Church
Church at Tek Ura
We aim to be a flourishing SPIRITUALLY HEALTHY community: A radically inclusive cell church, collaborative and equipped to live out God's kingdom values amidst everyday life.
In 2016, there wasn’t a church in Kafja e Rremes. So divided was the community that some people refused to share a meeting room with their neighbours. Part of the underlying reason was intolerance of ethnic diversity and prejudice, and a mistrust of the established church. Today, there is a vibrant, inclusive, worshipping community. All of our members were not in church on joining; many have painful stories; a few have jobs; weekly group meetings exist within an often chaotic personal and community life. In common with many examples of emerging church, we are a values-led church and our simply-stated values are intended to underpin community and missional life. A church emerged from a weekly gathering of men, meeting each week to eat, talk and pray. By 2017, we met as two groups (men, and women and children), gathering each week to wrestle with life and faith, and once a month as a cluster of both groups.
In May 2018, we baptised our first believer, and cell church ‘Komuniteti i Besimit Tek Ura’ was formed, and continues to be led by founding pastor, Dan Dupree. The following year (2 October 2019), the church called Juri Arapi to be the church’s first Albanian co-pastor to work alongside Dan. In 2020, the church continues to grow and witness new life and faith, as people come into relationship with Christ, with more than 40 members, and many more involved in regular church activities. To date, we have extended the number of cells to 4, including an intergenerational cell and youth work.
Since the beginning, Tek Ura has hosted pioneer training events for pastors and leaders from across the denominational spectrum. Looking forward, we view progression as including the development of internships, and placement opportunities for student pastors, making a wider contribution to ministerial formation in Albania. By 2024, the church expects to have more than 10 cells and train and equip more Albanian leaders for pioneer ministries.
