Lucio and Cristina with their children Rebecca, Davide,and Mattia

Ministry Overview: Lucio is a graduate of The Masters Seminary and has returned to his homeland, Italy, to pastor a church in Perugia. Bible-teaching evangelical churches are rare in Italy, and the team that is formed around the Staniscis are well-placed to make a significant impact for the gospel in a country that needs it.

Where they live: Perugia, Italy

Prayer Requests: Please pray with the Staniscis that the World of God will spread rapidly through:

• The establishing of the church, Centro Evangelico Battista.
• Expository preaching, leadership development, and church planting.
• Radio ministry and TV ministry.
• Evangelism to university students.

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Dear praying friends,  

We are so grateful for your commitment to our ministry in Italy and for your generosity to us. Due to the economy, we are witnessing rather difficult times in Italy, especially for families. Even more, we have been saddened to hear news recently that several business owners have been taking their lives due to debts. In the midst of this we want to express our deep gratitude to you for your ongoing prayer and financial support, because they have helped sustain us and clear up a worrisome situation. Over the course of this ministry we have not only been able to cover the expenses of daily living but also have completely paid off the last bills we owed the contractor. In fact this last week we sent a final payment to the last worker. We thank you for meeting that need and praise the Lord for that!

There are developments to share about how the ministry is going since our last newsletter.  Let me ask for your prayers with the following news:

Ministry

Church
The Lord continues to build up the body of Christ at Centro Evangelico Battista (CEB). I continue to preach through Genesis and this month will be starting the account of Joseph and his brothers. Please pray that our faith in a good and sovereign God grows, as the church hears the truth of the Word preached. Please also pray for my preaching to become more effective - in view of the audiences who listen in person, by radio, and on TV. May the Lord continue to call people to salvation and spiritual growth!

Coming up soon on June 3rd, CEB is planning a baptism service. Baptisms are always a great opportunity to preach the Gospel to many unsaved parents and relatives. A group of about twelve people has finished attending the baptism classes, and we as pastors are evaluating the genuineness of their salvation.  

It's been a wonderful encouragement to see about twenty-five men attending the men's meetings. We are completing a first level of teaching that focuses on the heart and on attitude. Please pray for these men that the Lord would shape them to be men of God passionate for the Gospel. Please also pray for their well being; there are a number of them unemployed and looking for a job.  

Starting last month during Wednesday night prayer evenings, I have been including a ten-minute teaching on what I plan to be a variety of subjects, including prayer itself. It has been received well. We want to deepen our understanding of God and prayer in order to pray more effectively.  

Apart from these points of ministry to the whole body, I am also grateful for opportunities to teach one-on-one; please pray for Domenico whom I meet with and disciple regularly, also for an evangelistic Bible study I am doing with Giancarlo and his wife Simonetta, who is not a believer yet; she seems to be very close to receiving the Gospel.  

Cristina is doing a great job as well, discipling three ladies whom we see becoming more and more mature and involved in the Church.

Theological Academy and Focus Conferences
Just recently I was asked to become part of the Aurora Board along with Johnny Gravino who is presently Executive Director of Aurora Mission in Italy. The both of us are the first Italian members to join the board; the others are Joe Aleppo, Steven Kreloff, Carey Hardy, and Phil Johnson. It is a great privilege for me to be able to work with these men for the progress of the Gospel in Italy. Our current task is to plan for the next national Focus Conference, which should be held in Perugia this coming September. The date is not entirely settled, due to financial constraints Aurora has been experiencing. Nonetheless we consider this conference critical to promote sound doctrine, expositional preaching, and the Italian Theological Academy. Just consider, at the last conference approximately 50 churches were represented. We still see a great need for sound theological training in Italy, and we ask you to be in prayer for funding to come in and for the conference's reach to spread, so that more churches and students of the Word may attend and get involved with the training of the Academy.

Missionary Conference
At the end of June we will attend the GMI Missionary Conference organized by our sending church, Grace Community Church, CA. The Missionary Conference brings together all GMI missionaries from around the globe and will gather in Greece. We are so grateful for the concern that the GMI leadership have for our spiritual health. We look forward to ten days of spiritual and physical refreshment that we can enjoy with over one hundred fellow missionary colleagues and friends.

Youth Conference
Please pray also for the first youth conference in Sicily organized by the Theological Academy; I am scheduled to be one of the speakers, along with Cary Hardy and Johnny Gravino. We count on there being about 50 young people from all over Italy coming. Please pray that it would be a time of spiritual growth and Trasformazione -- the name of the conference. The theme of the conference is Being Transformed for the Glory of God! More information is available at the conference's web site www.trasformare.org.

 
Family  
As a family we are doing well. Settling our home repair debts has been a major weight lifted. Rebecca, Davide, and Mattia continue to do well at school and also at 'the school' of the Lord; Cristina and I are grateful for their spiritual growth and their sensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

There have been a few changes in our support level, due primarily to the economy as well as recent passings of some dear elderly supporters. We would like you to know that we are in need of monthly support. At this time our budget is short about $ 1,000 each month.  

So there are numerous requests for prayer throughout this letter, some for souls, some for situations, and some for events coming up. Please be in prayer for them all. Remember us regularly; the lives we encounter - and Italy as a whole - need the Gospel, and each of these situations can be moved by the power of God through your prayers. As you join us, we can only say "Thank you!", both to all of you who stand with us in prayer and to the Lord who called us to represent Him and His Word in Italy.  

 
May the Lord bless each of you!  

Lucio & Cristina Stanisci