First, we have been very blessed for the past several weeks to have an extra set of hands around the house! Chelsea, a sweet 20 year old college student from Orlando, decided to take the semester off and serve our family full time. She is tremendous! Full of energy, servant hearted, and absolutely loves our children! She will be here until mid-December, after which she will return to her studies at the University of Florida.

Second, Justin recently enrolled in a theological studies program called the Porterbrook Institute. It is a part time, distance program in which he will receive a degree in church planting. It has a high emphasis on training pastors to lead their church on mission to whatever context God has put them in. I (Justin) just returned from England where I attended an initial 5 day intensive. It was a very encouraging time, and affirmed my desire to continue the training and complete the three year program.

With that said, things are about to get rolling with Salerno City Church as we begin to gather as a gospel community in our home and cast vision for the church! Please pray for us during this important season of ministry!

If you desire to stay informed with our ministry activity, you can easily fill out the form below and you will be added to the list. Be sure to stop by SalernoChurch.com to see what we will be doing.

The decision to plant a church has caused us to make some significant changes. Primarily, this means that we will no longer be working with Campus Crusade for Christ as our sending agency. We have had a wonderful 7 years of ministry with Campus Crusade that we are very thankful for, but we both felt very strongly that the Lord was calling us to pursue change. Planting a church needs to be our full focus, and we didn’t feel that remaining on staff would give us that freedom. We are thrilled, however, that Crusade will continue to send teams to work on the university campus in Salerno, and we are eager to partner together in our efforts.

So, the question is, what does this mean? Since we are leaving staff with Crusade, we needed to pursue a different sending option. And since we will be focusing on church planting, we thought it would be best to be sent through CrossPointe Church. From it’s inception, CrossPointe has had a history of recruiting, training, and sending church planters. In fact, they have sent over a dozen church planters in the past 8 years. This means that they are very well poised to provide exactly what we need. Administrative services, pastoral care and development, and ministry coaching and support.

This is particularly important for those of you who financially support us. We will be mailing out a paper newsletter with more details about this transition, and instructions on how you can continue supporting us by transferring your donations. So, be sure to check your mail next week! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask! Thank you for your continued partnership with us. Together, we are making an eternal impact!

With love in Christ,
Justin

Acts 29 Italy – Interview from Justin Valiquette on Vimeo.

I was recently interviewed by Ed Marcelle, who oversees the Northeast Region for Acts 29 in America. The purpose of the interview is to expose the Acts 29 Network, other churches, and individuals to our efforts in Salerno.

Many people won’t consider Europe to be a mission field, but the veneer of nominal religion is wearing thin as once-packed Cathedrals are turned into museums, restaurants, and even mosques. Only 4.2% of the population profess to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, as per the European Spiritual Estimate.

… These stats should get our attention, but of course there is hope. God is calling men and women from all over the world to plant their lives in Europe for the sake of the gospel. Unreached peoples are being engaged, the gospel is being proclaimed, lives are being transformed, and churches are being planted. Churches are learning to think and act like missionaries. (for full article, click here)

We’re going because of 3 reasons. First, there is a detrimental need. Second, God is at work. Third, He has called us. We believe God is beginning to transform Italy, and he is bringing us there to be a part of it. As old, unfruitful churches close their doors, our passion is to start new churches that will engage every aspect of society with the hope of the gospel. Pray for us!

- We found a great 3 bedroom townhouse 2 miles from the church I am working with.
- Justin has begin meeting with Pastor Chan, and they have both really enjoyed the time together. Chan has taken part in planting over a dozen churches in the past 7 years and has a lot to offer in regards to training.
- God has provided all the necessary vehicles for us during this season (including a scooter for Justin to hop back and forth to the church office).
- The kids are doing wonderful. They have really enjoyed this transition and love being a part of the children’s program here at CrossPointe.
- Justin just preached his first sermon on January 2nd. If you have 35 minutes to spare, you can listen to it here.

So, that’s the latest. We’ll continue to update you as things progress and we look towards our return to Italy. Please pray as we seek to finish the apprenticeship, raise the necessary funding and return to Italy this summer.

Previous Related Posts:
The Church in Italy, Part 1 (the average Italian)
The Church in Italy, Part 2 (evangelical church situation)
Why We Have Hope for Italy (God is at work)
Our Timeline (why we are staying in America for a season)

What’s Next:
Acts 29 Network
Crosspointe Church (where Chan is pastor)
Chan Kilgore (pastor and church planter)

Too often we say things with certainty, not knowing what God has in store for us. And then we are confronted with a verse like this:

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

As you know, we returned to America to have our fourth child a few months ago. Isabella is doing wonderful. Our plan has always been to return to Italy as soon as she was old enough to fly, which would have meant returning in the end of September, or early October. But, the Lord has other plans. Several circumstances have forced us to remain in America for a season.

First, due to our financial support. Upon returning home, we had incurred several large losses to our support team due to economic instability. Actually, over the past 12 months our overall support losses have been pretty drastic. As I began to add it all up, and combine that with our increased needs due to a larger family and living overseas, it became evident that we need to focus an extended time rebuilding our team of financial supporters.

Second, due to our team. When we returned to America, the plan was to return to Italy and work with another staff family, and be joined with a third staff family sometime in the early fall. All of this changed within a matter of 2 weeks. Our dear friends and co-workers Rodney and Amanda, with their son Grant, have decided to return to America full time. Also, our friends Justin and Gayle found out that they were pregnant with their second. The timing works out best for them to remain in America to have the baby, and move to Italy in the spring. Essentially, we would have no team this year if we had returned.

So, we see that God’s timing is perfect. We need an extended time to replenish our financial support, and he has given us an opportunity to do so. Are we saddened by this? Of course we are. We want nothing more than to be in Salerno, serving the city with the love of Christ. But, we are also fully aware that God cares more about that city than we do. And, his timing is perfect. We are planting seeds in that city that have eternal significance, so for us to put that on hold for 6 months is not going to destroy what God has done, or what He will continue to do when we return.

Thank you for joining with us in praying for Salerno. Would you also pray for this season as we seek to replenish our financial support? Also, pray for God to continue to raise up laborers to serve there with us. Finally, for those who have trusted Christ. Many of them are anxiously awaiting our return, and we are trying to keep in contact as best as we can in our absence. May we trust God together for His perfect timing!