by Greg Mundis

Dear Friends:

Albania: Then and Now
—From Darkness to Light

Dear Colleagues:

Albania is one of Europes smallest countries. It was known as Illyria in ancient times and was always being fought over and controlled by foreign nations. After more than four centuries of domination by the Ottoman Empire, Albania won its independence in 1912. However, it succumbed to Communist rule from 1944 to 1991. Communism gave way to an emerging democracy in 1991, but the political atmosphere was unstable. The Socialist Party was voted into power in 1997 and continues today.

The first evangelist to come to this region was Titus. The apostle Paul wrote about his missionary efforts in Illyria in the New Testament. But in modern times, the gospel has been slow to penetrate the people and culture of Albania. Christianity spread in the second century and continued through to the end of the Byzantine Empire, but Islam replaced it in the 15th century under Turkish rule.

The Protestant church had little impact on the people of Albania until the late 1800s when Gjerasim Qiriazi began to publicly preach the gospel, start schools, and write and distribute Christian literature. Then in 1967, official atheism was declared and religion was outlawed.

Assemblies of God missionaries first entered Albania in 1991. They found people hungry for truth and immediately began to proclaim the name of Jesus. Within one year an international church was planted in the capital of Tirana. Civil strife and refugee crises from nearby wars gave Assemblies of God missionaries opportunity to minister to thousands of people. The Assemblies of God reports the following statistics for Albania: three churches and outstations, 500 members and adherents, three national pastors, and six missionaries.

Last month, I returned from Tirana, Albania, where I witnessed the first graduating class of the Bible School. It was indeed an historic occasion. Four graduates of the school received their diplomas and prayer from the pastors and missionaries of the Albanian Assemblies of God which is comprised of Albanian, Finnish, Brazilian, and American pastors and missionaries. To stand and witness workers being thrust forth into the harvest, in light of the 1967 statement that Albania was an atheistic country, moved me to tears.

We serve a God of history. Albania is testimony to the fact that history is not a snapshot but a video. The gospel story is being told and a generation of former atheists are telling the story.

Jesus said, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Take courage! God is on the throne.

Your colleague,

Greg Mundis
AGWM Europe Regional Director

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