“Sabat te lumtur!” (“Happy Sabbath!”) Every Sabbath as people gather in our home, they are served glasses of grape juice, and then they welcome each other with this toast. Before that, as they arrive at our door, they remove their shoes and are presented with slippers. The women kiss both cheeks in greeting, and the men shake hands and sometimes even kiss cheeks if they haven’t seen each other recently. “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (2 Cor. 13:12).

These are some ways we include Albanian customs in our home-church gatherings to make them feel as warm and inviting as a visit with beloved family. Often we eat together. Then we spend a little time sharing our testimonies before we begin the service with songs, prayer, scripture reading, Bible study and so on.

Sure, it’s a little different from how we do church back in the States, but it isn’t unlike the early church portrayed in the book of Acts. It has helped to bond people from different perspectives and backgrounds, whether Muslim, Orthodox, or atheist. We find it easier to be “in one accord” as Adventist Christians when we become like a loving family.

Many cultural practices must be abandoned if they portray characteristics that are un-Christ-like. But we must guard against letting our own cultural biases set the standard for churches across the world. Let Christ be the standard.

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