Albania

Our connection with Albania is through the church ‘Na Bashkoi Jesuzi’ based in Elbasan, a town located about 50km south of the capital Tirana, an hours drive over the rugged Krabbe mountains.

The literal translation of Na Bashkoi Jesuzi is ‘Jesus brought us together’ and it is this sense of togetherness and partnership that we seek to develop between the two churches through both sending and receiving; to build, encourage and bless each other. Members of Na Bashkoi Jesuzi have visited Town Centre Church on a number of occasions, most recently to attend the Salt & Light Leaders Conference, and a number of TC folk have made the journey out to Albania.

Members of Na Bashkoi Jesuzi are actively involved in meeting both physical and spiritual needs of the town and surrounding rural communities through outreach and fellowship, children’s work, working with other churches in the town, serving the poor and various community development initiatives.

Alketa and Elona, two of the church leaders, are employed by the Christian charity ‘A2B’ who run the Bread of Life Day Centre (shown above), a soup kitchen and place of refuge for some of the most marginalised and vulnerable members of the community, especially elderly folk and children, and a family sponsorship scheme which aims to help lift some of the most needy families in the locality out of the grips of poverty. This centre and the work of A2B has also become a focal point for many in the church, and visitors to it, to be a ‘demonstration of the gospel’ to those that use the centre, and to the community as a whole.

We seek to continue to build the relationships we have with the church in Elbasan, working together for the Kingdom, encouraging each other and being a means for God to release His blessing.