Discipleship Reborn:

Following the end of the Second World War, Albania was plunged into a Communist dictatorship that virtually sealed Albania off from the outside world. Abolishing religion, Albania became the world’s first proclaimed atheist state in 1967. In the 1930s, the country had one evangelical church, but by the time communism fell in 1991, that fellowship had been reduced to just five elderly men who met secretly to pray and read from one Bible.

Working as a youth pastor in the US, Mark first visited the newly opened Albania in 1991. He found many people were eager to have Bibles and to learn about Jesus.Several young men stayed in contact with Mark, writing letters and asking for ways to grow in their faith.

Mark and his wife Ruthie returned permanently in the early 1990s. The young Albanians who had been in contact with Mark became the core of the first church plant he worked with. Mark also had the privilege of meeting the five men from the original church and watching them help rebuild the church alongside this new generation.

This led Mark to begin helping plant churches in southeastern Albania, and the 1990s proved to be a uniquely fruitful season for Albania’s young evangelical movement. Mark and his wife, Ruthie, spent those years discipling new believers, several of whom are now working with churches in other villages. They even adopted twelve Albanians in addition to their four biological children.
Mark and Ruthie even launched Albania’s first Christian summer camp, a ministry that continues to welcome nearly 2,000 children each year. Several years later, they founded an international Bible school, now more than two decades old, which trains leaders from Albania and beyond through Torchbearers’ mission-focused model. Several of their students are now running a soccer ministry for the local kids in the community.

When the pandemic closed schools, their youngest son, Stephen, struggled with remote learning. They discovered Black Forest Academy was a possibility, and with only days before the new school year, the family applied. Stephen thrived—immersing himself in theater, sports, and running cross-country. Ruthie was able to attend his BFA graduation before passing sadly away after a battle with cancer. Stephen is now preparing to graduate from Wheaton College.

After Ruthie’s passing, Mark met and married Melanie, a former teacher at Rosalyn Academy, who joined him and his sixteen children in Albania. Recently, one of Mark’s Albanian daughters, Lily, also wanted to attend BFA, but English was not her first language. So, Melanie helped homeschool Lily for a time, who worked tirelessly to strengthen her English, and joyfully, this year, she joined the BFA community. For Lily and the family, BFA has been a wonderful provision. Her dorm family and teachers have been valuable in supporting her as she continues her studies here at BFA. Melanie shares that “we are so proud of her and so grateful God has woven BFA’s and Lily’s stories together”.

From one Bible and the secret gatherings of five believers to a bible school, churches, and summer camps, God is doing amazing things in Albania, and we are privileged and blessed to see a mere glimpse of it here at BFA.