First Trip Back since the Pandemic.
I returned on July 6 from a 2 week trip to Europe, the first trip back since February 2020. I am grateful to God for his mercy, to travel without incident and to have some great meetings with pastors and church planters I haven't seen in over 16 months.
Breccia Di Roma pastors and interns.
Here are the HIGHLIGHTS:
TRAVEL
Mostly uneventful! Italy dropped their testing requirement just before I left Atlanta and I could get in with my vaccination card. Albania and Croatia presented no restrictions for entering, but I did have to have a negative COVID test before returning to the U.S. I got my test in Croatia and returned as scheduled.
ROME
Meetings were very profitable. Met with a number of pastors and church planters in person at Breccia DiRoma church, led by Leonardo DeChirico. It was encouraging to hear of their plans to plant 2 new churches in the next 3 years. It was also encouraging to hear that they had survived the pandemic well, and indeed, some of the churches in Rome had increased in number. I was three days in Rome, catching up with Leonardo and Rene Breuel (Hopera Church).
PERUGIA
Ancient walled city, university city, the capital of Umbria, pop. 168,000. Giacomo Sardone planted Il Perugino Church 7 years ago. It has grown, become established, and is now launching their first daughter church in Spoleto, a few miles away.
Leadership Team of Il Perugino Church in Perugia.
I met with church leadership, helped them develop a ministry plan for outreach and church multiplication, and preached on Sunday.
ALBANIA
60% Muslim, 20% Orthodox, Protestant Evangelicals less than 1%.
Altin Zefi, with 2 of 130 Cru Staff in Albania, many of whom are planting churches.
City Leader: Altin Zefi, pastor and former Cru Director for Albania, now focused full-time on his church and the planting of new churches in Tirana. Altin is cooperating with other pastors to see 3-4 new churches planted in Tirana next year. Altin will be accompany 3 men from Tirana to attend our European Church Planting Intensive Training in Athens in October, where Altin will be delivering one of the training sessions. There is an emerging movement of church planting in Tirana with great potential.
CROATIA
BCM - Baptist Church Mackovec, Pastor Nenad Kovacevic. Celebrating 100 years of ministry.
My Croatian friends opened a new building on June 6 and I was there to bring greetings and celebrate with them. In addition to serving their own church and community with a 300 person capacity space, with spacious lobby, classrooms, kitchen, etc., they will use this new facility to host pastors' conferences and church planting training in the future. It's a great story of faith, patience, sacrifice, and God doing a great work in their midst - to enable them to build and complete without debt, and to be poised for a new era of ministry in their region.
NEXT TRIPS
September 7-16 - I'm scheduled to meet with the City to City Europe Team in London Sept. 7-9. From there I hope to visit Lisbon and Dublin. Travel may be opening up in those cities, so I am hopeful to be able to get in and out without difficulty. Please pray with me for that.
October 11-25 - There will be a Church Planting Training Intensive in Athens Oct. 4-14. I will be there for the last few days to meet up with several church planter contacts. From there I am hoping to visit Tirana, Vienna, and Prague.
As you pray, please pray:
For Giacomo Sardone in Perugia, for wisdom and grace as he leads his church and gives oversight to the new church in Spoleto.
That the church plant in Spoleto, Italy would reach new people and grow.
For Leonardo DeChirico and Rene Breuel as they shepherd their respective churches in Rome and seek to prepare young men to plant new churches.
For Altin Zefi in Tirana, for wisdom and grace as he seeks to develop a church planting network in his city.
For open travel to London, Lisbon, and Dublin in September.
I am grateful for your prayers and support. Thanks for your investment in the movement of church planting in the cities of Europe.