When In Rome
12 Apr 2010
Liz and I have just spent four wonderful days in Rome staying with our friends Mike and Katrin Taylor. Rome is a great city, full of unbelievable history at every turn and full of thousands of fun people.
It was about 70 degrees, but most Romans were still wearing their coats and scarves to keep warm. It is so great to sit outside a café and watch these expressive people as they converse with one another...what are they all talking about? Many drivers seem to be on their mobiles as they drive (against the law!), but their real problem seems to be that they cannot talk on their mobile and not use their other free hand to "express" something, hence no hands on the wheel. Makes for interesting driving.
We had the privilege of meeting up with the leaders of "Footsteps," an interdenominational group of ex-pats that Mike and Katrin attend. We are gently pursuing the possibility of fellowshipping with the group. Our main passion at the end of the day however, is to plant a Newfrontiers church in Rome and we are praying about the best way to do this. I do not think that I have been in a European city (the size of Rome) and witnessed such little evangelical presence. The place is screaming out for a "word / spirit” church and there seems to be so little expression of this that we can find. Meanwhile, many Catholics are full of questions about the church and a whole new younger generation are rejecting it and have never heard the gospel. They need to see a new expression of church life that vibrates with the power of the risen Jesus.
I spent part of my time there preparing for a preach this Sunday at NCC. Interestingly enough we are preaching through "Romans".
It was weird preparing a sermon in Rome written originally for Rome and I could not help but wonder how far the present day expression of church has become removed from the people that Paul originally addressed.
Perhaps we could see this change? Anyone for church planting in Rome?
Dave
 
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