May 2020

Dear friends in Christ,

Well, it’s finally happening: after 12 weeks in strict lockdown and being prohibited from meeting for worship, we have been given clearance to gather this Lord’s Day (May 24) to receive God’s Word and Sacrament! We are required by law to wear masks, practice social distancing, and follow other protocol. We are not yet allowed to hold catechism services (which we will continue to live-stream), prayer meetings, or have other gatherings, but we thrilled and thankful nonetheless! To be able to meet for worship on Sunday mornings after such a long ordeal seems like a dream. Personally, this has taught us that we must never take the public means of grace for granted. What a precious gift God has given us!

Permission to meet for worship is part of Italy’s “Phase 2” plan as it slowly eases out of national quarantine. This allows most businesses to reopen and most churches to hold at least one service on Sunday. We are relieved that we were given permission, for Protestant churches do not have the same rights in Italy as the Roman Catholic Church.

As you may have heard in the news, the number of Covid-19 cases in Italy has finally started to decline. Since my last update, the country has had more than 225,000 reported cases of the virus and over 32,000 deaths. Although this number is smaller than the amount of cases in the U.S., it is a much heavier load to bear for a nation of only 60,000,000. In the Lombardy region alone, more than 15,500 people have died from Coronavirus. 32 people died just in our neighborhood. Almost everyone in our congregation knows someone who has died from the disease during the pandemic. Yet, amazingly, everyone in our congregation has survived. For this, we praise God for his mercies!

We are also thankful that during these three months of lockdown, the gospel was continually preached via live-stream every Sunday and several Italians began watching/listening to the sermons regularly. This has led to a number of new contacts in the area, people who are interested in visiting Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia now that restrictions are being lifted. Please pray for these dear people as they are seeking to know Christ and his Word better. Pray that the Lord will give them courage to come to church and that they will be refreshed with the gospel.

With so many people in Milan grieving the death of loved ones, suffering economic loss, and living in fear, it is a crucial time to preach the living hope that is in Christ alone. As missionaries, we have a job to do. Our job is not to complain about government restrictions, argue politics on social media, or tell others our opinions about the virus, but to proclaim the Person and Work of Jesus and make disciples in his name. We are grateful that God has given us a passion for Italy and her people, and we pray that the work here will bear lasting fruit to the glory of Christ.

Thank you for prayers for us, especially during this crisis. Janie and I are well. We spent our 30th anniversary in quarantine (!). We had big plans to visit Cinque Terre, but the Lord had other plans, and his ways are always perfect. Iain is doing well in school and has recently made some new friends in our apartment complex. His Italian continues to improve at an impressive rate. Our daughter Alysia and her husband Kevin, who live in Washington DC, are expecting their first child (and our first grandchild) in the next 10 days. As international travel is still restricted, we are sad that we are unable to visit them for the birth, but hope that we will be able to see them sometime this year. Truly, we have so much to be grateful for, and we give God praise for his relentless grace and undeserved kindness.

May God strengthen your faith, hope, and love, and may he be glorified in you during this time of trial and testing, for it is “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).

~ Pastor Mike

This mission to Milan is only possible with the faithful prayers and generous contributions of people like you. If you would like to help us meet our goal by making a donation, you may send a check to: 

Escondido United Reformed Church
1864 N. Broadway
Escondido, CA 92026

Checks should be made out to Escondido United Reformed Church. Please indicate that the support is for Rev. Michael Brown as a missionary to Italy.