2021 is rapidly coming to a close, and the Christmas season is in full swing. Whether you will be traveling to see family and friends, or staying home to host, or just getting away, we pray you have a wonderful Christmas and that you take time in the hustle and bustle of the holidays to reflect on the significance of Jesus Christ coming into this world. God incarnate changed the history of the world forever and brought hope and peace that is completely unmatchable or reproducible. Joy to the world indeed, for the Lord has come!

The end of the year is also a great time to reflect on the Lord’s faithfulness and how he has been at work throughout the year. 2021 was a second year largely impacted by Covid-19, and the degree to which your life was impacted depends on where you call home in the world! Italy saw its ups and downs, and like many places in the world is closing the year with tighter restrictions for the holidays. Regardless, there is much to be grateful for, and looking back on 2021 it is encouraging to see how in many ways the Lord has blessed our ministry and your generous support. That said, we would like to share a snapshot of 2021 so that together with us you can thank the Lord for his faithfulness. It is also a way for us to say thank you for your generous support! This is a bit longer than our usual updates, but the end of the year and all the Lord has done deserves the extra attention!

The mission of the Breccia di Roma churches is: to glorify God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, living the Gospel of Jesus Christ as a community of disciples and serving kingly, priestly and prophetically the city of Rome (and through it the nation of Italy) so that the Word of God may have a breakthrough to transform it.

The final goal is … the glory of God
The propelling centre is … the gospel of Jesus Christ
The community envisaged is … a church of disciples

The scopes of action are …

A kingly service to encourage responsibility
A priestly service to bless the neighbour and the city
A prophetic service to proclaim the Word of God

The ‘glocal’ borders are … the city of Rome and Italy

The final hope is … the transformation of the city according to the Gospel

With that mission in mind, we try to focus on three areas: 1) Local ministry 2) National ministry (Italy-wide) 3) Global ministry.

1) Local ministry:

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, we were extremely encouraged by the beginnings of a new church plant project. Two families moved to a neighborhood near the Vatican to begin the groundwork of the church plant. A road map is being developed, and the church should launch sometime in 2022. This is a huge praise and a big step in the Rome 2030 vision our churches share, which desires to see 3 new church plants between 2020-2030.
Theological training and education for the church and its leaders is an important aspect of our collective vision. We praise the Lord for:
- 25 students from various churches around Rome enrolled in our IFED courses, which train the members of the church in foundational theology. IFED is an Italian theological institute that we are partnered with in a significant way.
- 3 graduate diploma students studying with Union School of Theology. UST is based in Oxford, England, and our church is a satellite campus for the school. It is a great partnership and we are thankful to the Lord for how he is working through it.
- 2 MTh (masters) students with Union School of Theology.
- 1 PhD student with UST.

In November there was a Rome Church Planters Network meeting in which leaders of 15 Evangelical churches in Rome were present to share about ministry and their churches and the challenges they face. It was an encouraging time and is always important to meet with other Evangelical leaders, especially with the Evangelical church being a strong minority in the Italian culture.
Libri per Roma (Books for Rome) continued throughout 2021. This is an initiative in which local authors and theologians are invited to share and discuss a recent book they have written. Often the author/theologian is a Roman Catholic or local politician, and it is a wonderful way to expose the community and its cultural shapers to Evangelical culture and engage them with good questions and thought that they otherwise would never encounter.
Our churches also had a series of meetings in which we celebrated the lives of two important Evangelical theologians: Benjamin Warfield (1851-1921) and John Stott (1921-2011). 2021 was the centennial anniversary of the death of Warfield and the birth of Stott. Reflecting on these men’s lives and their contribution to the Evangelical world and how the Lord used them for the furthering of the Gospel was encouraging and beneficial for all.
We were also involved in outreach initiatives in our communities, such as park clean-ups and offering English classes and art labs to the youth of our communities in which the Gospel was always presented. The classes this year had to take place online due to Covid, but thankfully we were able to end the year with an in-person gathering in which the Gospel was shared.
Il Soggiorno was able to resume its ministry and care to refugees in Rome. Il Soggiorno provides a safe place for refugees to gather for tea, snacks, and to receive help with learning Italian. Bibles are also available in their languages and opportunities often arise to share the Gospel and the hope of Jesus Christ with them. We thank the Lord for this ministry and the members of our churches that serve in this capacity.
Schiavitù mai più (Slavery No More) resumed its outings as well. SMP is a ministry dedicated to helping people in prostitution in Rome, which is sadly a significant amount of people. Those who serve with SMP offer drinks and a word of encouragement and a listening ear to those they meet. We pray for the courage for many of them to leave this line of work which truly is a form of slavery and to find help in the places that are established to help this difficult and dangerous transition. We thank the Lord for this ministry as well and the members of our churches that serve this hurting segment of the city.

2) National ministry:

In 2019 Loci Communes was launched. It is an online resource that engages readers with culture from an Evangelical perspective, which again, in this context is not common and represents a minority point of view. We praise the Lord for the significant interaction we’ve had with this resource.

In 2021 over 200 articles were published by 34 different Evangelical authors!

We had 70,000 views of the articles.

Of the 70,000 views, more than 15,000 individual viewers are represented.

A few views have also come from within the walls of Vatican City!!

In 2021 the church network our churches are members of, which represent churches throughout Italy, confirmed plans to meet together in Rome in April 2022. This will be a significant and special event. Please be praying for this important meeting.

The seminar “Buon Lavoro” (Good Work) provided four seminars in four different cities in 2021. “Buon Lavoro” provides a biblical framework and foundation upon which a healthy approach to the grind of everyday work can be built, seeing value in the work we do, and doing it for the glory of God. Two individuals in particular from our churches provide this serve, and it is a tremendously valuable resource for the local church and we pray the Lord continues to bless it and use it for his glory.

3) Global ministry:

The Reformanda Initiative - which equips Evangelicals to better understand Roman Catholic theology and practice – continues to grow. Three members of our churches lead the Reformanda Initiative.

The Reformanda Initiative podcast has now more than 40,000 downloads of its episodes.

The Vatican Files blog has 20,000 different viewers with more than 36,000 views.

Leonardo published a new book with InterVarsity Press. Same Words, Different Worlds came out in October and is an extremely important resource for the Evangelical church. It explores whether or not Roman Catholics and Evangelicals believe the same Gospel. It also makes a great last-minute Christmas present!

In partnership with the European Leadership Forum, the Reformanda Initiative took part in a year-round mentoring program and trained 8 individuals from different parts of the world on Roman Catholic theology and practice from an Evangelical perspective.

Praise and Prayer Requests:

There is so much to be thankful for as we reflect on 2021 and look ahead to 2022. The Lord is good and indeed has been faithful. Please take a moment to thank him for all he has done and pray that in 2022 he continues to do great things in Rome, Italy and beyond.
We thank the Lord too for new members of our churches in 2021, and also for the many non-believers that continue to attend our services on a regular basis.
One aspect of 2021 that we are aware of is that we did not see anyone come to faith in Christ and be baptized. It is no mystery that in order for the church to grow and for more churches to be planted, more people have to profess faith in Christ and place their hope in him. Together with us, please pray that in a year’s time, at the end of 2022, we have the joy of reporting new salvations. If there are changes we need to make as churches in the way we engage the city and our communities, please pray together with us that the Lord will make that clear and guide us and give us wisdom.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read about the Lord’s faithfulness in 2021, and again, thank you so much for your continued giving and generosity. The Lord is at work! Please continue to support our ministry. We are very grateful.