christians in Albania are the first generation to follow Christ, so the need to help believers grasp the basics of faith is crucial.

4. Hosting Albanian church leaders when they visit Lancaster County – on occasion, leaders of the Fresku Gospel Church will travel to Lancaster County to meet with CFC leaders and those involved with the mission. If you are able to open your home to host for a few nights or can invite these Albanian leaders over for a dinner, that would be a big help!

5. Planning for a team to travel to Albania in 2019 – early-stage plans are being discussed to send a team from CFC to help with the partner church and to lead some outreaches. Stay tuned for further details!

Albania is in a Different Situation than Most Other Countries

The region now known as Albania (just northwest of Greece) was mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Romans 15:19 when he discusses “all the way around to Illyricum” as part of the scope of his ministry. Historically, there have been strong Eastern Orthodox influences, and more notably, a strong Islamic current in more recent years. Into the 20th century, radical communism took over in the country, and shortly after World War II, Albania earned the unenviable distinction of being officially declared the world’s first atheistic state. By 1976, Article 37 of the Albanian Constitution required: “The State recognizes no religion, and supports and carries out atheistic propaganda in order to implant a scientific materialistic world outlook in people.” But after the death of an oppressive Marxist dictator and the fall of communism in Europe, Albania slowly emerged from 606 years of total spiritual darkness, and a few of its citizens were exposed to the tenets of Christianity for the first time in centuries. Christianity, simply put, is new in Albania. That fact underscores the need to help solidify new believers and new churches in solid Biblical doctrine and practice. An Albanian-led ministry, The Illyricum Movement, has planted three thriving churches thus far, and the Fresku Gospel Church is the fourth.

More detailed information about this Albanian church planting ministry can be found at www.illyricum.org

If you are interested in learning more or helping with the CFC Albania Team, please email lavonnepa@comcast.net. Dr. Mark Johnston, an elder at CFC, and his wife, Lavonne, are leading this effort.