Kosova – Giving the gospel in our community

View from picturesque Gjakova

Dear brothers and sisters,

Last year, the Kosova Protestant Evangelical Church (KPEC) did a community outreach called “Life for Kosova” during Easter week in Prishtina.  It was a huge success in touching many lives, setting the pace of community ownership, and raising the visibility of the church in Kosova, by bringing much of the Protestant community together to help in the project.

This year KPEC is planning the 2^nd annual “Life for Kosova” outreach project during Easter week, April 6-12, 2009, in the city of Gjakova.  The aim of the project is to provide the community of Gjakova the opportunity of seeing the Gospel in action. During this time we are planning on doing a number of community service projects and concluding with an evangelistic service on Easter day.

The week’s activities will look something like this:

• Voluntary Blood Drive – The hospital in Gjakova is in great need of blood which can literally be the difference between life and death for someone. While we are waiting our turn to donate blood we will also clean the hospital yard.
• Education – In addition to helping to clean up identified parts of the city, as we did last year, we have decided to try and help change the mindset of this generation. We will cast the vision of taking ownership of the land through a slogan “Kosova is OUR land…if we can’t keep it clean, who will”. This approach has so impressed the mayor that he has decided to declare the month of April “clean up month”, and has given us his full cooperation. We will take the message into every class of every school in the city. Our hope is that people will take it to heart and it will spread through out the whole nation.
• Clean up Routes into the City – We will clean the three roads entering Gjakova, on different days.
• Humanitarian Aid – Another part of the project will be a special dinner held at a location TBA. We are trying to discern which group that are a forgotten part of our community, has the greatest need for a good meal and fellowship. We will also distribute package of staple goods (corn and wheat flour, rice, oil, sugar, and laundry detergent) to the poorest of the poor.
• Beautification – Planting of flowers in the city.
• Other activities

This project will conclude with a large evangelistic Easter service. There is no place for an open-air meeting, like the one held last year, without incurring huge expense, so it will be held in the Cultural Palace with seating for about 900.  We will also have a children’s program at the same location, so we will need workers with a heart for children.

There will be praise and worship, a powerful drama of the passion of Jesus Christ, and an inspiring message of the hope of the resurrection.

While we are planning and seeking God’s will for this project, we also trust Him to provide the necessary financial support.

In order to accomplish the project we’ve described to you we will need around 10.000  Euro.

We trust the Lord to raise these funds precisely through people like you, for whom Kosova and the lost living here are very dear.

We have first begun by taking an offering in our churches in Kosova, and that is still going on.

Brothers and sisters, we want to offer you the opportunity of being a part of the work of the Lord in Kosova.  We would kindly ask you to please consider supporting this project through your prayers and finances.

In order that we may know as soon as possible that the financial needs are met for this project, we would need to know quickly the degree to which you can partner with us.

In Christ’s name,

Kosova Protestant Evangelical Church

Prayer requests

1- Pray for unity among the Churches while we are planning to serve together.

2- Pray for the believers who will see this project as a unique opportunity to serve and witness for the Lord.

3- Pray for the authorities with whom we will collaborate.

4- Pray for the community services so they will serve as good testimony to the people, that the Lord will use everything for His glory.

5- Pray for the celebration meeting on Easter day, the 12th that many people will come regardless of their opinions and mentality towards Christians.

6- Pray that the Lord will touch the hearts of these people while they hear the message of Easter.

7- Pray that we may have good weather for Easter.

8- Pray that the Lord will provide all the necessary financial support.

Blessings,

Our Bank details:

Bank Name: Pro Credit Bank Kosovo

Acc. Nr: 1110276289000161

Acc.Name: Kisha Protestante Ungjillore e Kosoves

Swift Code: MBKORS22  ( Kosova has no IBAN)
BASHKESIA E POPULLIT TE ZOTIT *  FELLOWSHIP OF THE LORD’S PEOPLE
Rr/Str. Rrustem Statovci # 9 10 000 PRISHTINA, Republika e Kosoves
Phone&Fax:  +381 (0)3…
Skype: kosovachurch www.kosovachurch.org

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(Comment: I think Romanian Evangelicals could learn a thing or two from the holistic approach to witnessing for Christ of these Kosovar Christians.)