APRIL 2021
Dear prayer companions,
Greetings from the saints of the Chiesa Riformata di Perugia! As I write, our hearts are grateful for God’s care and protective grace, as the members of the church have been blessed with physical health and spiritual perseverance in their pilgrimage. We experienced a time of relative peace in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, having opportunities to meditate on the fragility of our existence and to the reality of the world to come.
New church-plant at Passignano sul Trasimeno
You probably remember that Rev. Mike Cuneo (PCA) moved to the Perugia area a while ago in order to assist our church with the goal of establishing a new church in the near future. Thankfully, despite the travel restrictions, we were able to move around and locate a place to start a new church plant in Passignano sul Trasimeno, a town of almost 10,000 people with thriving tourism, which makes the site an ideal place for evangelism. People from Northern Europe, especially Dutch and British people, and tourists from the US love Passignano, which is on Lake Trasimeno. Actually, some of these people own a vacation home so they live in Passignano for some months throughout the year. Being located north of Perugia—towards the cities of Arezzo and Siena in Tuscany—Passignano could represent an opportunity to reach a number of towns around the lake. Lord willing, in June, we will open a public place of worship with the plan to have a morning worship service in Perugia and an evening service in Passignano every Lord’s Day.
The COVID-19 pandemic and church life
After a very strict lock-down began in late December 2020 until April 26th, 2021, almost all of Italy passed to “yellow zone” and our authorities are trying to facilitate a gradual return to normality, in the hope that the danger will diminish in the summer. For now, we continue to have only one public worship service on the Lord’s Day and two mid-week Zoom meetings. The next three or four weeks will reveal if it is indeed realistic to expect – at least for the summer – some more freedom and the possibility for many people to return to their jobs and to an acceptable level of social interaction.
Preaching ministry
In January 2019, I began a sermon series on the Gospel of John, and in a few weeks, I will finish. I have been encouraged by the response of the people as the exposition has gradually brought instruction and edification to the members of the church. God willing, sometime in June, I should begin a sermon series on the Epistles of John, thus continuing to consider the same theological truths emphasized by John applying them more directly to the life of the church.
Please, pray with us for the following prayer requests:
pray for the new church plant in Passignano and for a fruitful ministry by Rev. Mike Cuneo;
pray for the COVID-19 pandemic to end and pray for protection and for a deeper realization of the life of the world to come;
pray for the blessing of the Spirit upon the preaching of the Word;
lastly, pray for me that I may be a faithful Christian, husband, father (now also a “father in law”!), church member, and minister.
On behalf of all the members of the Chiesa Riformata of Perugia, I express a felt sense of gratitude for your faithful prayers and generous support.
Those of Italy greet you (Hebrews 13:24)
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Andrea Ferrari