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In this episode of The Grand Weaver, we visit Selah Worship Arts in Tirana, Albania, and hear from father–son leaders Benny and Sam about God’s surprising work in a nation once called “the North Korea of Europe,” where belief in God was outlawed until the early 1990s. Benny shares how he came to Christ through music and sensed a clear call: raise a second generation of worshipers. What began in 2009 with weekend seminars grew into worship camps (now 10+ years running), a three-year pilot school, and today a six-month residential program that forms worship leaders spiritually, theologically, and musically—then sends them back to serve their local churches across the Balkans.

We talk about the region’s unique need: few mentors, few native-language worship songs, and many churches without trained worship leaders. Selah’s vision is to help the Church find its own voice—not just translating songs, but writing from the heart and history of Albania and neighboring nations. God’s provision threads through the story, including a last-minute 2023 gift that opened doors for their current space. The episode closes with a faith-filled invitation to join the work: prayer, mentorship, financial partnership, recording studio equipment, and even coming to serve on-site.

Takeaways

• First-generation faith: Albania had no legal worship for decades; many current leaders are first-generation believers without mentors or tradition.
• Formation before performance: Selah is not just a music school; it’s a pastoral/theological formation community with music as a tool, not the goal.
• Six-month residential school: Two blocks—Discipleship (life with God) and Leadership & Musicianship (theory, songwriting, arranging, tech/audio, leading in varied contexts).
• Regional impact: Training now spans the Balkans (Greece, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Romania), multiplying leaders who serve their home churches.
• Finding their local voice: The Church needs original songs in native languages, shaped by local story and culture—not only translations.
• By faith, together: The team operates with a small staff and limited resources, yet God keeps providing. The vision includes a recording studio and, long-term, a permanent home that stands as a Christian landmark for future generations.

Get Involved

Pray

• For a deep move of God among first- and second-generation believers.
• For stamina, unity, and protection for the Selah team and students.
• For original worship to arise in Albanian and other Balkan languages.

Give

• Monthly support to sustain the six-month school (scholarships, housing, meals, utilities).
• Studio build-out: audio interfaces, microphones, monitors, headphones, sound treatment, instruments; mixing/mastering support, technical training.
• Facility fund: toward a permanent training center that removes time/space limits and becomes a generational landmark.

Serve

• Short- or long-term on-site: administration, hospitality, media/AV, teaching (Bible/theology, music theory, songwriting, arrangement, live sound).
• Mentor remotely: coach a worship leader or team over video (spiritual care, set planning, songwriting feedback).
• Network & share: introduce Selah to churches, worship communities, and donors; host vision nights or worship/prayer gatherings.

Share

• Spread the story: play the episode in your church/team meeting, post on socials, and invite others to pray and partner.

About

Selah Worship Arts exists to equip worshipers who know and love God to serve the Church in Albania and across the Balkans. Since 2009, what began with weekend seminars has grown into camps, a pilot school, and now a six-month reside