I am excited to share that, by the generosity of our Browncroft congregation through the Reach 2024 campaign, and by the blessing of God, our church has recently developed a partnership with the Dardania Network, a church-planting movement in Kosovo! Led by Pastor Femi Cakolli of the Messiah Evangelical Fellowship, this movement was founded and is being further developed by Kosovar spiritual leaders.

The Kosovar people are predominantly Albanian, a people group of 1.5 million who are largely unreached by the gospel. They have very little access to the life-transforming news of Jesus because of the absence of true Christians and churches in their region. What a joy it is to partner with this network of churches focused on spreading the Good News and living it out in their communities across the nation.

The main focus of our Kosovo Partnership is the church-plant in the city of Fushe Kosove, led by recently ordained Pastor Florian Alidemaj (pictured below). This church is currently the only one in the city. It began as a home group in 2018 and recently acquired a little store front. There, the fellowship of approximately 30 believers meet regularly and house a small Christian bookshop. The store gives them opportunities to meet and help people who are seeking spiritual direction. Click here to learn more from Pastor Florian about the work his church is doing!

Fushe Kosove has been chosen specifically because of its proximity to the nation’s capital and its unique characteristics that bring a diversity of people from all over the nation to its locale. Due to a recent population explosion and the presence of a private university there, more and more people are relocating to the region. Since most of these newcomers are no longer living with their families or communities, they are experiencing a sense of greater freedom to consider Christianity. These same people frequently travel back to their hometowns and can bring their newfound faith with them, expanding the reach of the gospel message.

With more people coming to Christ, it is clear that the Spirit of God is moving in Kosovo– and we can be a part of that! Curious how you can get involved? There is an opportunity for anyone who desires to be a part of sharing Christ in Kosovo. We have a saying in our outreach program which is “Pray, Give, Go.” These verbs identify specific ways we can participate as ones called to embody Christ to others:

Pray: If you haven’t yet, please sign up to receive our monthly prayer list. When I went to Kosovo this past January on a short-term trip, little did I know that I would receive an answer to the prayers I prayed for the Albanian people 35 years ago! After my first prayers for this unreached population in 1989, I never imagined that God would enable me to personally have a spiritual conversation with an Albanian person who would come to Christ just a couple months later! But that is exactly what happened, and that experience was a gift from God that only He could have orchestrated. You too can witness His great work firsthand. Start by asking yourself… What prayers are you being led to pray? And how do you think might God answer them?

Give: It is our hope to sustain this partnership long-term through designated giving to our missions fund. If you would like to participate financially in our Kosovo Partnership or our Global Outreach at Browncroft, you can do so on our Global Outreach page. Every gift makes a difference. When I think of my own material needs, I am reminded of the richness I have in Christ. God seeks to show us the riches of His love and grace, but this requires dependence on Him. Financial giving is just one way we can show that our dependence is not on ourselves or our resources, but on Him.

Go: A great way you can share about the work we are doing in Kosovo is by participating in one of our short-term trips there– and inviting a friend to join you! We already have our next one scheduled for this fall. If Kosovo is too big a trip for you this year, consider a smaller step such as going on our international college student ministry trip to Penn State in late August. You could also get connected to international college students here in Rochester. To learn more about any of these ministry opportunities, just send us a note. Small steps of faith can lead to unexpected journeys of faith. In Fushe Kosove, the needs are great, the opportunities are great, and our God is great! But whether you go to Kosovo or not, God gives us opportunities to embody Him wherever we are.

I want every one of us to experience the joy of sharing Christ and participating in the transformative work God is doing everywhere! Part of that is the transformative work we can experience in our own hearts. God is near and eager to be a presence in our lives. This is something the Lord has been teaching me in greater measure even this year, by calling me to intentionally make space for Him. His nearness has been prompting me to grow in my faith and live it out more fully. In this way I have been experiencing Christ more, and I can tell you it has been richly rewarding! I pray that each of you are making room to experience Him at work in your own lives as well. A wonderful way to start is by asking what next step you will take to lean into a greater life of faith.