2024 Year-end update
Dear KKF Friends and Supporters,
We pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family and that you have a joyful and blessed New Year. We are grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth and remember its profound significance. Without His birth, we would be without hope of salvation from our sins. But praise be to God, in His graciousness and mercy, He sent His Son to die for us so that we might have life. In a culture that avoids discussing sin, we must remember that it is central to the gospel. If sin is insignificant, then the cross of Christ and the gospel are equally insignificant. However, if sin is devastating, then the cross is great and glorious, making Christ’s birth all the more marvelous.
Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support of the KKF and the initiatives it enables. As we close out 2024 and look ahead to a new year, we want to share how your support is contributing to gospel work in Rome, Italy, and beyond. Rejoice with us in these efforts:
Invocation to worship at Breccia di Roma Prati
Your support helps provide theological training and education, which is essential for planting strong churches and raising future pastors and leaders. J.I. Packer reminds us that the church must balance faithfulness in evangelization with theological formation. We cannot be evangelists uninterested in theology or theologians uninterested in evangelization. Your generosity ensures this balance is upheld.
Specific examples include Chiara Lamberti and Steppie Karr from Breccia di Roma Prati, where Reid pastors. Chiara is pursuing a graduate diploma with Union School of Theology in the UK, and Steppie is working toward a master’s degree in counseling through New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. These pursuits are invaluable for the local church, and KKF’s support has been a tremendous resource in making them possible. Thank you!
Fellowship with church partners
Fellowship with church members
Your contributions also help resource the local church in Rome with essential theological materials, including books for the theological library and tools like Logos software for pastors. These resources significantly aid in ministry and training. Thank you for making this possible!
The KKF supports I.C.E.D. (Istituto di Cultura Evangelica e Documentazione), an evangelical cultural association engaging Rome with the gospel. Through book presentations and outreach initiatives for children, including art-based activities, ICED connects with the city’s culture. The association also manages the theological library available to local churches. Visit ICED’s website at iceditalia.org. Your support funds these impactful initiatives—thank you!
Children’s art lab at the institute (ICED)
The Reformanda Initiative (RI) is another ministry heavily supported by the KKF. This initiative trains and equips the evangelical church to understand Roman Catholic theology and practice better. RI team members (Leonardo De Chirico, Reid Karr, and Clay Kannard) are often invited to teach at churches and conferences. However, demand exceeds their time and resources. KKF’s support enables these opportunities by covering travel and lodging costs, especially when hosting churches cannot fully fund these needs. The Reformanda Initiative also offers a podcast and publishes articles, making KKF’s role in this ministry vital. You can check out the RI website here: reformandainitiative.org. Thank you for supporting this important initiative!
RI team in DC
Reid teaching on Roman Catholicism at a conference in Evansville, Indiana
KKF continues to support the Kannard family, who serve with World Venture in Rome. Clay Kannard is an elder alongside Leonardo De Chirico at Breccia di Roma, where Kyra was a member before her passing. Clay is also the Communications Director of the Reformanda Initiative. His wife Lauren leads ICED initiatives to reach children and families in the city. Their contributions are invaluable to the local church and its church-planting efforts. Thank you for helping support the Kannards!
The Kannard family
Clay preaching at Breccia di Roma Prati
The youth of our three churches in Rome
KKF has also provided countless meals for the local church and for gatherings where ministry initiatives are discussed and planned. Sharing meals fosters fellowship and unity among believers, making it a small but significant way to support church life and ministry. Thank you for making these gatherings possible!
Breccia di Roma Prati, located near the Vatican, is strategically positioned to impact Rome’s culture with the gospel. Along with other Breccia di Roma churches, it aims to engage the city through long-term vision and resources. Currently, the church rents a space for Sunday worship but is beginning to search for a permanent location to enhance its presence and cultural engagement. KKF’s support contributes to this vision of impacting the city with the gospel. More details will be shared soon, but for now, thank you for your support!
Watch Nolyn’s testimony (in Italian) for a new evangelism project.
These are just a few examples of how your generosity is advancing gospel work in Rome. This city, which never experienced the Protestant Reformation, remains a significant mission field. We continue to pray for a gospel reformation in Rome and are grateful for your role in this enormous challenge.
On December 24th, the Catholic Church began the Year of Jubilee, celebrated every 25 years and expected to bring 25-35 million pilgrims to Rome. Visitors come to receive indulgences for acts like fasting from social media or walking through specific basilicas’ holy doors. Please pray for our churches as we seize opportunities to share the true gospel—not one based on works but on the free gift of God’s mercy. The Year of Jubilee highlights a low view of sin within Roman Catholicism. True salvation acknowledges the devastating consequences of sin and the exclusive forgiveness found in Christ alone. Pray that we may boldly share this truth during this significant year.
Once again, thank you for your kindness, prayers, and financial support. Slowly but surely, your contributions are making a difference! Below, enjoy some pictures from Rome and the churches and ministries you are supporting.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the KKF!
