In his Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 2: God and Creation, renowned theologian of the past, Herman Bavinck defines providence according to “the divine activity of preservation and governance itself” (Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 375). In accordance with God’s wonderful counsel and excellent wisdom ALL THINGS exist and happen (Ibid.).
This is a rather grand introduction to this past month’s Ministry Review but we can assure you that the events of this past month, as we look back on March 2021, are grand. They also fall under the category of this divine activity of God who providentially governs in most incomprehensible yet knowable ways.
It all began in July of last year (2020) on our actual day of arrival in Rome from Messina, as we (Gravino family) were literally moving in to our apartment. There and then, I was met by our next door neighbor who greeted me and invited me to his place for coffee when convenient.
Needless to say, we had several coffee’s together and a friendship has developed since then. Around last November, my neighbor friend mentioned he he talked about me to his friend and that this friend wanted to meet me. That led to more coffee with both my neighbor and his friend.
During these times together, I was able to share about my work and reason for being in Rome and my faith in Christ alone. This friend of my neighbor’s, now my friend as well, is Roman Catholic but has as of recent become more sensitive to matters of the faith and Christ.
He is also the owner of a small theater house in a very popular neighborhood of Rome. At one point in our times of interaction and discussion together he offered to have me use his theater for preaching and teaching. He suggested, to my surprise, to use it on a Sunday because, according to his almost very words…, “don’t you evangelicals meet on Sunday’s?”
ITA as a result did just that. On March the 14th and the 21st, for two consecutive Sunday nights, we held a classroom/worship time at my friend’s theater. With the current Covid restrictions, we could only host a maximum of 15 people.
On both nights we had 13 to 14. After the first Sunday night, the Italian government called for a national lockdown. In spite of this, we were able to secure the legal right to meet, thanks to our current partner church in Rome, the Berean church of Rome, and had our service.
On this second night especially, my new friend, the owner of the theater attended and brought two of his friends. After the service, he thanked me for the night of worship and the word, mentioning how much he enjoyed it. He then said, “we need to do more of this.”
Hence, we are planning to do just that. Please pray for the upcoming months of April through June. Our aim is to follow through on this providential movement of God, seizing every opportunity He provides. ITA intends to host two to three meetings (classroom/chapel times) a month on Sunday evenings.
Stay tuned.