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| Albanian United Methodists Get First Native-Born Pastor and First Hymnal | ||||||||||||
New York, NY, July 6, 2009--The United Methodist Church in Albania observed two important "firsts" in the late spring and early summer of 2009. It received its first indigenous Albanian pastor and the first hymnal in the Albanian language. The Rev. Rigels Kasmollari, who will serve in Tirana, the capital city, was actually accepted in late May as a probationary member of the Austria Provisional Annual Conference. There is not yet an annual conference structure in Albania. In June at a meeting in Albania, a United Methodist hymnal, containing psalms and church rituals, was introduced, a project that Rev. Kasmollari's sister, Aurela Kasmollari, fostered along with others. There are strong links between the three United Methodist congregations in Albania and the church in Austria. Rev. Kasmollari did his theological studies over the past several years at the seminary at Graz/Waiern in Austria. The Rev. Wilfried Nausner--the United Methodist superintendent for Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia--is from Austria. Methodism was introduced to Albania in the 19th century from Germany. It faded after a few decades in the country where most of the population was historically Muslim, Albanian Orthodox Christians, and Roman Catholics. Following World War II, Albania was taken over by a strongly anti-religious brand of communism, which lasted until 1991. Methodism was reintroduced in the mountainous region of Bishnica in the southeast in 1998, and The United Methodist Church was officially registered in 2007. Despite difficult economic and social circumstances, there are now also congregations in Pogradec and Tirana. Albania has some 3.8 million people, has a primarily agriculture-based economy, and is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Albanian Leadership Development The development of Albanian pastoral and lay leaders for the church is a priority. While Rev. Kasmollari is the first Albanian pastor, other persons are following in his steps. The pastor in Tirana will be assisted this year by Alberta Biba, who is from Bishnica, as she begins to move toward the ordained ministry. The United Methodist theological center at Graz/Waiern has a study program to prepare leaders for Central and Eastern Europe. Both Austria and Albania are part of the Central Conference for Central and Southern Europe, led by Bishop Patrick Streiff, who is based in Switzerland. The New Hymnal The idea for the hymnal arose while Rev. Kasmollari was still in Graz, and it came together in a little over a year with the assistance of others. Aurela Kasmollari collected hymns already available in Albanian, photocopies of which were being used by United Methodist congregations. The Rev. Esther Handchin from Austria located hymns from the Methodist tradition, including some by Charles Wesley, that were already translated into Albanian. Rev. Nausner, the superintendent, and Rigels Kasmollari prepared the liturgical section, which includes psalms, liturgies for Holy Communion, the Lord's Prayer, and creeds. Rev. Kasmollari arranged the contents thematically. In the style of early Methodist hymnals in both England and the United States, the first edition of the Albanian hymnal has only texts, no musical scores. It was also published in a limited edition of 100 copies. The goal is to prepare an expanded second edition, with musical scores, and in larger quantity. Franc Luci, a music student at the Tirana United Methodist Church, is working on tunes and musical accompaniment. Rigels Kasmollari, Wilfried Nausner, and Urs Schweizer, assistant to Bishop Dr. Patrick Streiff, provided the information for this account, which was written in New York by Elliott Wright, information officer of the General Board of Global Ministries.
Date posted: Jul 06, 2009 |
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