Update on Our Meetings
We came to Cagliari, Sardinia, a little over a year ago. We are so encouraged by what the Lord has accomplished in such a short time. In fact, last October we officially established ourselves as a church with our small group of four families, and I was recognized as the first Founding Elder of the "Christ Bible Church." For this occasion, a group of pastor friends from other churches in Sardinia and Italy, who have known me for several years, formed a sort of committee that publicly recognized me, along with the support of the local church. We began celebrating our Sunday morning worship in a small conference room that the Lord provided for us, which we use only on Sundays to reduce operating costs. We continue to hold our midweek Bible study at homes because this gives us a better opportunity to develop fellowship among our members and to invite our non-believing contacts more informally. We also have a monthly men's meeting where we review the principles of Christian leadership together, both in church as members, at home as husbands, and in the workplace. I am grateful for the men the Lord has placed alongside me, men of a certain Christian maturity who love the Word and desire to grow in service to the church. Two of them, in particular, are regularly included in preaching and Bible studies. The women have also met regularly, sharing a book together and having a reading plan to pursue together;
furthermore, during their meetings they enjoy wonderful fellowship and coffee time, where they can share.
Evangelistic Update
Each member of our team is increasingly integrating into the city and making contacts both in the professional world and in their free time. Fabio, a member of our church, and I are having the opportunity to coach at a soccer school of which we have become leaders, along with a small amateur team (mostly university students or young workers). We started about two months ago and are praying that this will lead to a Bible-evangelistic study, because everyone knows about our Christian faith, and some are curious because it's "different" from how they're used to seeing it in the Catholic world. For some time, one of these young men, a 20-year-old Peruvian, has been coming to our Sunday services and has started meeting with us during the week. He says his family in Peru is religious, but after talking with him, we realized he isn't. Although he seems interested in deepening his faith, we ask for your prayers. His name is Geremy. Please also pray for all the contacts we are having with children and their families in sports, as well as for our relatives and friends with whom we have occasional meetings. We would also like to work with our association to collaborate with the Municipality on social work. We believe this way we can overcome people's skepticism and establish the trust needed to share the Gospel, which is, after all, the purpose of our social work.
Island Conference
At the beginning of October, we held a very edifying event for our church, as well as for other churches on the island and beyond, which enthusiastically participated. The speaker was a friend, Pastor Jimmy Caraway, who came from the United States specifically to teach on a topic that had a profound impact on those in attendance: "Family is Christian." About fifty people attended the two-day conference, and we were able to further strengthen relationships with other church groups on the island, which we have been frequenting for several years now. Together, we established "The Island in the Heart": a group of friendly churches that joined together to foster collaboration and fellowship.
Unfortunately, these are rare commodities, not only on the island, but also in Italy. Indeed, it's difficult for these kinds of relationships to exist between churches, which are so small yet so closely divided. We pray that this union, which has existed for some time now, will continue and grow, so that we can have a greater impact on the territory, both in building the Sardinian church and in reaching the lost.
Future Projects
With our association called "Biblical Ministries on Mission," we have begun the establishment of a small publishing house for the translation of Christian books that we believe can be of assistance in the Italian field. In December, we will publish our first translated work, entitled "Preparing for Eternity," by Mike Gendron. We believe this work will be very useful because it teaches Catholics the error of trusting religious traditions rather than the Word of God. Our hope is that this will lead to an evangelistic conference to present the book and demonstrate that the Gospel taught by Roman Catholicism is not the true Gospel revealed in Scripture. Please also pray for the publishing project so that we can obtain the necessary funding to carry out this ministry as effectively as possible. Indeed, the books we translate are made possible thanks to the help of donors who invest in specific titles. Evangelical publishing in Italy doesn't have sufficient sales to support this work, but we believe it's necessary to spread sound doctrine with titles that can support the church in Italy. So, if anyone would like to invest financially in projects they'd like translated, they can contact us for more information.
Family Situation and Support
Our family is experiencing a joyful time because our third child, Alma Grazia, was born on December 11th. Thank God, everything went well. Regarding our ministry as a family, unfortunately, to invest the necessary time in the church and in various evangelization activities and other activities, we are seeking financial support as missionaries (even part-time), since the church (too small) is currently unable to provide it. The Lord seems to have opened a door with a mission called LifeGate, which appears to be interested in our foundation project. We ask for your prayers for this as well; it would truly be a great help for the ministry. We are certain and trusting in the Lord that He will provide and guide us in the right direction. However, if you are interested in our ministry and would like to be involved in any way, help with projects, or contribute financially, please contact me at marini@mbm-italia.org. But above all, more than anything else, we ask you to continue supporting us through your prayers so that we may be faithful servants of the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ here in Cagliari, Sardinia.
Best regards in Christ, Simone Marini.
We came to Cagliari, Sardinia, a little over a year ago. We are so encouraged by what the Lord has accomplished in such a short time. In fact, last October we officially established ourselves as a church with our small group of four families, and I was recognized as the first Founding Elder of the "Christ Bible Church." For this occasion, a group of pastor friends from other churches in Sardinia and Italy, who have known me for several years, formed a sort of committee that publicly recognized me, along with the support of the local church. We began celebrating our Sunday morning worship in a small conference room that the Lord provided for us, which we use only on Sundays to reduce operating costs. We continue to hold our midweek Bible study at homes because this gives us a better opportunity to develop fellowship among our members and to invite our non-believing contacts more informally. We also have a monthly men's meeting where we review the principles of Christian leadership together, both in church as members, at home as husbands, and in the workplace. I am grateful for the men the Lord has placed alongside me, men of a certain Christian maturity who love the Word and desire to grow in service to the church. Two of them, in particular, are regularly included in preaching and Bible studies. The women have also met regularly, sharing a book together and having a reading plan to pursue together;
furthermore, during their meetings they enjoy wonderful fellowship and coffee time, where they can share.
Evangelistic Update
Each member of our team is increasingly integrating into the city and making contacts both in the professional world and in their free time. Fabio, a member of our church, and I are having the opportunity to coach at a soccer school of which we have become leaders, along with a small amateur team (mostly university students or young workers). We started about two months ago and are praying that this will lead to a Bible-evangelistic study, because everyone knows about our Christian faith, and some are curious because it's "different" from how they're used to seeing it in the Catholic world. For some time, one of these young men, a 20-year-old Peruvian, has been coming to our Sunday services and has started meeting with us during the week. He says his family in Peru is religious, but after talking with him, we realized he isn't. Although he seems interested in deepening his faith, we ask for your prayers. His name is Geremy. Please also pray for all the contacts we are having with children and their families in sports, as well as for our relatives and friends with whom we have occasional meetings. We would also like to work with our association to collaborate with the Municipality on social work. We believe this way we can overcome people's skepticism and establish the trust needed to share the Gospel, which is, after all, the purpose of our social work.
Island Conference
At the beginning of October, we held a very edifying event for our church, as well as for other churches on the island and beyond, which enthusiastically participated. The speaker was a friend, Pastor Jimmy Caraway, who came from the United States specifically to teach on a topic that had a profound impact on those in attendance: "Family is Christian." About fifty people attended the two-day conference, and we were able to further strengthen relationships with other church groups on the island, which we have been frequenting for several years now. Together, we established "The Island in the Heart": a group of friendly churches that joined together to foster collaboration and fellowship.
Unfortunately, these are rare commodities, not only on the island, but also in Italy. Indeed, it's difficult for these kinds of relationships to exist between churches, which are so small yet so closely divided. We pray that this union, which has existed for some time now, will continue and grow, so that we can have a greater impact on the territory, both in building the Sardinian church and in reaching the lost.
Future Projects
With our association called "Biblical Ministries on Mission," we have begun the establishment of a small publishing house for the translation of Christian books that we believe can be of assistance in the Italian field. In December, we will publish our first translated work, entitled "Preparing for Eternity," by Mike Gendron. We believe this work will be very useful because it teaches Catholics the error of trusting religious traditions rather than the Word of God. Our hope is that this will lead to an evangelistic conference to present the book and demonstrate that the Gospel taught by Roman Catholicism is not the true Gospel revealed in Scripture. Please also pray for the publishing project so that we can obtain the necessary funding to carry out this ministry as effectively as possible. Indeed, the books we translate are made possible thanks to the help of donors who invest in specific titles. Evangelical publishing in Italy doesn't have sufficient sales to support this work, but we believe it's necessary to spread sound doctrine with titles that can support the church in Italy. So, if anyone would like to invest financially in projects they'd like translated, they can contact us for more information.
Family Situation and Support
Our family is experiencing a joyful time because our third child, Alma Grazia, was born on December 11th. Thank God, everything went well. Regarding our ministry as a family, unfortunately, to invest the necessary time in the church and in various evangelization activities and other activities, we are seeking financial support as missionaries (even part-time), since the church (too small) is currently unable to provide it. The Lord seems to have opened a door with a mission called LifeGate, which appears to be interested in our foundation project. We ask for your prayers for this as well; it would truly be a great help for the ministry. We are certain and trusting in the Lord that He will provide and guide us in the right direction. However, if you are interested in our ministry and would like to be involved in any way, help with projects, or contribute financially, please contact me at marini@mbm-italia.org. But above all, more than anything else, we ask you to continue supporting us through your prayers so that we may be faithful servants of the bride of our Lord Jesus Christ here in Cagliari, Sardinia.
Best regards in Christ, Simone Marini.