{"id":23528,"date":"2025-06-05T14:17:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/?p=23528"},"modified":"2025-06-05T14:32:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T14:32:16","slug":"one-family-in-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/one-family-in-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"One Family in Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"

18 May 2025 | Tirana, Albania [Sara Henke]<\/p>\n

On Sunday, 18 May, the Family Ministries Department of the Albanian Mission (AM) brought together believers from across the country for a special occasion\u2014Family Day, an event designed to foster deeper connection among members and strengthen church unity.<\/p>\n

Pastor Gentian Thomollari and his wife, Sanda, Family Ministries Department leaders, shared the vision for the event. \u201cFamily Day brings Adventists churches together in fellowship, worship, and community bonding. It strengthens relationships across generations\u2026 through prayer, activities, and shared experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Words that Heal: A Seminar on Nonviolent Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

A key highlight of the gathering was a seminar on nonviolent communication\u00b9, presented by Nati\u00e9li Sch\u00e4ffer, Women\u2019s Ministries Director for the AM. Sch\u00e4ffer, who holds a Master\u2019s degree in Religious Education with an emphasis on Family Life, reflected on her experience, \u201cAfter living in Albania for almost eight years, I have often witnessed how communication can become intense, loud, and reactive, leading to misunderstandings and fractured relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Non-Violent<\/a>
Nati\u00e9li Sch\u00e4ffer (right) leading a seminar on nonviolent communication.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her aim in leading the workshop was to \u201craise awareness and inspire families to pursue healthier relationships through more peaceful, respectful, and assertive communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

The seminar deeply resonated with attendees. Mirela Peno, who travelled three and a half hours each way to participate, shared, \u201cThe topics we covered were more than just lectures; they were real lessons on how to be better people within our families. It\u2019s both an education and an encouragement.\u201d<\/p>\n

More Than an Event: A Living Expression of Faith
\n<\/strong>
\nFor the Adventist community in Albania, Family Day stands as a living testimony to the unity, hope, and love that binds its members together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always seen the church as a family\u2014brothers and sisters in Christ,\u201d shared attendee Mirela Peno. \u201cI treasure these gatherings where people reconnect, rejoice, and grow together. Everything was so thoughtfully prepared, from the beautiful location to the delicious lunch. I left feeling refreshed, joyful, and grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/a>
Family Day reinforces core values such as togetherness, kindness, and spiritual growth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Razie Matraxhiu, another participant, emphasised the day\u2019s spiritual depth, \u201cThrough the various activities, we learn how to build and strengthen our own families. The presence of God was felt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the broader purpose of the gathering, Pastor Gentian Thomollari concluded, \u201cFamily Day is not merely an event but a ministry\u2014one that helps reinforce core values such as togetherness, kindness, and spiritual growth. It ensures that faith is not only practised on Sabbath, but lived daily within loving and connected homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

[Photos: courtesy of Sara Henke]<\/p>\n

\u00b9Nonviolent Communication is a method of communication designed to foster empathy and understanding by focusing on feelings and needs rather than judgments. It was pioneered by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Celebrating Connection Across Albania<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23531,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1580,1569,1570,1573,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-albania-croatia-slovenia","category-communication-media-technology","category-discipleship-spiritual-growth","category-family-relationships","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23528"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23538,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23528\/revisions\/23538"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}