When organizations and churches commit to the same mission, beautiful partnerships are formed in the same town and around the world. In July, two Indiana churches joined Albanian missionaries and a church in Tirana (Albania) to share the gospel. The 16 people from Westwood Fellowship Church (Woodburn) and Highland Gospel Church (Fort Wayne) traveled to Albania to join Kent and Angie Morton, FEC missionaries from Brookside Church (Fort Wayne) and an Albanian church to teach at an English camp.
The partnership between Nate Schumacher and Angie Morton goes all the way back to their family roots–brother and sister, the children of missionaries. Now, Nate pastors Highland Gospel Church and Angie serves with her husband in Albania through European Christian Mission International (ECMI). Nate and his wife Steph have traveled to Albania to serve before, and he shared that opportunity with his friend and fellow pastor Chad Olszewski. Chad gathered a team from his church, Westwood Fellowship, and Nate recruited a team from Highland Gospel. Then, they traveled to a retreat hosted by Kisha e Besimit Biblik (Bible Faith Church) to teach English to the church members’ guests.
Albania has a large Muslim population, and it was under communist control for nearly 50 years, so most Albanians have not heard the gospel. The church members invited unbelieving family and friends to the English camp. The team used Bible parables to teach English lessons and share the gospel. Two years ago, the Schumachers met Alfons at the camp, and this year, he brought his brother, Bernard. During the English camp, Bernard heard the gospel and said that he now believes in Jesus “with his heart and not just his head.”
The team plans to return in two years. In the meantime, a partnership that has been built between siblings and friends who live half a world away continues to make an eternal impact.
