At just 38 years old, Pastor Artur Krasniqi is the head pastor of Fellowship of the Lord’s People Church in Kosovo. Deeply respected and loved by the church, he is an incredible leader that daily inspires his congregation and staff with his hope and vision for this nation. He has a gentle and humble spirit that makes it hard to believe the traumatic life experiences he has endured.
In 1999, the war in Kosovo began devastating the nation and it’s already struggling economy. As the Serbian army began invading Kosovo, millions fled to Macedonia and Albania as refugees. Intervention from NATO hoped to bring the war to an end with 78 days of strategic bombing against the Serbs. Although the bombs were effective, they sent continual shockwaves through Pristina, where Pastor Artur remained throughout the entire bombing campaign.
Seeking refuge in an apartment in the middle of the city, Pastor Artur often went without food and water. However, he managed to hide some food supplies inside the church which was a dangerous distance from the apartment. Desperate to eat something, he and 2 others risked walking to the church. Just after they had arrived, 2 Serbian soldiers walked in the church and caught them in the act of hiding food supplies, a crime punishable by death during the war.
The soldiers immediately ordered them to line up against the back wall of the church and prepare to be executed. I couldn’t believe that the very same wall that I had spent the last four Sunday’s looking at was the very same one that Pastor Artur stood against preparing to die. With courage from the Lord, Pastor Artur asked the soldiers why they were doing this. One of the Serbian soldiers responded to him and said, “I am god. I decide who lives and who dies in this city.”
Pastor Artur continued to stand firm and pleaded their case to the Serbian soldiers. One of the soldiers finally decided to let them go if they promised to return the next day at 11am with a letter of permission which would allow them to visit the church. Praise God, the soldiers finally released them and Pastor Artur swiftly returned to his apartment. He spent a sleepless night trying to figure out where he would be able to type, print and get his letter stamped in war torn Pristina.
In the middle of the night, it dawned on Pastor Artur that his escape had nothing to do with actually providing the required letter but that the Lord had faithfully used it to provide an escape. Finally after the 78 days of bombing, which felt like years, peace finally arrived in Kosovo. However, although the war with the Serbians was over, there were still spiritual battles taking place everyday.
A year later in 2000, Pastor Artur was asleep one evening in his office at the church when he woke up to a cold metal gun held to his head. A man whose face was covered stood over him. The group of masked men held him and the others in the church captive for the night and left the next morning. Once untied, they discovered that the church had been ransacked, with graffiti all over the walls. It was the same three letters everywhere OBL – for Osama Bin Laden.
Kosovo was 98% Muslim with radical Islam growing in numbers and influence after the fall of communism. Pastor Artur and his church had been specifically targeted to make a clear point, Christians were unwelcome in Pristina. In March of 2001, Pastor Artur received an invite to speak at Times Square Church to share his stories from the war and God’s faithfulness with the congregation.
The American pastor felt strongly that his church needed to hear about the war and be prepared for the battles to come. Just six months after Pastor Artur spoke, the September 11 terrorist attacks shook the city. He received many emails from the congregation thanking him for his message that had prepared them and reminded them to trust in God’s faithfulness.
Now in 2015, Pastor Artur is happily married to his beautiful wife Brikena and they have two adorable sons – Leron and Noel. It was such a joy to spend the Christmas season in Kosovo with Pastor Artur and his church. Their family and the congregation at Fellowship of the Lord’s People were the perfect gift.
