Friday, August 29, 2014

Islam on the rise, Christianity declining

Matthew 24:6 
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come

If you have watched the news in the last month you are probably shocked and alarmed with what is happening with ISIS. It has raised my attention to study and prayer on the religion of Islam.

Albania is 59% Muslim. In the center of town is always a mosque. You see people occasionally wearing head dresses or men with long beards significant of practicing Muslims. Never have I felt threatened or in danger of them. The more alarming facts are that Islam is on the rise all over the world. According to a report, Christian growth has stagnated globally while Islam's numbers have almost doubled. The UK telegraph reports that in 2011 the people of England and Wales who described themselves as Christians fell by 4.1 million, but the number of Muslims surged by 75%. Census analysis estimates that Islam could be the dominate religion in 10 years in the UK and other European countries. 

So what about America? In 1990 there were 50 Islamic schools in America, today the number is over 200. And since 1990 the number of Islamic mosques has tripled to more than 2,500. The truth is Islam is here. The worst is not yet over. We need to step up our prayer, evangelism, and study. I want to be able to say, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7 We are continuing here to convert Muslims to the Christian faith. We will not give up!

Juli with chef's hat
Stefano, Jak, Bledi, Mateu
Some of our youth were able to attend a Christian conference in Pogradec, Albania for a week. They were excited to spend a week in fellowship, prayer and study growing closer to God. The theme of the conference was a guide in hard times. Juli went as staff and spent a some time helping in the kitchen. They also spent a day praying for the situation in Syria and praying for Albania as well. We were glad that they were able to go. Please pray for these youth as they continue their faith in the Lord. 

Romi one of our Deacons preached for the first time in Durres. Romi is a great servant of the Lord. We are excited about what God is doing in Romi's life! Romi along with one of our youth, Sabina desires to go to Bible school here in Durres. It is a year long program that starts on September 15th. We are praying that some extra funding would come to be able to pay for them to go to school. The cost is $600 for both. 

Member Spotlight: 
We are excited about the growth of the church in Kavaje. Denisi one of our Deacons, him and his wife Antoneta proudly announce the birth of their second daughter, Arsela. Arsela had a bacterial problem when she was first born but now she is doing well. We are very happy for this precious family! 

Special Prayer Request: 
We are having a BBQ cookout at the church in Kavaje on September 28th. This will be our first fellowship event for the church and we are praying for them to invite their family and friends. We hope for a big turnout! Please pray for this to be a great outreach to the community. 

Update on Building: We are still in the process of raising funds for our new building. We have raised about $7,000! Yea Go God! We still have a long way to go to meet our goal of $50,000. Please help! Even as little as $10 per month would help us out tremendously! Please pray that we will be able to raise the funds. If you would like to donate see the donate button via paypal or the donate address below to send a check. If you have any questions please email us.


Praises/ Prayers:         
*Funding of a new Church home for us.
*Pray that we will be effective servants to reach Muslims for Christ!   

We would love to hear from you! God bless!
 

Serving in His name,
Arian & Stefanie Kosta
kkdurres@gmail.com
Address: L3 Rr Egnatia AP:1043 Durres, Albania   


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Donation address: Make check to McDonough Christian Church
McDonough Christian Church, Attn: Lisa Thomas-Albania building Fund, 2000 Jonesboro Rd. McDonough, Ga 30253