New Members, New Opportunities

Dear brothers and sisters,

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! 



We thank the Lord for another month of his faithfulness to us and to the work of the Gospel here in Italy. Though the work of church-planting and pastoral ministry often progresses slowly and quietly, Christ continues to build his church through the ordinary means of grace, and for that we are deeply grateful.

In recent months, the Lord has continued to add new people to the life of the church. This year, we have already received new professions of faith, baptisms, and new members, for which we are deeply grateful.

New Family Joins the Church

A few weeks ago, we received a new family into membership at Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia. Gabriel and Adriana Lisboa publicly professed their faith in Christ, and their two-year-old son Arthur was baptized during the worship service.

We rejoice that the Lord has brought this young family into our congregation, and we pray that we, as a church family, will be an encouragement to them as they continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Trip to the United States
Janie and I recently returned home after a three-week trip to the United States, during which time I was able to preach, give presentations on Mission Milan, and in some cases meet with church leadership in five different URCNA churches in five different states: Oak Glen URC in Illinois, Community URC in Indiana, West Sayville Reformed Bible Church in New York, Pompton Plains Reformed Bible Church in New Jersey and New Haven URC in Vermont. I am grateful for the warm reception I received by these congregations and the interest they have in partnering with Mission Milan.

While my ministry responsibilities focused on the weekends, the remainder of our time in the States was spent with our family gathered in Burlington, Vermont for our son Isaac’s wedding. On May 21, I had the immense joy and privilege of officiating his wedding ceremony. It was a deeply meaningful occasion for our family, and a wonderful opportunity to spend precious time with our children, granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, parents, siblings, and extended family. We miss them dearly.

Praying about a New Church-Plant
For some time, the leadership of our church in Milan has been praying about the possibility of planting another church in northern Italy. The need is great but the laborers are few. We’d like to ask you to pray that the Lord would grant wisdom, unity, courage, and provision as we explore the possibility of calling another minister and planting another church.

Looking Ahead
Janie and I would also appreciate your prayers and consideration regarding the possibility of taking a three-month furlough next year. Our hope would be to spend extended time with our family. As we are now in our eighth year of ministry on the foreign mission field, in which I typically labor 52 Sundays a year without a break, we believe such a period of rest and family fellowship would be spiritually and physically refreshing, and would help strengthen us for continued long-term ministry in Italy.

Thank you, as always, for your prayers and support. The Lord is at work, and we are grateful to be part of what He is doing here in Italy.

Pastor Mike & Janie

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and athe ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” (Acts 20:24)

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

Making disciples of Christ in Milan is only possible with the faithful partnership of God’s people. If you want to get involved in the Great Commission in Italy, here are three ways you can help:

1. PRAY for the church in Milan (Chiesa Riformata Filadelfia) and for Pastor Mike and his family. Pray that the gospel will be proclaimed boldly, that people will come to know Christ, and that they will grow in their faith. Pray that more faithful churches will be planted in Italy.

2. SHARE the news about Mission Milan. Pass on this newsletter to others and tell them about the need in Italy. For more information, visit our website: missionmilan.org.

3. GIVE a donation of any amount. Your gift helps! You can give online at missionmilan.org. Or send a check to:


Escondido United Reformed Church
1864 N. Broadway
Escondido, CA 92026

Checks should be made out to Escondido United Reformed Church. Please indicate that the support is for Rev. Michael Brown as a missionary to Italy.