During the days of November 7 – 16, my wife, Cindy, and I had the privilege of serving with Corum Deo Ministries. CGM is an outreach of Grace Bible Church of Mantova, Italy, where Andrea Artitoli is pastor. Brothers Andrea Artitoli and Giacomo Lerici, who are HeartCry missionaries, serve together at the church.
Corum Deo Ministries began with a two-fold purpose. First, they desired to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through Christian publications that taught the great truths of the Protestant Reformation. Secondly, they wanted to provide literature and conferences that would educate Italian believers in biblical truth. As a result, they began a book publication ministry which has printed over 60 books by various Puritans and modern day authors such as John MacArthur, John Piper and Mark Dever.
The first Corum Conference was in Milan, Italy, at the Veritas Evangelical Church. According to Andrea Artitoli, the attendance for the event was 80 to 100. Of that number, there were approximately 50 people outside the church who attended. Pastor Jerry Marcellino and his wife, Dawn, with Cindy and I, did the speaking. The conference theme was holiness.
Following the conference, Cindy and I travelled by train to Florence to meet with our new HeartCry missionary, Emanuel Ivan. Emanuel, a Romanian, came to Florence a few years ago to pastor Maranatha Baptist Church. He and his wife, Cami, serve the congregation of Maranatha, which is made up of over 80 Romanian and Gypsy believers.
Brother Emanuel has a burden to reach the better than 14,000 Romanians that have moved to Florence seeking work. Lord willing, he wants to plant churches in the future among the Romanian and Gypsy immigrants.
Emanuel and Cami Ivan are real Christians. Their love for Christ, heart for their people and desire to serve the Gypsies are a tribute to God’s grace. This was my second time this year with Emanuel and his pursuit of Christ and His kingdom is very evident.
Cami shared that she and Emanuel have been married for 10 years and that she enjoyed being a pastor’s wife. She said that in the beginning the ministry was hard and still is at times, but it is always beautiful with the Lord’s help. She teaches the small children in the church, prays for Emanuel and serves him. Her vision is to ultimately help other missionaries.
On Thursday evening, Cindy and I flew from Florence to Sicily for the second Corum Deo Conference. The event had a huge impact on those who attended. Exceeding all expectations, the rented building, which had been a Catholic monastery, was packed with standing room only on the second day. It was the largest non-Charismatic, evangelical conference in Sicily. Interestingly, most of those who attended were Pentecostal. Reports revealed that there were well over 325 attendees for the event.
Please pray for the furtherance, and effectuates of the gospel in Italy. Pray for the protection of the missionaries and their families. And pray for the four printing ministries in Italy who seek to provide biblical resources that call for revival and reformation in the country.
Don is serving as the HeartCry Coordinator for Eastern Europe. As an itinerant evangelist, his pulpit ministry is directed toward preaching on the inner life of the believer and the spiritual need of the lost. With HeartCry, his ministry includes organizing Bible conferences and corresponding with the HeartCry missionaries in Europe. He and his lovely wife Cindy live in Tuscumbia, AL.
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