December 2021

Merry Christmas from Mission Milan!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

 Janie, Iain and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year! As we look back on 2021, we give God thanks for his mercies to us and to Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia. The apostle Paul reminds that we are to give “thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Here are some of the blessings we received in 2021, for which we are so grateful:

·      The Lord added nine new members to our congregation (no small number for a Reformed church in Italy!)

·      In January, our church returned to in-person services. By God’s grace, there has not been another lockdown.

·      In May, we were able to travel to the States to see our son Isaac graduate from Providence Christian College. We spent some precious time with our family, including our granddaughter Isabella!

·      After graduation, Isaac was able to spend nearly five months with us before moving to Vermont to take a new job.

·      In August, we began a much-needed remodel of our little church building, doubling our seating capacity.

·      In October, our church hosted a Reformation conference with two other Protestant churches in Milan, reaching many people and building bridges with other Christians in the city.

·      In December, we began another new member’s course with four people.

·      Also in December, the church received a gift that will allow for the completion of the remaining work on the remodel.

In addition, we give God thanks that he has supplied our church with two outstanding elders (Mimmo Altobelli and Vittorio Calderaro) who humbly and faithfully lead and tend to our congregation. We thank God that he continues to cause his gospel to be preached and his Word to be studied at Chiesa Riformata Filadelifa. We thank him that plans are now being made to establish a Reformed & Presbyterian denomination amongst the churches in Milan, Perugia and Lecce. We thank him that Janie is working as an English teacher to foreigners and Iain is doing well in high school. We thank him that he has kept our family physically healthy this year. We thank him that we continue to grow and mature as followers of Jesus Christ who can never outgrow our need for his grace.

Above all, we thank God for that grace that has been given to us in his Son, who, in the fulness of time, was sent into this dark and broken world to redeem lost sinners. Only in Him do we have a living hope, a hope that looks beyond the horizons of this present evil age and the difficulties and suffering that we must endure. Whatever 2022 brings, one thing is certain for all who trust in Christ: God is good, and his steadfast love endures forever.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support of Mission Milan. May you have a Merry Christmas, and may the Lord bless you and keep you in the coming year!

Mike, Janie and Iain Brown