Italy
God
is working in Rome. See the Videos!
What do
Chicago and Rome have in common?
Traffic and
busyness abounds in both, and each city has an
abundance of amazing restaurants. Chicago
and Rome also each have nearly half a million
college students. In Chicago they are spread out
over 100 different schools, while in Rome most
of the students are concentrated in the city’s
three state universities. La Sapienza
University, near the center of Rome, is the
largest university in Europe, with nearly
200,000 students.
What is a
partnership?
A
partnership is all about the Chicago ministry
(along with a couple other Crusade ministries)
pulling together the manpower to start new
ministries in Rome. These partnerships
pioneer groups at strategic universities with
the vision to start spiritual movements lead by
Italians.
There are
five stages to a partnership.
- International
Summer Projects
- STINT
teams
- International
Campus Staff
- National
(Italian) Staff raised up
- National
staff sent out as laborers to other
countries
Currently
Rome is in Stage 3, with International Campus
Staff arriving to serve in Rome for three to
five years.
How can I be involved in the partnership?
Pray! Ask the Lord to move in the
hearts of Italians. Pray for the teams
that are there long term and for short trips.
Pray for more laborers to go to Rome. Get
other people at your school excited and praying
for Rome. Sign up for the monthly prayer
letter by contacting Glen: glen.just@uscm.org
Go! Give your time to reaching
Italians with the message that they can have a
personal relationship with God. There are
three options, from small commitment to big.
Spring
Break – Choose one of three weeks each
March to go do evangelism at La Sapienza and get
a taste of life in the Eternal City.
Summer
Project – Give your summer to God.
This six-week project gives you opportunities to
have deeper friendships with Italians, maybe
pick up a bit of the language and culture, and
see how God will make amazing changes in the
hearts of Roman students as well as yourself.
STINT
(Short Term Intern) - STINT is a one or two-year
program aiding long-term workers in helping to
raise up Italians for the ministry. The
focus of STINT is evangelism and discipleship.
You’ll be doing ministry in the context of a
team, ministering alongside other Americans and
Italian students.
What is the history of the partnership?
The
first STINT team of seven landed in Rome in the
fall of 2001. Spring Break trips, Summer
Projects, and STINTs have continued each year
since that time. Chicago staffer Beth Ann
Nelson was on the 02-03 and 03-04 STINT teams
and most of the other Chicago staff has visited
for spring breaks or summer project. They
would love to share their experiences with you!
What
is the spiritual climate in Rome?
The
people of Italy love life, family and soccer! In
general, Italians are friendly, expressive, and
share a common love for food and family. Most
Italian students have a religious background,
but few see the need for God in their everyday
lives, and many have become frustrated with
religion.
So
when students hear about a personal relationship
with God it intrigues them, since they don’t
think of God as being personal or wanting any
kind of relationship with them. As our teams
have met and befriended many students, they’ve
discovered it’s a process for Italians to
understand how much God loves them, to see their
need for God, and to embrace this new reality of
a relationship with God.
For
any questions about Chicago’s partnership with
Rome contact your local staffer or regional
Partnership Coordinator Glen Just at Glen.Just@uscm.org
or call (317) 841-8001 x 310
Click
Here To Read The Latest Rome Prayer Update
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