Gaining Momentum In Europe

An update from Ed O’Mara, Lead Pastor of Chiesa Grazia Sovrana di Torino, Italy and SGC Area Leader for Europe…

Acts 28:12 says “Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.” It seems like a fairly minor contribution in Paul’s journey from Malta to Rome. Church tradition tells us that during the three days in which Paul was in Siracusa, he preached the gospel in a catacomb under what is now Saint John’s Church. These are not merely historical tidbits. The preaching of the gospel formed and strengthened the Christian community in this once-pagan part of Sicily. In Sovereign Grace, our heartbeat is to seek churches formed and strengthened through the apostolic preaching of the cross and to do so in every nation and city to which the Lord directs us.

In light of this, it was a particular blessing for the SG European Pastors to gather in Sicily, where Paul once laid foundations on which we continue to build as elders in Sovereign Grace. Though the SG European Area is nascent and forming, the Lord is doing good things among us. Our annual retreat occurred from 17-21 March and 17 men joined together in Viagrande, Sicily (about 80 km north of Siracusa) to study eldership and partnership. Pastors and pastoral candidates came from Ireland, Wales, England, Spain, Italy, and Belarus. We were hosted by Grazia e Verità, which is an SG candidate church led by Giuseppe Fortuna. Dave Taylor, our friend and SGC Director of Global Strategy & Development, joined us to lead much of the teaching.

We are deeply grateful that God is solidifying our commitment to SG partnership and because of the high value we place on pastoral ministry, we decided to focus our time on the nuts and bolts of our ecclesiastical union. We focused on the role and office of elders, the importance of plurality and team ministry, the commission to raise future elders, and the shape of our partnership. Through the teachings and subsequent discussions, we were sharpened and encouraged, and those exploring next steps toward SG partnership were helped to understand how we function together as a family of churches. 

Of course, no visit to Sicily would be complete without experiencing Sicilian hospitality, which means Sicilian food! We were very well fed and in fact one of the highlights was joining together with Grazia e Verità for an evening service. The ladies of the church provided a full-spread of local specialties. The real blessing, though, was that the local church members and our SG Europe pastors were able to get to know each other. In moments like these we see that partnership is not mere association, but a relational reality! It is good to be part of a family like ours!

Similarly, we made sure to have time to relate together as pastors, both over meals and breaks and through exploring various places of local importance. We had the opportunity to take a drive up Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano. We also visited the city of Siracusa where we toured the catacomb in which Paul preached the gospel, saw the port in which his ship docked, and visited other ancient Siracusan sites. This was topped with a seemingly-unending Sicilian meal and lots of great conversations and fellowship. Again, as wonderful as it was to have the opportunity to visit these locations and eat great food, being together and strengthening our relationships and our partnership was the real highlight and value of the retreat! 

Moving forward, we are seeking to continue to grow the SG Europe Area into an identifiable group who are committed to working together in meaningful partnership. We are continuing to work with churches interested in joining SG in Europe, and we are regularly meeting through zoom calls to strengthen one another in the pastoral task and in our partnership. This will be an ongoing work, but it is well worth it because partnership matters and is valuable. As we identify, strengthen, and form elders who are committed to preaching the gospel and building churches and partnership on that preaching, we are confident that the Lord will use these few days in Sicily to contribute to the testimony of His glory in Europe.