Shaun & Jennifer Thompson
(Left to Right) George, Shaun, Autumn Joy, Jennifer & baby Summer
Missionaries to Albania
Shaun originally comes from Mansfield. He became a missionary to Albania in 1992 at the age of 21. He was brought up in the church but had no idea he would become a missionary until he attended his first missionary prayer meeting. Shaun worked with Coca-Cola and Coventry City Mission before moving to Albania. His sending church is Holbrooks Evangelical in Coventry.
Jennifer was born in Grenada, W.I. where her parents were missionaries. Jen felt the Lord calling her into missions as a girl. She studied French at Bob Jones University in South Carolina, then returned to England, and was working for the evangelist Roger Carswell, before marrying Shaun. Jen’s home church is City Evangelical, Leeds.
History of the work so far...
Gjirokastra is an old town set among the mountains of southern Albania. As far as we know, there has never been an evangelical church there. Here are some of the highlights from the work until now:
At the end of 1992, Shaun Thompson was the first evangelical missionary to begin living in the town. He obtained lodgings with a local family, and began language study.
In 1994 a small Christian meeting was begun in a home.
The first baptisms were held the following year, in 1995.
In 1997 Albania came to the brink of civil war, and the country collapsed into a state of total anarchy. Nevertheless, the Gjirokastra team were able to stay on through the troubles, and in that same year a children's ministry was begun, and the church began to meet in a larger room.
1998 was the year we organized our first annual Bible camp, involving young people from various new churches in Albania.
In 1999, Shaun married Jennifer Martin and she became the newest member of the team.
During the next five years we saw an encouraging pattern of students and local people coming to faith in Christ.
In 2005 we held a ten year celebration to thank God for his blessing on and through the church.
The Gjirokastra Church Plant
Gjirokastra
Shaun is the team co-ordinator and pastor of the church, Jennifer supports him in this.
Geoff is responsible for our literature ministry throughout Albania. Shirley leads the women's ministry, holding weekly Bible studies with ladies and girls.
Shaun writes about future plans...
It is wonderful to see the gospel change individual lives, and a joy to see a church where there was none before. But there is still much to be done. We are looking to God to raise up workers from among the Albanian believers. Already we are involved in training local Christians, and we hope that some of these will continue to serve God in their own country, and among their own people.We have been praying about buying a building. This would serve as a means of reaching out to the community, perhaps as an English school and nursery, as well as a meeting place for the church.
If you were interested in coming to Gjirokastra as part of a short-term team, or felt the Lord leading you to be involved longer-term, we would be very happy to hear from you.
Background information on Albania
Albania was for many years the most closed Communist country in Europe. The economy completely collapsed following the fall of Communism, and Albanians have since survived mainly by emigration and international aid. It remains Europe's poorest country. Corruption is now endemic in Albanian life, and most people see little hope for their small country.The Albanian people are believed to have descended from the ancient Illyrians, and speak their own language, which is unrelated to any other in the region.
They have an unfortunate history of being often conquered by other kingdoms. Albania was part of the Turkish Empire for 500 yrs, and only gained its independence in 1913.
A majority of Albanians come from a Moslem background, with a large Orthodox minority in the South and a smaller Catholic minority in the North. Although most Albanians are very nominal in their faith, they are generally very superstitious.
Albania achieved notoriety as the first officially atheistic state in the world. But despite this (and in spite of the rampant corruption and violence in Albanian society), God is doing a marvelous thing. In the last fifteen years numerous churches have been established across the country. The Word of God is being preached freely, and the poor are receiving it with gladness.
Contact
Shaun and Jennifer produce a regular newsletter to keep family and friends informed. If you would like to receive this newsletter, or get further information about their work, please write to:Shaun and Jennifer ThompsonPO Box 14Ioannina 45002GREECE
E-mail: shaunjena@yahoo.com
Mission web site: www.aemission.org
About The Albanian Evangelical Mission:
The mission grew largely out of the prayer meetings for Albania which began in England during 1976 and the visits to Albania in the 1980s by Christians on Communist sanctioned tour groups.
It was formed in 1986 with two aims:
1) To make the gospel known to the Albanian people.
2) To foster Evangelical church life among them.