Update from the Kyra Karr Foundation 05.2024
It is hard to believe that 2024 has already plowed ahead to May. Time marches on, as does ministry in Rome, Italy. We wanted to update you on how your generous support is contributing to the work of the gospel in Italy and beyond. Here are key ways in which your support is at work:
Your generous gifts go to fund the ministry initiatives of the Istituto di Cultura Evangelica e Documentazione (ICED), which is an evangelical cultural association that seeks to engage the culture and city of Rome with the gospel. This is an enormous task, but an important one. One initiative under the ICED umbrella is the online evangelical magazine Loci Communes, which engages culture through articles that address culturally relevant issues from an evangelical perspective. Launched four years ago during COVID in May 2020, it has had relatively good success considering its evangelical perspective in a majority Roman Catholic context. Since May 2020 there have been hundreds of thousands of visits to the site, and its reach continues to grow. We praise God for this. Loci Communes is just one example of many of how ICED is engaging Rome with the gospel. Thank you for your support of these imporant initiatives!
Your generosity goes in part to support the Kannard family through their mission World Venture. The Kannards live and serve the local church in Rome. Clay Kannard pastors alongside Leonardo De Chirico at the evangelical church Breccia di Roma, and is also deeply involved with Loci Communes. Clay also serves as the Communications Director of the Reformanda Initiative. Clay and Lauren have four children, one who is away at college in the U.S. The Kannards are worthy recipients of your generous giving. Thank you for supporting their valuable ministry to the church in Rome.
Speaking of the Reformanda Initiative (RI), this is another important way in which your gifts to the Kyra Karr Foundation impact ministry beyond Rome and Italy's borders. The RI seeks to equip the evangelical church to better understand Roman Catholic theology and practice. Your generosity contributes to trips that we make to various countries to speak to ministries and churches on Roman Catholicism. Earlier this month, for example, the RI team was in Portugal for four days to help pastors, students, and churches better understand and engage Roman Catholicism from an evangelical perspective. Thank you for your contributions to this important ministry. You can learn more about the RI here: www.reformandainitiative.org. Below is a picture from our recent trip to Portugal.
Another important way that the KKF contributes to ministry in Rome is through theological resources. Many books have been added to our theological library and made available to the church and students thanks in part to your generosity and gifts. These are extremely important resources. The church Breccia di Roma Prati, where Reid pastors, benefits from a subscription to the Bible software Logos. This is a much appreciated gift of the KKF, and is a tremendous resource. Other than theological resources, the KKF continues to contribute to the theological training of our church leaders and members in Rome. The importance and value of this cannot be overstated. Thank you very much! Below is a picture from a small corner of our theological library in downtown Rome.
Your generosity also goes to support simple - yet important - times of communion and fellowship with the local church. Food and faith are an integral part of growing together, and the KKF has been generous in contributing to fostering this growth. Thank you very much! Below is a picture from a recent time of fellowship around food after a time of worship together.
In an effort to keep you updated with greater frequency - while not filling your inbox with too many emails - starting in June we are going to be more intentional about sending brief updates through our Instagram account, which will also be posted to our Facebook page. Instagram is a great way to share brief accounts both textually and visually of how your support and generosity is at work. If you don't already follow us, please do so: @kyrakarrfoundation.
Thank you for all you do for the KKF and for the ministries it supports. Praise the Lord for the gospel work in Italy and beyond. We are very thankful for you. To God be all the glory!
The Kyra Karr Foundation