Christ Will Build His Church – CORNELIUS MINISTRIES

VITA NELLA GRAZIA

CHRIST WILL BUILD HIS CHURCH! What a blessing it is, to see God’s kindness, as He is building His Vita nella Grazia Church in a small ballet studio! Our rented location is within walking distance from the Basilica of St. Peter, of great importance for the Roman Catholic religion, which is presumed by so many to be the only church with true doctrine and interpretation of the Scriptures. Yet nearby, Christ is building His true church as His children are, one by one, finding our simple meeting place and eagerly returning to learn of Christ and worship Him there.

CHRIST BUILDS HIS CHURCH THROUGH HIS WORD! Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. We are blessed to be working together with the Stanisci family, as Lucio and David share the same passion for expository preaching. We are convinced that the best spiritual foundation for our group of believers is continual exposure to the faithful teaching of the Word. We are joyful to see that God is bringing together a group of people who love to be taught and who are hungry for expository preaching. God has not only given us the opportunity to teach every Sunday evening at 5pm, but also in weekly Bible Studies, where Lucio and David share the responsibility of teaching the Word in three different areas of Rome. Every week, God brings new people who listen and ask very good questions. Many have never held a Bible in their hands before, and have never been taught what it says. And starting next week, Loredana and Cristina will begin teaching a Sunday School for the children!

CHRIST WHO TOUCHES LIVES AND ADDS HIS OWN CHOSEN ONES TO THE CHURCH! When we started planning the beginning of Grace Life, (that is the meaning of Vita nella Grazia), we had no idea how many would come. Now, we have five core families and some single people. God has also blessed us with wonderful people who are willing to serve alongside us.
Erkki, a dear friend of both Lucio and David, has joined us. He is such an addition with his creative gifts, as he contributes musically and artistically to our services, and many other ways. The Capasso family, with their four children, bring a heart-warming excitement for the Lord to our group. Their evangelistic zeal is effective, as there are unsaved people attending every Bible Study held in their home! The Buss family is a great encouragement with their servant hearts, always willing to help in any way possible. The Boca family have been regularly attending and have prayed faithfully during the past year for this church. We also are joined by a few single adults who bring enthusiasm to the group. Only God could do this work! We watch with extreme gratefulness for what the Lord is doing. Between 30 and 40 people have attended each Sunday afternoon. We’ve even been visited by a couple of supporting families from the USA, so if you are planning a visit in Rome, please come to worship the Lord with us, too!
A recent highlight was our Inauguration Sunday, when about 120 people from other small churches in Rome came to encourage us. We’re thankful that so many have committed to pray for this new church plant in the north side of Rome. Bill Standridge came and prayed for Lucio and David, that God would bless and keep them faithful. Both Lucio and David are fruits of Bill’s almost-70 years of faithful ministry in Italy.

CHRIST BUILDS HIS CHURCH, NOT FOR OUR GLORY, BUT FOR HIS! Our confidence in the lasting results of our efforts here is based on our knowledge that God is at work for His Glory. It is our privilege to serve and watch God work. Our prayer is that God’s Word would be honored in every meeting, that God would add His chosen ones to our group, and that the Light of biblical truth will shine forth in the city of Rome.

WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS

Pray for David and Loredana, as they travel to Sicily on the weekend of December 10th. David will have a one-day conference and then on Sunday will preach in the two churches he has been ministering to.
Pray for our Sunday services, that we would be faithful and welcoming to those who come with such a great need for the Word of God.
Pray for our Bible Studies, for they are a blessed time for teaching and fellowship.
Pray for our publishing ministry, as it continues to serve the great purpose of reaching the many Word-hungry believers who live in Italian cities and towns where there are no faithful ministries. We need for God to provide the funds necessary to keep it going.
Pray for Bill Standridge, David’s father. After living with us for the past four years, he is now moving to Milan to live with David’s brother. We are so very grateful to God for the many lessons and blessings He has brought us during these years of sharing our home with Bill.

Thankful for your partnership with us,
David and Loredana

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CORNELIUS MINISTRIES
55 South Main Street #164
Oberlin, OH 44074

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