Amor Viviente pastor challenges Italian Mennonites
“Although God cares about poverty, suffering and pain, these human problems are not His first priority. He sent Jesus to bring forgiveness, to seek that which was lost, to give new life-abundant and eternal. Jesus commissions us to continue His ministry and make disciples. The message must be so clear that people either believe and accept it or decide to reject it. Christian service, although not the Gospel, is important in communicating the Gospel in ways people can understand,” said Javier Soler, from Amor Viviente in Honduras who spoke on the theme, “The Church in Mission.”
His presentations at the conference held in Palermo were simple yet powerfully penetrating, flowing from a wealth of experience in church planting/missions. When Javier shared how the Honduran believers tithe in order to support Amor Viviente’s program of expansion and cross-cultural missions, our hearts were stirred and humbled, remembering that Honduras is among the poorest nations of Latin America! God is blessing their sacrifice of love and obedience as the church takes root in many places through their faithful efforts. They are now poised to deploy missionaries to northern Italy.
Dynamic, joyful praise/worship led by the Centro Agape youth worship team was a highlight of each session of the two-day conference. Each Mennonite congregation in Italy also had opportunity to share what God is doing in their midst, featuring dramatic presentations, special music, testimonies, a piano-violin duo, etc.
In perfect harmony with the theme, Giovanni and Fiorella Greco, Italian church planters/missionaries, were officially received into the Italian Mennonite Church and commissioned for their ministry in the Molise/Abruzzo regions of central Italy where believers’ churches are almost nonexistent.
After the conference, missionaries, Italian pastors and leaders met with the delegation from Amor Viviente to further understand their approach to establishing new churches and supporting their pastors and missionaries financially.
