15 November 2012 Tirana, Albania [Julian Kastrati, tedNEWS] On the weekend of 10-11 November 2012, Children’s Ministries coordinators and teachers from Adventist churches and groups in Albania participated in a very successful and practical training workshop conducted by Clair Sanchez-Schutte and John Sanchez, Trans-European Division (TED) Directors of Children and Family Ministries. Adriatic Union Conference (AUC) Children Ministries Director, Pr. Bobo S. Mar?eta, accompanied them in this important event, and, introduced them to the anticipative audience.
Employing a creative, interactive approach, the Sanchez couple instructed the audience on various topics that involve ministering to children and teens. Among others, the keynote speakers stressed the importance of taking into consideration all aspects of the development of early teens — physical, cognitive, -m.jpg)
social and psychological. Meanwhile, the TED speakers could not hide their enthusiasm at the strong presence of children and teens in Adventist churches throughout Albania. “It is a unique experience for us to see such a high ratio of children and teens taking part in Sabbath services,” said Sanchez-Schutte. Taking into consideration the fact that the Church in Albania has the youngest demographic in the TED territory, Pr. Mar?eta, pointed out that “we at the AUC see an excellent potential in this particular ministry and we take this opportunity to express our continued support for Albania.”
On behalf of all the participants, Clarissa España, Director of Children Ministries for the Albanian Mission (ALM), expressed her most sincere appreciation to the TED and the AUC for supporting children’s ministry during this visit. “It was indeed a blessing for all of us! We all got very encouraged to continue working with our children and youth for the kingdom of heaven, fulfilling the biblical counsel found in Proverbs 22:6 ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.'”
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Furthermore, Pr. Leo España, ALM President, thanked the speakers for the professional, enjoyable and creative presentations. “Church administrators as well as local pastors were glad to see the enthusiasm from all the children coordinators and teachers who participated in the training. They returned to their hometowns motivated with new ideas to put into practice in their local congregations.” Pr. España also emphasised that “children and teenagers are the future of our church in Albania; there is a great potential in them, and we have to invest our time, resources and talents guiding them in their spiritual growth with Jesus.”
For more information about the church in Albania, please visit www.adventist.al [tedNEWS].
tedNEWS Staff: Miroslav Pujic, director; Deana Stojkovic, editor
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