Changing lives in Albania

by Simon Baynes

We swam in the sea at Durres. Will it (and other Albanian resorts on the Adriatic, and on its many lakes) one day be another Ibiza? Before that happens, a considerable improvement in waste collection will be needed, air conditioning will need to work, power and water supplies become dependable, and roads drastically upgraded. But the coastline, the rugged beauty of the mountains, and the modest prices will surely lure travellers there, sooner or later.

Meanwhile the country struggles to find work for its young, to stem the tide of migration to Greece, Italy, Britain and the USA, and to face the issue of corruption that westerners find so hard to accept as a fact of life. Since the fall of the communist regime in 1991, and the Kosovar refugee crisis, Albanians are no longer in need of primary humanitarian aid. The number of cars has dramatically increased since our last visit five years ago, and smart flushing toilets have replaced the hole-in-the-floor variety. Clothes spread out in street stalls for sale may well be those sent by well-meaning westerners during the years of poverty! People are well fed, well dressed and cheerful, though unemployment remains a major problem, and the older generation bear the marks of much suffering.
The religious scene is complex. After the end of atheistic communism, Islam has re-established itself, though not at present of the militant kind. The Bektashi sect, a folk variety of Islam, is prominent. Roman Catholicism has some influence, mainly in the north, and Orthodoxy mainly in the south.

We were there as the representatives of the Albanian Evangelical Mission (AEM) to visit some of the newly-planted churches in the south. We joined in a service in the historic town of Gjirokaster, talked to missionaries and Albanian Christians, and visited a young Albanian couple establishing Christian witness in Kelcyre, a village an hour's bus journey away, amid spectacular mountain scenery. Donkeys and mules trotted past in the sweltering heat; water melons and roasted corn were offered by wayside vendors. Children crowded round the bus selling nuts.

Later we attended a three day training conference for some 24 Albanian church leaders (including two wives, who we learnt were co-leaders in their churches), preachers, and missionaries, in Durres, with a speaker from England giving the main talks by interpretation. Many of the leaders are in their twenties. An older man stood out. He was a gipsy – though the word does not indicate the mobile life-style we associate with it, but a darker skinned strand of native Albanians who tend to live in distinct communities. This man is planning to lead an Albanian version of the Alpha course in his church.

Other protestant missions are also working in Albania. AEM is the only society solely concerned to bring the gospel to the Albanian people, in Kosova as well as in Albania itself. It produces and distributes Christian literature, including a free paper Jehona (The Echo), and runs care homes for children. Its main concern is to establish churches based on sound evangelical theology, and to train national leaders. Its missionaries are dedicated to learning the language and the culture, and witnessing to the love of God in Christ by long-term commitment to the Albanian people.

Revd Simon Baynes is Assistant Priest in Thame team ministry. For further details, and information on regional prayer meetings and conferences, please contact:Mr David Young MA, Albanian Evangelical Mission, 29 Bridge Street, Wrexham LL13 7HP. Tel 01978-290138 email: office@aemission.org