The History of the church “Word of Life”

Lushnje

Church in Uppsala came to the biggest stadium “Qemal Stafa” we have in Albania.

Carola sang there and  hundred people respond to the altar call that pastor Ulf did. Pastor Ulf preached that communism  is dead and Jesus Christ is alive in Albania. The stadium was full and I remember that because the national tv station of that time, was on line. I saw many people get excited and that put off their cloths and put them on fire and scream load “ communism is dead, Jesus is alive” it was amazing hearing people on the street for the unspeakable joy they experienced in that day.

Some people on my city saw that, and gave their heart to Jesus, when pastor Ulf gave the altar call for not only those who have been in the stadium but also for those who are following through the media. This was the first day that God begun to start something in Lushnja and my life also. Albania was opened for the gospel after 1967, when our dictator declared our country the only ateist country in the world. He destroyed the churches and put people in the prison and if someone is doing that in privat, they were at risk. Not only them but also, their family as well

In beginning, there were 7 believers that gather together in the small home and from  that  it was growth. In the beginning  this was new for Albania, and people embarrassed  it.

In the beginning it was Mats Jacobsson and Pontus that visited the city and meet a family there and they starts for the first time the church. This family was a Christian orthodox but they converted in Protestant. Through the teaching of the Bible and the help of the Holy Spirit this small group became like 10 people.

So the group was increasing to 50 in the short period of time, but in the other side people were unclear what are these new things in the city, because in every meeting they did, people were healed and delivered by the power of the blood.

Something happened when they heard the missionaries speak in different language, which is not English or other . And they curious and they asked for it.

So they received the gift of the Spirit (glosolalia) and after being baptized all of them begun  to speak in tongues. It was a wonderful experience and the same time freaky. In that time the church grew to 150 adults and 300 children. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so great that in some meeting people gather the chairs and they worshiped God without sitting down for 2 hours.

The place of the meeting was in the center of the city where people are doing sidewalk and they heard those “crazy’ people singing in tongues and rejoicing in the spirit.

  Songs like “It is finished’ and “There’s gone be a revival in this land” has captured the hearts and young people singing in the place where our dictator was worshipped some years ago from some fanatics.

Also we started mission field projects. In 10 villages we started churches. It was amazed that people were hungry for more of  God. They accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Also healing begun to happened  in the midst of them.

During this time people of the city where hungry for this move of God and started to tell others for great things God has done in their lives. I was a member in the church working as usher, when the meetings started, the Spirit begun to fall on people as they worshiping God. Sometimes we don’t use even chairs to sit, but the flow of the worship was great.

  People gather every morning to pray before they went to schools, works. In every Friday they gather to prayer all the night, when they was praying we had vision, and God spoke clearly to many of us. We could stand in hours waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I remember that day God even spoke how long and width the church building will be.

In 1997 because of the civil war in Albania, the missionaries left and the people from Bible School , begun to take responsibility to pastor the churches in every city of Albania.

Even if they were young and without any experience in pastoring and leading the church, the help of the Holy Spirit was so great.

Since that time and till the August 2003, the church didn’t have stable pastors.

That was not good for the believers, but the church keep going strong.

God opened other different doors as he promised to me in Bratislava. We started to do outreach, because time came for it.

In 1998, the church was pastured by AltinTopi and his family. The church grow very well. And they opened new churches in three other villages , near to the city. It was such a move of the Spirit. Many people respond to the conferences and seminars. They have new songs as they stayed in worship and raised their hands to praise God. 

People fell on the ground, laughing, crying, dancing and delivered in the spirit and soul. The joy of the Lord gave them the reason even in difficult circumstances to rejoice and bless the Lord

The pastor was from the southeast of Albania, and he finished the second year of Biblecsool in Tirana in 1994. He pastured the church for 6 years. In 2003 the pastor left and he gave the responsibility to 3 persons: Saimir Kurti, Mirela Shani and Erion Sylari

In 2007 we started also the Bible School in Fier and we send them 14 people. The church helped them to go them through transportation because Fier is 25 km away from Lushnje.

When they finished do the school we had 14 new leaders able to serve Lord better than one or two years ago. It was like a new generation and new time for us.

We thought in the beginning that those money spent for the transportation were not the the right thing to do, but to spend time for training it was a great thing, God begun to bless us in other ways with leaders and new ministries.

Since 2008 We are visiting two prisons located near to our city. There are 1000 prisoners with another pastor from “Church of God” he is doing computer courses, we shared the Gospel and doing outreach, like drama, songs and preaching in open area. Also some courses in English and computer.

In 2009, God spoke us to organize the church in a particular way.

There are 5 pillars of the church today :

1.      Evangelism

2.      Fellowship with God

3.      Fellowship with each-other (relationship)

4.      Discipleship

5.      Ministry and Mission

So  the year is with 12 month, we split it in 5 period of 2 months for each pillar and we are going for it.

In the beginning it was a new but through this structure the vision of our church is

Totally fulfilled.

In 2009, a prophet by name Linda Turner came to our church to serve the Word of God, but when she laid her hand over us, she prophesied that together with my wife and me, God will reach the community in Lushnja. We didn’t know how and when, but we went for it.

We begun to prayer and seek God face for it. I mean everybody is called to reach someone and the local area where u live, that’s not a new thing. But we didn’t know exactly the way.

And in Novemeber 2010, my wife went to a leadership seminar in Greece in Pastor Stavros church. There the word of God came in the midst of the people and He spoke clearly that We are going to open a Christian school in our city. That is so great and frightening in the same time.

We never thought to run such a big thing for us.

So in September on 2011 for the first time in our church we started a kindergarden for 3-4 years old children. This is the prophecy that God spoke to us. These is a tool to reach the Muslim in my city. Most of the children are part of the Muslim background. They are hearing the good news from their own children. They are coming in the church and hearing that Jesus is alive.

In January and February we experienced the move and the touched of God when we gather together to fast and pray for our country. I remember in one of the meetings Spirit of God came and everybody was touched and they experienced the move and glory of God. It was like the first days when the missionaries were in Albania. When people are hungry for more of Him, God is pouring his Spirit upon the youth and old.

We opened three other churches in Grabian, Saver,  and Zhame, and the goal is to open in Gramsh, Karbunare e Madhe.