JULY 2020
Dear prayer companions,
My wife, Cristina, and I hope and pray that you are doing well, even at this time of insecurity and unrest. What a comfort to know that when we are worn-out and heavy-laden, the Lord Jesus in his gratuitous mercy and free grace invites us to come to him to find security and rest (Matthew 11:28-30). In these days of uncertainty and anxiety, we are realizing anew – and hopefully in a deeper and more real manner – that “all flesh is grass and all its beauty is like the flower of the field” (Isaiah 40:6).
Some of you may remember that in the newsletter of last month I mentioned the plan to have Rev. Cuneo and his wife Ivana moving to Perugia. In this newsletter, I would like to introduce you to them and how you can pray for us and for them.
As I write, it is my felt desire to express our thankfulness for your faithful prayers and for the many expressions of tangible concern for the saints of the small Chiesa Riformata di Perugia.
Rev. Mike Cuneo’s story. Rev. Cuneo is from California and of Italian descent from his dad’s side. Mike grew up as a Roman Catholic and after the death of his beloved mother, as a young man, he went through a difficult existential crisis. It was 10 years later that the Lord began a work in his life, opening his heart to the truth of the gospel and making him a new creature in Jesus. After graduating from Chico State University, he worked for a few years in Silicon Valley while attending a Presbyterian congregation. Thereafter, Mike attended Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary where he obtained a Master of Divinity. Before graduating, Mike served as pulpit supply in a Reformed church in Canada for about one year, then as an elder in his local church in South Carolina. He was later called as a pastor/missionary to Italy.
Rev. Cuneo’s ministry in Italy. Pastor Cuneo came to Italy about 13 years ago helping with a church plant in the Roman Catholic city of Viterbo, 1.5 hours north of Rome. Mike and I have been friends since the beginning of his labors in Italy, exchanging pulpits between Milan and Viterbo (unfortunately, Milan and Viterbo are 400 miles apart, so opportunities to spend time together were limited), attending conferences in the US together, and organizing conferences in Italy to introduce Italians to Reformed theology. Mike was sent initially to labor with a fellow Italian elder candidate, but due to unforeseen circumstances, ended up laboring alone. He continued, however, where he was called. Thereafter, the Lord provided Mike a wife – Ivana di Girolamo, a mature Italian Christian lady from Palermo, Sicily. Mike and Ivana have been married for six years. This brought joy and comfort to Mike. This past year, the elders from Calvary Presbytery and Christ URC felt that it was time to consolidate our efforts in the region to share the gospel, especially with like-minded brethren who share in Reformed confessional doctrine, biblical worship, and ecclesiology as the Lord builds his church in Italy.
Rev. Cuneo’s move to Perugia. Since Cristina and I arrived in Perugia, we met monthly with the Cuneos for mutual encouragement and prayer. As Mike’s elders were discussing the best way forward, I proposed to him that he and Ivana can move to Perugia in order to work together to establish our church and – hopefully – to start a new church plant in the future. Having discussed the possibility with the Elders of Christ URC in San Diego and the Commission of Calvary Presbytery (PCA) in South Carolina, it was agreed that the prospect of Mike moving to Perugia was an encouraging development. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Cuneos had to halt the process of moving because they could not even travel to our region until restrictions lifted in June.
Please, pray with us for the following prayer requests:
Pray that Mike and Ivana may soon find a new home here in Perugia.
Pray that the Lord may bless our common labors in order to edify the church of Perugia and to bring the gospel to the region of Umbria in Central Italy.
Pray for the efficacy of the witness of our church and for guidance in the future to develop a further church plant in the area.
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