Our Story
The birth of OMEFI was not a sudden event: it was the result of a journey that lasted nearly two years.
On one hand, it all began with the arrival of thousands of Albanian refugees on the shores of Puglia in March 1991; on the other, it was shaped by the Conference of Elders and Servants of the Lord held in Poggio Ubertini (Florence) from April 25 to 27 of the same year, which — well before the landings — was dedicated to the theme: “Missionary Work in Italy and the World.”
While reflections on missions were taking place in Poggio, the work initiated with the refugees who landed on March 11 continued at the old Bethel Center in Borgo Mezzanone (Foggia). Three brothers formed a small committee to organize social and spiritual activities: for 80 days, they offered hospitality, Italian language lessons, and practical help with job and housing integration.
On a spiritual level, they presented the Person and Work of Jesus Christ through the Gospel of Luke. This material became the foundation for a Bible course translated into Albanian, with 25,000 copies printed and later distributed across Albania.
The arrival of humanitarian aid — including financial support — necessitated more structured coordination. This led to the creation of the committee Evangelo Per gli Albanesi (EPA – Gospel for Albanians), which effectively foreshadowed OMEFI, supporting the work on spiritual, social, and administrative levels until February 1993, including direct efforts within Albania.
Supported by the EPA, on October 5, 1991, three brothers took an initial scouting trip to Albania. Landing in Vlorë and arriving in Tirana the next day, they were welcomed with great warmth by the families of the Albanians hosted at Bethel. The work was now at the doorstep: after prayer and reflection, the EPA encouraged a team of brothers and sisters to move to Tirana to start the work. On November 21, 1991, the team left Foggia and joined two brothers already on-site. In a short time, the first groups and the first assemblies were born, from the north to the south of Albania.
In parallel, encouraged by the participants of the Poggio conference, a group of ten brothers began to evaluate the creation of a permanent tool to support missionary work abroad. Three of them prepared a document that was approved in a special meeting in Poggio Ubertini. On that occasion, the functioning of “Missionary Service Groups” was explained, inspired by existing realities within the Assemblies world, such as Echoes of Service (1872) or the Missionhaus of Wiedenest (1950s).
It was in this context that the name and meaning of the acronym O.M.E.F.I. — Opera Missionaria Evangelica dei Fratelli Italiani — was presented.
Following thorough biblical and legal preparation, two brothers drafted the Bylaws and Regulations, and on February 6, 1993, at the Via Taranto assembly in Foggia, OMEFI was officially established. The founding members, coming from various Italian regions, represented their assemblies with the goal of creating a shared tool to support missionary work.
The first Board of Directors, consisting of nine members, immediately set out to present the association’s goals to the Italian brotherhood, summarized in three essential points:
1. To promote missionary interest within Italian Assemblies;
2. To support the development of the work in Albania, both spiritually and materially, and encourage new openings;
3. To maintain and develop international contacts.
In the early years, over fifty communities were visited annually, clarifying from the start that OMEFI was neither a Mission nor a Missionary Society: it did not impose choices, did not replace the sending assemblies, and did not intervene in the internal dynamics of local churches. Its role was to serve, coordinate aid, accompany missionaries, and manage gifts destined for the work with transparency.
From the beginning, a network of international relations with other Missionary Service Groups was also essential. This collaboration proved invaluable in the following years, especially during the 1997 Albanian crisis and the arrival of Kosovar refugees in 1999.
The early years were marked by great enthusiasm, but also challenges. Some perceived OMEFI as a Mission, others wanted more control over the missionaries’ work, while others feared it would take resources away from the work in Italy. Over time, however, the brotherhood understood that OMEFI was a tool at the service of the assemblies, the missionaries, and the emerging churches abroad.
To clarify and consolidate the association’s role, a national missionary conference was organized on June 20, 1993, at the old Bethel Center (Foggia), bringing together approximately 3,000 believers from about eighty Italian assemblies. In addition to two incisive messages by Dr. David Gooding and the presentation of OMEFI, testimonies from foreign missionaries active in various fields—from evangelism to publishing—were shared. The four Albanians present also shared their experiences, which were later applied to similar activities in the following years.
In its first three years, OMEFI also organized numerous regional and interregional conferences, sometimes on specific topics, such as reaching Muslims in Italy, with the participation of experts.
On June 22 and 23, 1996, during the Second International Brethren Conference (IBCM 2), OMEFI organized a second national conference at the Hotel Ergife in Rome, with 1,500 participants from 110 Italian assemblies. Brothers from North America, Africa, and Australia preached, and testimonies from five continents were shared, showcasing the missionary work of the Assemblies and its concrete fruits.
Thanks to these initiatives, OMEFI became increasingly well-known in Italy and abroad, allowing the brotherhood to pray not only for Albania — the primary field of intervention — but also for other missionaries and works worldwide.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the number of members briefly reached 99 from about seventy assemblies. Subsequently, the Board of Directors proposed an amendment to the Bylaws, limiting terms of office to three three-year periods to allow more brothers to take on service roles without concentration of power. In 2015, the General Assembly approved a further amendment, allowing more brothers from each assembly to become members of OMEFI.
On December 1, 1996, the first Assembly place of worship in Albania was inaugurated in Tirana. OMEFI contributed significantly to the fundraising and presentation of the project. The building, centrally located, had spaces for both social services and witness. To protect the ownership of the premises, the Board established the Albanian Brethren Foundation, officially registered on October 10, 1994, with Italian and Albanian members.
In 1994-95, two brothers from the Board, who were teachers at IBEI, held intensive Bible courses on weekends in Shkodër, Tirana, and Vlorë. Subsequently, a “mini Bible school” was organized with current and former IBEI teachers. The thirteen participants, from various assemblies, lived together for a few months, returning home on weekends to serve their communities. This initiative proved crucial during the revolution of March 1997, when missionaries had to return home: the young students sustained the work without interruption.
Since the late 1990s, OMEFI consolidated its work in Albania and began evaluating new fields of action, with contacts and temporary work in Serbia and Croatia, initiatives for refugees from Asia and Central Africa, and activities in former Italian colonies.
In 1999, OMEFI intervened in two significant events in Albania. The first was the arrival of thousands of Kosovar refugees: the brothers in Tirana, in agreement with the authorities, took fifty under their care, creating contacts that would lead to the start of the work in Kosovo. Through seven communiqués, OMEFI presented the work in Italy and abroad, stimulating a generous response from the brotherhood. Part of the funds raised was used to found the “Alfa e Omega” radio station, active since July 31, 1999, supported by Italian and international donations, with regular updates on its progress.
Shortly after, in Prizren (Kosovo), an Italian missionary couple and the first Albanian missionary couple arrived. OMEFI allocated funds for renting premises, purchasing literature, and supporting a large evangelistic conference held by the man who would become the association’s second president.
Since the 2000s, OMEFI has continued its service as a tool for the Italian Assemblies. Following the initial leadership of Brother Fares Marzone, the association has been led by brothers Pasquale Di Nunzio, Mario Valente, Carlo Bisceglia, Leonardo Del Vecchio, and Paolo Irollo, all supported by active and competent Boards of Directors.
Over the years, the Lord has blessed the work in Albania with the birth and consolidation of assemblies in Tirana, Shkodër, Vlorë, Laç, Elbasan, Peqin, Rrëshen, Lezhë, Kavajë, and Fllakë, some with premises owned by the Albanian Foundation, others rented, and the formation of numerous groups in Babrru and Durrës. The commitment has involved Italian and foreign brothers, as well as Albanian brothers and sisters, some recommended for full-time service. Among many, mention should be made of Salvatore Corcelli, Mimmo Ciociola, Tommaso D’Andrea, Massimo Ricossa with their respective wives, Rinaldo Diprose, Peter Hedley, and Bernardo Oxenham.
OMEFI has also closely followed Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro, supporting the Assemblies in their needs, and has maintained a constant relationship of fellowship with the churches through the periodicals Spighe, Echi dal mondo, and Il Cristiano.
Many ministries have been carried out: prison evangelism, literacy programs for the Roma people, welcoming and evangelizing migrants, and providing material and spiritual aid to earthquake victims and the poor in Tirana. In particular, the service among migrants in Italy allowed for practical and spiritual support during a period of loosely defined regulations, leading some refugees to embrace faith in Christ.
Today, OMEFI operates in Albania, including the new reality in Manza near Durrës, and in Kosovo, in Prizren and the villages of Dragash, Gjonaj, and Pirane, where Bardhyl and Izetja Morina, former Muslims who converted to Christianity, serve full-time. Additionally, the association collaborates with “Children’s Home” in Cambodia, an organization dedicated to managing foster homes for minors at risk of trafficking or abuse, bearing witness to faith and the love of God.
OMEFI’s service continues, with the awareness that mission remains at the heart of God’s thoughts.