Albania Mission

This project was started over 10 years ago by Pioneer Minister Janet King, and is supported by St James Burton Lazars and the Team Parish. Following the collapse of the Communist Regime and a period of upheaval, the Country is still in recovery and one of the poorest in Europe.  The initiative began after Janet visited Albania while a Trustee of the European Christian Mission.  Janet formed strong links with people there and has continued to work closely with Alma Syla, a teacher and mission worker who divides her time between teaching English and reaching out with the gospel and educational and social projects to villages in her area.

Over the years the Parish, and especially St James, has raised funds to support a number of village projects including making a music CD to help purchase cows.  Since then we have initiated and funded a bee project to provide people with honey in several villages and more recently goats and laying hens along with help where needed in how to look after them.

About two years ago Alma started to visit families in Hyzjokaj, Kutrine, Kur, and Vajkan – 4 villages north east of Lushnje. Most people there have not heard the gospel before and Alma is seeing an exciting response from these families.  She began making contact by delivering food parcels to some of the very poorest families there and meeting with them in their homes. This was followed by The Eden Project through which we have been providing a variety of plants, seedlings, fertiliser and basic tools and equipment to help people improve their diet and income.  To date 60 Olive Trees and 60 Orange trees have been planted in the area and several homes have been freshly white-washed to improve their appearance.

Last year Alma began looking for a suitable place to use as a base to start holding meetings in as she continued to share the Gospel and form relationships with people there. Thanks to generous support we are now renting a small village house where Alma gathers people twice a week to talk together, read, discuss the Bible and pray.  Recently Alma has started offering English lessons to children and young people.  The response to this has been amazing with both small rooms in our village house bursting at the seams with eager students. .Over Christmas Alma took over a local restaurant for a special celebration which was attended by around 100 young people and their parents.   Please pray for Alma and for a Ukrainian Missionary couple who came to Alma to learn Albanian and are now helping her in this wonderful village outreach work.  For more information contact Janet on 01664372373 or email janetking@gmail.com