November 2025
Dear prayer companions,
A few days ago, in my daily Bible reading, I was in Isaiah when I came across a very old petition: "Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down" (Isaiah 64:1), spoken by the prophet giving voice to the prayer of God's people, remembering God's kindness in the first exodus. In light of the old things that God worked, Isaiah prays together with believers that a new exodus may be realized. As I was meditating on this, I remembered how that very old petition was answered marvelously and mysteriously when our Lord Jesus Christ was baptized in the river Jordan. When our Lord came up out of the water, we are told that "immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove and a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased'" (Mark 1:10-11). As I considered that Mark's story echoes that old prayer, showing that for him the Lord Jesus is the divine answer to that petition, I thought that sometimes it takes quite a bit of time before our prayers are answered! So, please join us in patient and persevering prayer for Perugia and for the region of Umbria in Central Italy.
Annual Reformation Conference
On October 25th, we hosted our Annual Reformation Conference. The conference went well, and we were both instructed and encouraged. People attended the conference following the afternoon sessions, while others joined later in the evening for a piano concert. We had a turnout of about 50-55 people (thankfully, the number doubled as compared to last year!). We made a broad estimation according to which 20% were our church members, 30% were protestants from other evangelical churches, while the remaining 50% were from a Roman Catholic background. All of them were local people living in Perugia or nearby, and only one evangelical couple attended from Rome. The three papers were historically interesting (especially the first on The Reformers and the Reception of the Nicene Creed), culturally enlightening (especially the second on The Symbol of Faith: Examples of 'Creed' in Music), and spiritually edifying (especially the third on The Trinity and the Spiritual Life According to John Calvin). The piano concert was beautiful with music by Bach and Mussorgsky on the theme of life, death, and resurrection. I asked a (Roman Catholic) participant to describe in a few words an evaluation of the conference:
The conference was an interesting, engaging, and valuable event from an academic, theological, spiritual, and pastoral perspective, experienced with a profound ecumenical spirit. The organizer, Pastor Andrea Ferrari, and the speakers clearly demonstrated a commitment to sharing the grandeur of the Nicene Creed, the foundation of the Christian faith—its history, its reception, its interpretation, and its fruitfulness, including its artistic value. The attentive, lively, engaged, and passionate audience participation, along with the opportunity to follow the conferences via video, allowed the theological and spiritual content to be shared with a vast audience. The warmth with which the Trinitarian faith was articulated and expressed by the speakers bears vivid witness to the beauty of the Christian faith and how it can still "speak" to the men and women of our time.
Perugia's Pastors Prayer Meeting
On October 13th, I gathered with a dozen pastors representing the majority of Perugia's evangelical churches. We usually have two or three such prayer meetings during the year, sharing information about our churches and their initiatives, and especially praying for the city of Perugia and for our region of Umbria in Central Italy. I was able to present our annual Reformation Conference of 2025, explaining also our goals and plans for 2026 and 2027. On the occasion of this meeting, a Pentecostal pastor asked me to share a "devotional" at their church's anniversary service in this month of November and to have a book table with our reformed literature! I am grateful that some people in our area are beginning to show a measure of appreciation for the witness of our small church and some interest in the Reformed faith. In fact, the Pentecostal pastor mentioned above asked me to teach a Bible study every other Friday evening for his congregation. I am hoping and praying that in time the Lord will cause me to meet some young men who have a desire for service, in order to encourage them to think seriously about the Christian ministry and consider studying in one of our seminaries in view of becoming a minister of Word and Sacrament to announce the gospel in our beloved country of Italy.
Visiting Pastors from Abroad
In the last few weeks, we had the privilege of having a number of ministers visit with us. Rev. Craig Poston from Temecula, California, preached for us on October 12th, while Rev. Tom Morrison and his wife Teri from High Desert URC visited with us on October 19th. Rev. Arthur Rankin (PCA) was one of our speakers at the Reformation Conference. Arthur obtained an MDiv in Theology from the Reformed Theological Seminary and an MA in Theology from the University of Edinburgh, where he is completing a PhD researching "John Calvin's Christology in the Letter to the Hebrews." Lastly, our Foreign Missions Coordinator, Rev. Richard Bout, visited with us from November 1st to November 6th, along with his gracious wife, Angela. We are grateful for this experience of the communion of the saints and for all the prayers of God's people around the world interceding for our little flock in Perugia.
Please pray with us for the following prayer requests:
that the Lord may bless the sowing of the seed of the gospel in Perugia, giving us patience and perseverance (Psalm 126:5-6; Galatians 6:9);
that the Lord may strengthen the relationships with other churches in Perugia, helping us to humbly promote the reformed faith (Ephesians 4:1-3);
that the Lord may continue to deepen the relationship of our church-plant with our sister churches in the US and Canada, developing and increasing our work in unexpected and marvelous ways, blessing our five loaves and two fishes (2 Corinthians 9:8-10).
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