FEBRUARY 2021
Dear prayer companions,
It is with a grateful heart that I send you greetings from Perugia! These days, many things that we take for granted now appear as precious gifts, for instance, life itself and the possibility to write you once more and share our lives with you. Thankfully, Cristina and I are well, as well as all of the members of the Chiesa Riformata di Perugia. However, in Italy and Europe, things did not improve as we had originally hoped and COVID-19 continues to hit people and change life as we knew it until a few months ago…
COVID-19 and the life of the church. At present, we continue to experience social distancing restrictions throughout Italy. Social life and the economy are changing and more and more people are experiencing depression, panic, and loneliness. The measures adopted by our government require a lockdown until the end of March, but no one knows for sure what is going to happen. It seems that people who already had COVID-19 are now being infected again by new variations of the virus coming from the UK, Brazil, or other places. However, thus far the Lord has protected our small flock. Even though we had two or three cases among us, those people are now well and the rest of us continue to enjoy good health. Thankfully, we are still able to assemble regularly on the Lord’s Days even though that’s the only time when we see each other. I’ve been busy visiting people but we are far from being able to have regular meetings and informal visits as we’ve had in the past. Thankfully, we continue to have Zoom meetings on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, which is proving to be helpful in the meantime during this form of exile.
New church members. Despite this situation, the Lord has been faithful to give an increase to our small flock. Sara Bolletta has been waiting to make a public profession of faith for many months. We had to cancel the dates for her profession of faith which was supposed to happen last October and December due to COVID-19. Finally, she was received as a member of our church on February 14th, 2021 along with her two sons, Emanuele and Marco. Sara began attending our church in the Fall of 2019 and it has been a joy to see her and her two boys increasingly become part of our church family.
First anniversary in our new church building. On the same Lord’s Day of February 14th, we celebrated our first anniversary in the new church building. Even though we could not use it as we were expecting, we are grateful for the place where we are and for the Lord’s provision to make it slowly fitting for our purposes. Hopefully, in the next few months, we’ll be able to complete furnishing it with small adornments and furniture that will make it more welcoming to people as a place of worship.
Please, pray with us for the following prayer requests:
pray for the COVID-19 crisis in Italy and that we may be faithful witnesses of the gospel;
pray for the growth of our church in knowledge, number, and especially in love;
pray for Sara and her sons Emanuele and Marco;
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