An up and down: life in Albania

Next to family and honour, hospitality is one of the central concepts of the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit. This is how it has been set down in the age-old traditional Albanian laws that are so typical for the country. And exactly these principles helped chart the course for the New Apostolic Church in this country, situated north-west of Greece at the southern entrance to the Adriatic Sea.

Filling in as host

Just as he was preparing for his trip, Apostle Bernd Klippert was informed by his host that he was cancelling his invitation. And without an invitation no one was allowed to enter Albania in 1990. But a relative agreed to host the Apostle, and offered to accommodate him and his party in their smallish flat—in which the man was living with his family of five.

The name of this friendly relative is Agim Nikshiqi. Three years later, by then Agim was a District Elder, he was appointed to lead the newly established district of Albania. Agim’s daughter, Natasha, was also living in the house, “the first child of God in Albania”, as she likes to say. When the first 21 souls were sealed on 29 September 1991, she was asked to interpret for the Apostle—from German into Albanian. Natasha is a professional translator.

Between Christianity, atheism, and Islam

By then, Christianity in Albania was ancient, yet at the same time still very young. Apostle Paul himself had brought the gospel to Illyricum, as the territory was called at the time (Romans 15: 19). By the fourth century at least, churches were starting to be built here. At the end of the fifteenth century, the Turks established their dominion over Albania and began to Islamize the people.

A totally different ideology came to dominate the country in the second half of the twentieth century: Albania declared itself the “first atheist nation in the world”. Under the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, the practice of religion was strictly forbidden. With the fall of the communist regime in 1990, the freedom of religion returned.

Not even three per cent of Albanians today profess to be atheists. Depending on the source, about 60 to 80 per cent of the population are Muslim, and the rest are predominantly Christian. The religions co-exist peacefully; the people are tolerant, Apostle Franz-Wilhelm Otten (Germany) says, who is responsible for the pastoral care of the New Apostolic Christians in Albania. “We are doing real missionary work here and teaching the people the gospel from scratch.”

Migration abroad: fleeing poverty

The communist planned economy has left deep scars. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, with a per capita income of 384 US dollars a month. Many people left the country immediately after 1990 to seek their fortunes abroad. Even more people left the country following the collapse of the economy in 1997—and an uprising—when many Albanians lost their savings in various pyramid investment schemes. Today, a third of Albanians live abroad.

The immigration wave was also felt in the New Apostolic Church. By 1997, the Church was on the rise, and a good dozen congregations had come into being. But following the collapse of the economy and resulting emigration, the work could not be continued—especially in the southern part of the country. Today the Church in Albania has 550 members spread over six congregations, who are cared for by eighteen local ministers. “We have gone through a period of consolidation,” Apostle Otten says of the situation today. “Eventually we will also see about establishing new congregations again.”

Church-run nursery schools

Meanwhile, the New Apostolic Church is becoming firmly rooted in Albanian society. It has been running nursery schools in Albania since 2012. Currently, there are three with more than a hundred children. The largest of these is in a large residential area on the outskirts of Tirana, the country’s capital city. Four teachers look after sixty preschool children, and offer full-day or half-day programmes. The children receive three meals a day and can also take naps in a specially equipped room.

The children are taught in an age-appropriate way and according to specifications set by the Ministry of Education. Religious instruction—no matter which religion—is, however, forbidden by the state. The first children have already moved on to school. Apostle Otten is quite happy: “They are the best in their class,” he says. “That speaks for the teaching programmes and the intensive care the children receive.”