By Mike Grooms
“I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and my Savior, and that”s a choice my father cannot take from me.”
That”s what she said. This young lady from a village in Kosovo was going to return to her home the next day. She expected a beating from her father, and she was scheduled to be sold to a man (as his wife, I think) because her father didn”t want her around anymore. Such is life in her old and isolated village.
The only reason she was allowed to attend this weekend Christian seminar was because her friends begged her dad till he gave her permission. He was very rude to these friends, and they had to pay her way, but he let her go. Even though she had just graduated from the local university, she was still under her father”s complete authority, and she wouldn”t defy him. It was her way of life.
I had met her the year before at a couple of Bible studies. In the interim, her faithful friends continued to teach and support her. But it wasn”t until this weekend meeting that she made this announcement.
I realize a retreat where 35 people show up usually isn”t noteworthy. But this retreat took place in an Islamic locale, it was the first of its kind, and most of the participants were Muslims.
Christian Work in Kosovo
Comenserv (formerly Muslim Hope) has been serving in Kosovo for about five years. Rioters destroyed the church building in the city of Prizren in 2004, and the congregation has been meeting at the home of Wes and Vjollca Dingman. Wes is an American, and Vjollca is a native Kosovar; they both study at the university in Prizren. Don and Linda Tingle live and teach in Kosovo”s capitol city, Prishtina, about 90 minutes away. Don is one of the leading experts on Islam in our brotherhood. These two families are Comenserv”s workers in Kosovo.
Kosovo has been in bad shape since ethnic war ravaged the country in the late 1990s. Its population is about 90 percent Muslims of Albanian decent. Many of these were forced to flee the Serbian army in 1999 and could only return after an intensive NATO bombing campaign forced the Serbian army to relent. Since then, Kosovo”s economy has been weak. The unemployment rate is almost 70 percent. The United Nations oversees the government, and NATO troops keep the peace.
Comenserv”s initial contact with Kosovar Muslim refugees was in Durres, Albania. As the refugees moved back, Comenserv followed. The congregation in Prizren is stable even after the riots destroyed the building where the church met in April 2004.
Introducing Jesus
But by 2005, the church was ready to take a new step: a weekend seminar introducing seekers of Muslim background to Jesus of Nazareth.
Jon Weatherly, academic dean at Cincinnati Christian University, was invited to lead the seminar. My wife, Enise, and I joined him.
Facilities were arranged at the attractive new hotel outside of town. Fifty-four Euros for a weekend”s food and lodging is a bargain to an American, but it”s more than a week”s wages to the average Kosovar. So the Americans tossed in extra money, and Comenserv paid the rest for all who couldn”t afford it. Still, we wondered who would come.
For a month before the retreat, the church in Prizren fasted and prayed every Tuesday. They invited friends and business associates, hoping 20 or 25 would come; it was thrilling to see almost 35. Three-fourths of these had little or no church background. Most were raised in the Muslim faith, but all were interested in hearing what Christians had to say. Lawyers, a radiologist, university students, clerks, and one very friendly guy who worked in the local ketchup factory listened to the preaching, teaching, and singing.
Weatherly spoke seven times presenting “Jesus and the Reign of God.” His arguments and structure were easy to follow, easy to understand, and very convincing as we went from the Old Testament until the end of time. Especially interesting were the question-and-answer times after each session. Weatherly was put on the spot with difficult questions, most of them from Muslims, and his answers cleared up many doubts.
Don Tingle”s knowledge and experience were especially helpful. Tingle has labored many years with Muslims, and he”s also written and taught Christians about Islam. During the retreat, he specifically tackled the three biggest theological issues that separate the two religions. Quoting from both the Bible and the Koran, he powerfully showed how a Muslim could readily follow the teachings of Jesus the Messiah.
I gave devotions for each lesson and also preached for the Sunday service. The sermon about Heaven built nicely on Weatherly”s theme about Jesus and God”s kingdom.
As with many meetings like this, some of the most meaningful and spiritual times took place during the meals and leisure activities. About a half-dozen church members attended with the staff. Everyone did their best to share how Jesus touches every area of life, including work, family, and marriage. Many new friendships were forged.
Saturday evening attendees watched Mel Gibson”s The Passion of The Christ. I was well acquainted with the Passion movie, so Enise and I spent that time talking to an attorney and his wife who were our age and wanted to be friends. After saying good night, my wife and I passed the place where the movie was showing. I was surprised to see that almost all the guests were watching with rapt attention. I knew God was touching their hearts.
But I was scheduled to preach the morning service and the movie wouldn”t be finished till after midnight. I”ve been a preacher for many years; I know what happens to Sunday attendance when people stay up too late on Saturday night. I was sure I”d only be preaching to a handful of people.
Everyone came to church! As hard as it is to get sleepy-headed believers up on Sunday morning in America, the non-Christians showed up to hear more about God. Helti Guraziu, the music minister, led the music service with some songs he had composed himself, utilizing traditional Albanian folk music. Church members Ismail Kadriu and Rifat Gashi read Scripture, and Wes Dingman gave an extended devotion that explained the Lord”s Supper to the seekers. Even though an American gave the sermon, it was obvious that it was a Kosovar congregation that was praising and proclaiming the message of God.
Dingman worked harder than anyone at the retreat. Not only did he handle the local logistics, he translated seven lectures, seven devotions, three lessons, and one sermon. I”m sure his jaw hasn”t yet recuperated.
Establishing a Connection
I”m typing this while sitting at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, just after the retreat ended. As I sip my Turkish coffee, it occurs to me just how wonderful and biblical this has all been. I think about how Paul approached the Athenians at the Areopagus””how he established a connection not by just talking like them, but by building on what he shared in common with them. He built a foundation to speak to them about the gospel. He also treated them with respect and dignity.
Our paradigm at Comenserv has always been to bring the gospel into the people”s culture without forcing ours upon them. As with the Areopagus, we seek to become all things to all men in order that (we) might win some (see 1 Corinthians 9:22). This wonderful retreat was a perfect example. As the young woman”s stirring confession revealed, the gospel of Jesus can penetrate even the bleakest circumstances.
So 35 people attending a family retreat isn”t always noteworthy, but this particular one is already the start of something big.
Mike Grooms is director of Comenserv. He lives in Covington, Kentucky.
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