Malta
The Land and the
People
Three inhabited islands make up the 196-square-mile archipelago of Malta located off the southern coast of Sicily. With over 2000 people per square mile, Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Its people are descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians. Despite Malta's proximity to Italy, the Maltese language is derived from Arabic, due to an Arab invasion of the land in 870 A.D. Malta has two official languages, Maltese and English.
Religion
Acts 28:1 records that the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked on Malta. Today the Roman Catholic Church predominates Malta and has 365 churches on these small islands. With 97 percent of the population being members, Malta also has the highest Catholic Church attendance rate of any nation. Evangelical believers make up a very small percentage of the population. In recent years, there has been a rise in individualism, which has resulted in Maltese shifting to a secularistic, materialistic perspective that has led to a pursuit of pleasure and "the good life."
Past and Current
Work
In 2005, a couple joined Baptist Mid-Missions for service in Malta. Joe Mifsud, whose father came from Malta, and his wife Jenny had served in the country with another mission agency from 1983-1992. When they first arrived, there were approximately 20 believers on the entire island. With God's help, they won many Maltese to Christ and established the Bible Baptist Church. They returned to the U.S., and in time a Maltese pastor began to lead the church. In 2003 the Mifsuds began to feel the Lord leading them to return to Malta. After a visit to Malta, the Mifsuds were asked by a Maltese pastor if they could return to the Bible Baptist Church to help. They said yes and arrived on the field in June 2007.
Goals
The Mifsuds are working alongside the national pastor to strengthen the church, with Joe sharing in the preaching responsibilities. They have started, and Joe is directing the Faith Bible Institute as a teaching ministry of the local church to keep believers doctrinally anchored. Jenny has restarted the Children’s Church and is ministering to the women. With the University of Malta less than a mile from the church, they would like to begin an outreach to the students who come from more than 70 countries.
We are seeking additional missionaries for youth and campus ministry.