Once again, we give God thanks for his mercies to us as we minister to his precious flock in Milan, Italy and seek to make disciples of our Lord Jesus. We are excited to share with you some of the latest news from the mission field.

Janie, Iain and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year! As we look back on 2021, we give God thanks for his mercies to us and to Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia. The apostle Paul reminds that we are to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Here are some of the blessings we received in 2021, for which we are so grateful:

Visit from the URC Missions Coordinator, Milan Conference on Reformed Theology, Reformation Europe Pastors’ Retreat, Joel Beeke, a new member, and farewell to Isaac. Read our November update.

New opportunities, a new podcast, and a new visit from an old friend. Read our October update here.

After meeting in a café during six weeks of renovation, we were able to return to our church building on the first Sunday of September. This joyful occasion was a new milestone in th elife of our church, as we were able to double the size of our seating capacity and provide our little facility with some much-needed remodeling.

We are pleased to announce that our church building is undergoing renovation. By removing a wall, we will be able to extend the main auditorium into the fellowship hall and create one large sanctuary, thus doubling our seating capacity from 60 to 120. This comes as a great encouragement to our congregation as it will provide us with much-needed space for numerical growth. We are also adding a small nursery, a new floor, and new lights.

On June 27, 2021, we were blessed with the reception of eight new members in full communion. After the joyful service, the congregation enjoyed a fellowship meal that lasted nearly three hours. Due to the pandemic, this was the first large congregational meal since December 2019. Given that eating together is such an important part of both Christian fellowship and Italian culture, this was a tremendous blessing to the church. We give God thanks for his many mercies and look forward to more fellowship meals together in the future.

It is incredible to think of how the gospel unites people from every tongue, tribe, and nationality. God promised Abraham that he would be a light to the nations, and indeed, in Christ Jesus, that has come to pass. The Christian faith is not a northern European faith, nor a Semitic fatih, but an international, global faith in which “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In a world so segregated by cultural identities, consumer preferences, and political affiliations, the gospel shows us that the church, as it is gathered throughout the world, is “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). Nothing by the Person and Work of Christ can create a community like this one.

We are thankful to our God and Father that, despite the continual restrictions in Lombardy, our church was able to hold a special service on Good Friday and have our regular worship service on Easter Sunday. For Good Friday, we have developed the tradition of having seven readings from the gospel on the passion of Christ, read by seven different men from the congregation. Each of these readings is followed by a corresponding hymn. I then preached a short meditation on the meaning of the cross. The elders and I were encouraged that the service was well attended and had several visitors. It was a tremendous blessing to be together on such a solemn occasion.

Due to a sudden uptick in Covid cases along with the spread of the English strain, as of today all of Lombardy reverted back to the “orange zone”, which means stricter rules in public places. This comes after enjoying a full month of lighter restrictions in the “yellow zone”. The constant changing of policies can be tiresome, but the good news is that we are still meeting in person on Sunday mornings for Word and sacrament.

As of this week, the entire region of Lombardy has returned to the “yellow zone”. This means that we are not under lockdown (i.e. “red zone”), nor a semi-lockdown (“orange zone”). The good news is that all of our in-person church services can recommence, with adherence to mask-wearing and social distancing. The bad news is that the multiple closings and reopenings of our church, as well as the numerous restrictions on gatherings, has unsurprisingly taken a toll on our fellowship.

While the nations rage and the kingdoms totter, the Holy Spirit continues to use the simple ministry of Word and Sacrament to announce the greatest news ever heard and raise dead sinners to life. That humble ministry will ultimately outlast, outwit, and – at the return of Christ – overcome all the earthly kingdoms of this world.

One of the amazing things about the Word of God and the progress of the gospel in the world is that it cannot be hindered or deterred by our affliction or suffering. In fact, it is often in our weakness that we can see more clearly the power of God’s Word at work. Incarcerated in Rome at the end of his life, the apostle Paul wrote to his young colleague Timothy, “I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the Word of God is not bound!” (2 Tim. 2:9) Despite all of Satan’s efforts to obstruct the gospel by vexing Christ’s servants, the Word is always at work in the world, and God is always accomplishing his purpose.

Some of you may remember that my October newsletter was titled “A New Season” and described the joy that our congregation has experienced in recent months. With the arrival of autumn, our Sunday attendance swelled, our midweek ministry was back on track, and we had carefully planned our second annual “Milan Conference on Reformed Theology” for October 31. However, I had no sooner sent that encouraging news than our situation suddenly began to change. As the graph below indicates, the number of Covid cases in Lombardy (the region in which we live) has spiked drastically since the beginning of October. Consequently, the state has reinstituted many restrictions on schools, businesses, and…churches.

As the month of September comes to a close, the telltale signs of autumn in Milan are here: the leaves are turning colors and beginning to fall, morning commuters are donning their coats, and the ground of Sempione Park is covered with chestnuts. At the same time, Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia is also entering a new season. By God’s extraordinary grace, our building is overflowing on Sunday morning, midweek ministry has restarted, and we are exploring how to expand the building in order to accommodate the growing number of worshipers.

With the final days of August, summer in Milan is almost at its end. Temperatures are beginning to cool, the Milanese people are returning from their vacations, and schools are preparing to reopen for the first time since February. Summer 2020 has been a welcome season in northern Italy after the heavy trial of the covid-19 outbreak and a strict three-month lockdown earlier this year. Yet, we are eager to enter fall and recommence our catechism service, prayer meetings, and free English classes for the community. Our prayer is that the ministry of the Word at Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia will continue to flourish amid the many challenges of life during a pandemic, especially if there should be a second-wave of the virus here in Milan. What a comfort to rely on Christ’s promise in the Great Commission, that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and he will be with us always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).

With great thankfulness to our faithful God, I am pleased to report that our church in Milan has been able to continue gathering for worship on the Lord’s Day since we were granted permission to reopen on May 24. Moreover, this past Sunday, we were allowed to resume our catechism service. Although we must still conform to the social distancing requirements, we are overjoyed to be together again, receiving Word and sacrament, and enjoying fellowship with one another. As you know, nothing compares to the communion of saints in person! What a privilege we have been given by our gracious Lord.

What a joy it has been to resume worship services these past three weeks here in Milan after spending more than three months in strict lockdown. In the providence of God, on our first Sunday back, our series on 1 Peter brought us to 2:4-10, of which verse 5 says, “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” What a testimony of God’s grace to us in Christ! Our assembly together on the Lord’s Day is a visible manifestation of the spiritual house and temple that only the gospel can create. Although we must wear masks and follow stringent protocol for social distancing, we are thrilled to receive the preaching of Christ, his holy Supper, and sing his praises together. Truly God is good.

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!

Since my last update, the devastation caused by the Coronavirus outbreak here in Italy has continued to swell, as you have undoubtedly seen on the news. So far, there have been more than 135,000 reported cases of Covid-19 and over 17,000 deaths, the vast majority being right here in Lombardy, the region in which we live. Milan is the second-hardest hit city in the nation. Her hospitals are overflowing, her streets are empty, and the only sound she makes is the constant cry of an ambulance siren. For the past 14 days, the daily death toll has ranged between the low 600s to the high 900s. This does not even count those who died from the virus at home but never tested. These are sad and difficult days for this beautiful country.