JUNE 2026
Dear prayer companions,
Europe and Italy are a mission field! Yes, we live in difficult times because of our secular and idolatrous age, but “look, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:36). Yes, it is sadly true that the spiritual condition of our lost youth is appalling as I was reading recently in a book entitled “Soffrire di adolescenza. Il dolore muto di una generazione” (Suffering from Adolescence: The Silent Pain of a Generation). Nevertheless, I was reminded of the encouragement of our great Prophet and Teacher, who told us that when we see people as lost sheep without a shepherd, we can pray the Lord to raise up laborers to seek and find the lost (Matthew 9:35-38). Yes, at times here in Europe and Italy we weep in frustration bearing the seed for sowing, but we look forward to our (and others in the future) shouts of joy when it will be time to harvest the sheaves of salvation. Indeed, our labors are not in vain in the Lord.
Preaching and Teaching Ministry
It has been some time since I’ve shared what my preaching and teaching ministry is like. As some of you may recall, I am currently preaching through the Psalms. In fact, the last sermon on the Psalms that I preached was on Psalm 48 before Ascension Sunday. Recently, I began a new series of “Catechetical Preaching on the Symbol of Nicaea”. On the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, I’ll lead the congregation through a series of “edifying discourses” so that we may know what we believe and why we believe, so that we may be more grounded in the truth. This new series not only aims at showing our people that our Reformed churches are deeply rooted in the theology of the ancient Christian churches, but also serves to help them to be more informed and intentional in their witnessing to Roman Catholics. That is the reason why this new series will engage us from July to November, with particular focus on our next “Reformation Conference” on October 24-25, when we will consider:
The Reformers’ reception of Nicaea
reflect on the spiritual importance of the doctrine of the Trinity in the Christian life, and
that the theology of Nicaea continues to be insufficient for truly ecumenical relations with the church of Rome.
Conference
In June, I had the privilege of being invited to attend the “Rome Scholars and Leaders Network” for four days. The RSLN is an immersion in Roman Catholic theology and culture as a way to equip evangelical leaders and scholars to understand and effectively minister in Roman Catholic contexts throughout the world. About 35 scholars, pastors, and missionaries were present from Europe, the UK, the USA, and a few from Australia. The day began at 8:30 am with devotions and ended at around 6:30 pm after a number of engaging studies followed by challenging discussions. While I was at the RSLN conference, I was reminded of John Owen, who, perceptively (and prophetically?) preached a sermon in 1680 entitled “The Use of Faith if Popery Should Return Upon Us” (cf. Works of John Owen, IX.505-510). When I first read the sermon a number of years ago, I thought (naively) that surely Owen was too enmeshed in the controversial and polemical atmosphere of his days to see that Protestants cannot run that risk today! However, apparently things have been changing quite a bit recently, and it seems that we need to recover a deep and humble zeal for evangelism among Roman Catholics, consciously engaging and challenging them as it was common in the past.
Evangelism, Concert, and New People
We continue to receive some encouragement from some visitors who have been attending our worship services consistently. There are not many, but they are persevering, and later in the summer, Maria (around 45 years old) will make a profession of faith. On June 28, we hosted a Piano Concert in our church building. We had the privilege of having Carter Johnson, a professional pianist from Connecticut who is a member of an OPC church. Carter visited with us the first time in 2023, having been invited to play at a concert in Perugia. This year, Carter was invited again to play for one week at the Music Festival, so we planned a simple evening during which he played music by Bach and Schumann for about an hour. At our Christmas Concert, we had about 25 people in attendance, so we didn’t know what to expect this time. Imagine our surprise when around 65 people showed up! And among them, we had a number of unbelievers, some of whom visited our church a few times in the past. We were able to “gossip the gospel” during the concert and give away Bibles, books, and leaflets to a number of them. It was especially when Bach’s Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring was played (for two times) that a spontaneous opportunity offered itself for sharing a few words on the beauty and glory of the Savior.
Please, pray with us for the following prayer requests:
that the Lord may bless the sermons on the Symbol of Nicaea and the preparation for the conference in October;
that the Lord may renew our evangelistic zeal, especially towards Roman Catholics;
that the Lord may work powerfully in the hearts of our visitors, friends, and those non-believers whom we visit from time to time.
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