The Need For Ministry In Italy
By Rev. Fabiano Nicodemo
EPI Director for Italy
Cesena, Italy
Dear friends of EPI;

First of all, I would to thank you all for the wonderful ministry you have done here in Italy. It is amazing the way God has used the teams (Italians, Brazilians, and Americans) partnering together for the glory of God.

But still there is so much to be done, so many people to be reached, so many cities without any evangelical church. And as the man of Macedonia in a vision to Paul appeared begging for help saying: Come over into Macedonia and help us! (Ac 16:9), as an "Italian" I say: COME OVER TO ITALY AND HELP US! Me, you say? How? Maybe you do not speak the language, but with your gifts and love you become a great instrument of God as you become an example of obedience and love to be shared with our Italian sisters and brothers.

Now we look forward to continuing our work in collaboration with EPI! I know that Italy does not belong to what is called “the third world”… but there many reasons to come to Italy to share God's word with Italians. Often when working in Italy things don't go quite as planned. For every one of our actions, there is at least one opposite and unequal reaction. Why? How would you feel if a foreigner came to your land to introduce some new unheard of religion? After all, for at least 1,600 years not only you, but your
parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents have all been Catholic. Being Catholic in Italy is of no small importance. In Italy, it makes no difference whether or not you attend mass. If you are born Italian, it is assumed that you are a Catholic and NOT at Protestant.

In our city almost all will give a negative response when the word "prete" (priest) is mentioned. They to sniff out the bad ones, and in their estimation a living, good priest is as hard to find as a living good president (of course once dead, there are 101 reasons to elevate him to "sainthood").

It is also interesting to note that it is not the priests who oppose our work. Many of them admire our efforts. We are not considered heretics, but rather, errant brethren. The bulk of our opposition stems from a foundation laid in 330 A.D. Catholicism has become interwoven into every fiber of the Italian's world.

Every day of the year has a special saint named for it - streets, schools, museums and parks are all named after prominent popes or saints. If you are looking for a school named after Martin Luther, or a street named Billy Graham Avenue…good luck.

We are at a tremendous disadvantage when sharing the gospel in Italy. The average mind will come up with the following reasons for opposing our presentation:

If you are right, why are there just a handful of you here? Our whole country is Catholic?
If you are right, why don't you have "real" churches instead of having to meet in basements and
apartment buildings?
If you are right, why don't you have a Pope or Mary?
Hmm! When you think about it, they seem to have a point.

So we try to answer these questions. In response to number one, we carefully point out that the majority is not always right. They cannot conceive that their entire nation is in error.

In our city, one thing is sacred -- mamma's spaghetti sauce, called “sugo”. I try to show a person that their “religion” started out just like mamma's sugo. It was good, it was pure, and it was healthy. This gets me a hearing. I then ask if anyone in their home is allowed to add salt, take out some tomato, put in pepper, or in any way tamper with the sugo simmering on the stove. “Oh, no! Mamma would die. She makes it just perfect. It wouldn't be the same.”

Once they make that easy observation, I show them in their own Bible how their sugo (religion) was created pure and good. But little by little, add a pinch of purgatory and a saint, omit salvation by grace alone - and the end product is unfit for human consumption. It makes no difference if one person or an
entire nation deems it good. In God's appraisal, He smells it and declares, “Attsa no good”. (Isaiah 64:6).

In answer to the second objection, we point out the important difference between the building and the body. Though they rarely step inside these cold mausoleums, still they consider them “holy”. We share with them that it is not the place but the person, not the building but the body, that God desires. We invite them again to look in the Word where Peter, John, Mary and the rest of the saints held their meetings.

They are mildly surprised to see that it was not in “Catholic” churches, but wherever the body of Christ happened to be at that particular moment.

To answer their third objection, we agree, we have no pope. But we do follow everything the first "pope" either wrote or said. We show how all through the book of Acts, Peter called attention to Jesus and not to himself. In his letters, he is desirous that we know and follow Jesus and not a system, nor saints, nor
men.

We tell them we obey and respect Mary more than they do! By this time their minds are reeling.

“What, a Protestant that follows Mary”? They are shocked when we point out that the only command Mary gave for men to follow in the Bible is “Do everything He tells you to do” (John 2:5). We
promptly point out that if they consider themselves friends of Mary, they better be doing the things only Christ wants them to do.

We are seeing success as we stick to a singular message. Certainly it is not a "ripe harvest" at this point, but our little church in Cesena is a living testimony to the power of God working towards salvation.

The young Christians there have severed the umbilical cord with 1,600 years of tradition. They are willing to pay the price for their faith, yet the Lord is gracious enough to pick up the tab by giving them victory in spite of the opposition, joy in spite of the mistreatment and harassment received in their families, and
growth in spite of being a tiny minority. One can never imagine just how far reaching a testimony, a prayer, or a tract will carry in and land.

Come and help us changing Italy for Christ!
Your servant,
Fabiano Nicodemo
EPI Director, Italy