“I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you soon, but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:14–15).
Our ambition at ITA has always consisted of helping the local church do all things properly and in an orderly manner. This is what Paul calls Timothy to do based on the above cited passage. The aim, continuing Paul’s thought, is so that the local church can live out its God-designed and Christ focused witness to the surrounding world as “a household of God,” a “church of the living God,” and a “pillar and support of the truth.”
Conduct in godliness derived from a regular diet founded upon habitual exposition of the truth (1 Tim. 4:6) is ultimately the predetermined course and practical manifestation of that original divine blueprint for the church.
It is because of the above portrait of the local church and the profound persuasion to see this design multiplied in Italy, especially in Rome, that the current edition of our ministry update focuses on recent developments in the intended church plant in the city of Rome.
The work of training in the classroom still continues and has further developed in Rome. One of these developments was our Exposition of Daniel class that was held during the first week of June with guest Ken Fuller.
A like-minded group of men attended. These are seniors in the ITA world. All have graduated through our training and are in ministry in various parts of Italy. That said, they came back for additional refinement and we are grateful for this. More Bible exposition classes are in the works to be held in Rome in the near future.
It is to the labor of church planting however that our minds are at the present time most set on.
The team is almost in place and the time is set for a significant step forward in the launch of the new church. To date, the Albanesi family, Cesare and Melissa, and young children, and the Gravino family, Johnny and Alex, and older children, will have served a year together in the initial foundation of the plant.
The last year and a half has witnessed both of us busy at our Roman theater expositing the Word and witnessing to several unbelievers in attendance at our theater meetings at the same time.
Simone Marini, who served for the last two years as an elder at the Bible Church of Messina alongside Sebastian Mendez, its teaching pastor, has as of June, moved to Rome. The move was planned. Simone excelled in his work for ITA in Sicily. We now look forward to his contribution both at ITA Rome and at our new church.
We now await the arrival of a fourth member of the founding team, a Ukrainian missionary family serving the Ukrainian community in the region of Naples for several years. They along with their mission organization have reached out to us to have Yaroslav and his wife and daughter move up to Rome to partner with a like-minded ministry team. Yaroslav and his family are currently working on raising their support for life and ministry in Rome. Please pray for them.
Finally, a small church that both Cesare and I have been doing pulpit supply for the past several years has decided to join our group. We now have a greater team of people and are stepping out as such beginning this fall.
On the 4th of September 2022 our plant will host its first worship service. Please pray for this gathering and for our continued maturity before this new course of life and ministry in Rome.