For a number of years, missionary deputies have been supporting church planting projects in Europe. That doesn't just mean transferring an annual amount of support to those projects. During working visits to those projects, it turns out that there is a lot to learn. That was also the case during the visit to Serenissima Ministries in northern Italy.
Church planting
In late 2019, deputies were asked: would you like to contribute to the work of Serenissima Ministries in northern Italy for a time. That happened and that includes a working visit. Mission consultant Willem van 't Spijker and deputy br. Harry Lukens travelled to the area above Venice. Along the A 28 motorway, which leads from Conegliano to Portogruaro, a few church plantings have now been realised.
It began over 25 years ago, when young couple Rob and Sandy Krause went there to visit friends and they were gripped by the desire to establish an evangelical-Reformed church there. That desire was blessed and a congregation was formed in Fontanafredda. But, it could not stop at one church planting. Praying and searching, they set about making contacts. The people they got in touch with, who turned to the Lord Christ, became involved in the desire. Thus, Dani Taut and Franco Tartari also became involved in the work. Dani and his wife Xenia now lead a church planting in Conegliano, and Franco and his wife Pricsilla work in Azzano Decimo. The desire does not stop there. The plan is to draw circles of about 50 kilometres along the A 28, complementing each other, and to look in the centre of those circles for places where a church could be founded. Through the organisation of Serenissima Ministries, people will be trained and guided, and above all: prayed for God's blessing on this work.
Christening service
During the visit brought from mission, nine people were baptised on Sunday. It was moving to hear the testimonies of the people who were baptised. A couple who were baptised together with their youngest daughter told that they had come to the church when their eldest daughter had come to faith. The youngest daughter also came to faith and desired baptism. The parents thought they were too old to be baptised, but discovered while searching and listening that through their baptism they could give a very powerful testimony to their neighbours and acquaintances.
Discipleship
The church is not absent in northern Italy. Every place has a Catholic church. What was striking in the testimonies, and also in the further conversations held, was the sound that people get stuck in the rituals: there is no living faith in the Lord Jesus, despite the fact that the Gospel is read in every mass service. And that living relationship is what many appear to be looking for in Italy.
What we particularly learnt from the visit is that the pastors of the church are very clearly 'outward-looking'. Even when they have pastoral contact with church members, they are busy letting this missionary attitude shine through. Discipleship in these churches appears to be fully understood according to the New Testament: you get to know the Lord Jesus and, in all your life, start bearing witness to Him. Not 'imposed', but from within, with genuine interest in the people around you. This was evident when we went for a walk with the people from the church. They greeted many people they met on the street, and turned out to know the story of many people we met. We wondered: when a pastor or elder from our congregations walks down the street in a village or town, is he often addressed because he obviously really knows the people?
