When Jesus saw the multitudes He was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. He saw the multitudes not merely as men and women going about their lawful calling; He saw them as souls destined to eternity, whose greatest need was not that of bread and of water, but of the Word of God which was able to make them wise unto salvation. If we lived in a deeper sense of the needs of our own souls and the souls of our fellows we would all the more fervently engage in the prayer Christ taught His disciples on that occasion. He taught them saying “The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
Since my last report of our work in Italy in the pages of this magazine, October 1968, I have visited Fornaci di Barga twice. In July last year, and again last April, I went to Italy as Church Deputy. The work in which I engaged on both of these visits followed a similar pattern to that of my first visit, apart from one or two new items to which I shall refer in this report. The numbers attending our services are small, and it is extremely difficult to effectively persuade others to come. To devout practising Roman Catholics the Protestant Church at large does not present an attractive front. These factors, coupled with local difficulties, have kept our numbers low. However, there are sufficient to plead the promise Jesus gave when He said, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
During my time in Italy I held two services every Sabbath, one on a Wednesday evening, and on other evenings whenever arranged. As formerly, discussions on the subject of the sermon accompanied each service. During my visit in April we read through the Heidelberg Catechism, and I tried to answer questions raised from it. The copies of the Catechism in Italian, with full Scripture-proof, were generously provided by the Spanish Evangelical Mission, Holland, who had previously supplied very attractive wall-texts. This interest shown by the Spanish Evangelical Mission in our work in Italy is stimulating, and ought to arouse in our people at home increasing interest in spreading the Gospel among those deprived of the Truth as it is in Jesus. The other new item to which I may refer is the possible distribution of Bibles and sound Christian literature. During my visit in April I attempted the distribution of a few Bibles, wall-texts and booklets, and I found that this can be an effective way of bringing the Gospel to the people. The wall-texts were from Holland; the booklets were portions of Scripture in ‘booklet form’ by the Trinitarian Bible Society, and the Bibles were purchased likewise from the Trinitarian Bible Society with a contribution kindly given by a young friend in Inverness. To any who may feel disposed toward helping the cause in Italy this might be a fruitful way of doing so. On the ‘fly-leaf’ of the Bibles and booklets I wrote a brief reference to the way of salvation, citing texts, and also gave my name and address offering more information should it be requested. At some houses the people were reluctant at first to accept, and then appeared amazed and perhaps, even suspicious, when it was impressed upon them that there was nothing to pay! However, I met with no absolute refusal, except from one elderly man who would not accept a small booklet.
The few to whom I was ministering in Fornaci di Barga are meeting with opposition, mostly from relatives. They are in difficult circumstances and need constant instruction and encouragement, and a regular ministry. They are ‘as sheep having no shepherd’, and it should be the prayer of the church at home, and abroad, that the Lord in His grace and mercy would give these people a pastor, not only to feed them with knowledge, but also to try to reach the thousands under the darkness of idolatry and superstition. Remember Fornaci di Barga in your petitions at the Throne of Grace. “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He will send forth labourers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9, v. 36-38).