The End of a Chapter and the Beginning of a New - Part 1
Dear friends and partners in the Gospel,
Finally, on July 12, my ordination as a Minister of the Word and Sacraments has arrived. And to God only be all the glory!
My heart is constantly astonished when I look at my life, as little as it is, full of God’s blessing for the past few years.
Watch the Ordination Service at New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido (CA)
Years ago, I studied to become a successful structural engineer, and later, I was proposed to become an evangelical pastor. But in 2010, after I “accidentally” came across listening to gospel-centered sermons by men like Paul Washer, John Piper, RC Sproul, Sinclair Ferguson, et al., I began praying, “Father, please send sound preachers to Italy who can boldly preach the bad news of our sin and the good news of Christ's gospel!”
Ten years later, I became the first native Italian citizen to graduate from Westminster Seminary California and the first native Italian pastor ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America. It is time that I return to the land of my birth so I can preach the Gospel to the Italians, in Italian, and plant the first reformed and Presbyterian church in the city of Lecce, which is where I was born and spent half of my life.
The Lord answered my prayers by placing me under the care of theologians and pastors who are "shepherds after [His] own heart, who [have] feed [me] with knowledge and understanding" (Jer. 3:15) during my three years at seminary, and my one-year pastoral internship at New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido, CA.
I moved to California as a “blank notebook,” eager to learn about the reformed faith. Through my studies, Christ has indelibly engraved his powerful Gospel on my white pages, leading me to discover day after day the wonders revealed in His holy and infallible Word. Seminary prepared me for the holy service of preaching Christ faithfully from all the Scriptures and New Life Presbyterian Church sharpened me to apply what I’ve learned in service to the local church. Now, the time has come to plant the church in Lecce and lead the group of believers that has been awaiting a minister for years.
I have worked ten years as a structural engineer in Italy, designing temporary and dead buildings. Now, I labor as an under-shepherd of the Mighty Shepherd in calling sinners to repentance and equipping the “living stones” and build His Church in Italy for the heavenly and eternal city of God.
Dear donor, brother, sister, beloved professor, pastor, elder, deacon, and mentor — the saints in Italy and I say thank you! Because of your prayers and sacrificial giving, I have received the unspeakable treasure that I can now pass on to them. By praying for me, my wife, Judit, and the people that the Lord will send to us, I desire that you all recognize that you are already part of the church planting work in Lecce.
Ten years ago, I would have never imagined being commissioned to preach God's whole counsel to the Italian people, in my native tongue!
Therefore, I cannot stop considering God's bounty over my life, and I join the psalmist saying: "This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23).
Soli Deo Gloria!
