In August 2022, a team of 14 (including several NTC alumni and current students) will join a work and witness team in Tirana, Albania.
The team will travel as part of Nazarene Missions International to support NTC postgraduate student and leader of Albania’s Evangelical Alliance, Pastor Ergest Biti and his wife, Pastor Edlira Biti, in their local community of Kombinat.
Background
Pastors Ergest and Edlira have been ministering in Albania for many years. During this time, they have led a number of local community initiatives, engaging people across generations. Like many cities, Tirana has been experiencing social and economic challenges and the Church of the Nazarene has been glad to work with other partners to support the local community.
The Nazarene Church in Tirana before and after the 2019 earthquake.
The loss of their church building in an earthquake in November 2019 meant that serving their congregation and local community throughout the pandemic has become even more challenging. Many older members of their congregation have been shielding, which has led to isolation and subsequently difficulty in engaging with them. Like many other areas, the youth are particularly vulnerable to the draw of alcohol and drugs. The impact of COVID has heightened the need to positively engage with youth and offer them alternative life choices. Ergest and Edlira have recently developed their House of Hope youth initiative, through which they offer training in areas such as graphic design.
Children’s ministry in Albania during a previous District Summer Camp.
Work And Witness Objectives
Though plans are necessarily fluid, there are two primary reasons for the work and witness trip:
- To help rebuild the Nazarene Church which was destroyed in the 2019 earthquake.
- To support a family summer camp, an opportunity to unify the wider church and bring together several communities in fellowship.
To achieve these objectives, the team will engage in several areas of ministry, including decorating and helping to landscape the surroundings of a new church building. The trip will also incorporate opportunities for practical experience in the areas of families, youth and children’s ministries, preaching and leading worship.
The team are currently fundraising to cover their flights, expenses and to take a gift to bless the ministry in Albania. One of these fundraising activities includes a Mountain a Month walk, led by our Director of Marketing and Recruitment and alumna, Beth Ford. The schedule for this includes several challenging climbs and walks in the North of England. This will be completed in June with a 50-mile circular walk of Bolton, the home of trip leader and Chaplain, Susanna and Pastor Jez Smith, and Beth and her family. Current undergraduate Youth and Community students, Naomi Piercy and Naemi Schmidt, will also join the team.
The teams in both the UK and Albania ask for your prayers as they prepare. If you are interested in finding out more or if you would like to support the team in any way, please email albaniaworkandwitness@gmail.com
