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Approximately 200 Helena-West Helena children came to a volunteer-run day camp during the All Church Challenge. Photo courtesy Nick Skipper
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ATLANTA – PORTA, a center for Albanian immigrants in Athens, Greece, will open June 8 with a prayer conference.
The center, which was founded by Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions field personnel Bob and Janice Newell, will host a two-day prayer conference for Albanian believers.
"As we prepare for the first official gathering at PORTA, we are filled with gratitude to God that this long-awaited and much needed ministry will soon be open," Bob said. "At least 10 years ago, the CBF Albanian/Balkan team recognized the needs of Albanians in Athens and began to prepare to respond to them. We are honored to be on the front line of helping to meet those needs. We are also confident that the prayer conference will be the first of many events, used of God to strengthen the faith of the small band of Albanian believers in Athens."
The financial, volunteer and prayer support from Fellowship partner churches has enabled the Newells, formerly of Houston, Texas, to launch this new ministry to the more than 500,000 Albanians who live in Athens. More than 60 Fellowship individuals and churches have provided cross-stitch pieces, which will be given to families at PORTA.
The Newells and PORTA will continue to rely on partnerships with Fellowship Baptists. Individuals and teams are needed to teach English, financial management and family enrichment classes; lead art, sports, and music camps for children; and facilitate other projects related to reaching out the Albanian community.
PORTA, which means "door" in Albanian and Greek, will serve as a culture and reconciliation center for Albanian immigrants in Greece, where many Albanians fled following the collapse of communism in the early 1990s. The mass immigrant influx prompted a backlash of denying many Albanians access to Greek social services. Consequently, many Albanians living in Greece are an oppressed minority.
"For several months, especially since we acquired the facilities for PORTA, we have been encouraged by the buy-in from Albanians," Bob said. "I wish you could see the light in their eyes when they hear about PORTA or when they first see the sign on the door reading Albanian Center. One Albanian family, in their delight and desire to help, gave two beautiful light fixtures for the hallway at PORTA. Another impoverished Albanian family purchased dishes for the kitchen."
To learn more about partnership opportunities with the Newells or other CBF field personnel, contact Karen Gilbert at (800) 352-8741 or kgilbert@thefellowship.info.
CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.
Photo information: The building that houses Porta was built in 1916 and originally served as the office for the personal physician to the king of Greece. CBF Global Missions photo