Following the tragic earthquake which claimed 294 lives in Central Italy last week, a coalition of evangelicals have united at a summit to offer support and relief.
Representatives of 40 national and global evangelical organisations have gathered "in a spirit of Christian fellowship and passion to act together"; the meeting was convened on the 29th August by the Italian Evangelical Alliance (AEI), the Federation of Pentecostal Churches in Italy (FCP) and Coevema, an evangelical relief agency.
The meeting, in Borbona, near Amatrice, discussed evangelical witness in the affected area and proposed solutions of how to help those in need, saying, "The participants agreed that it is not useful to act in randomly or in disjointed order, with the consequent marginalization of the interventions."
The assembly affirmed that, "It is rather convenient to coordinate the efforts in order to bring together into a single stream the various initiatives, to be more incisive in the aid and bringing the comforting Word of God and show the Way of salvation".
Their planned actions include "psychological support, training, support and outreach aimed at the children, as well as at the elderly people, in camps, schools and in the mid-term accommodation." There is also a long term plan to "gradually engage in development and reconstruction."
Lucio Toppi, a survivor of the earthquake, gave a moving testimony, after which Pastor Agostino Masdea expressed gratitude on behalf of the FCP, thanking the assembly for their united support. Matthew Swenson of the Samaritans offered their full financial support.
The meeting closed with a joint statement: 'The Borbona commitment', which reads:
We, servants of our Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, called by our Heavenly Father to perform various Christian services within the evangelical ministries and organizations that we represent, gathered together, today, at Borbona, Italy, in the area that has been terribly hit by the earthquake of August 24, 2016, being led by the Holy Spirit to commit ourselves in favor of the population of these valleys.
As Italian God's people we repent in front of the throne of the Most High as we realize we have not put significant efforts toward the expansion of His Kingdom in various areas of our Country, including this land that connects the Lazio and Marche regions. We are aware that sometimes we have not been as effective as we should have, due to the fact that we operated on our own, isolated from our brethren.
Nevertheless, today, being touched in our deepest inner heart by the need of help, rebirth and salvation of this land, in conformity with the biblical principles expressed in the Lausanne Covenant of 1974, we wish to commit ourselves, according to our own callings and possibilities, to contribute to the realization of the projects and actions that Coevema Onlus will put together and coordinate in this area for the population, to the glory of Christ.
As well as the lives lost, it is estimated that over 400 have been injured and at least 2,500 people have lost their homes. Last week the Federation of the Evangelical Churches in Italy launched a fundraising appeal to support those suffering.
The assembly hopes to sustain a profound, lasting impact: "When the media attention will decrease, and the emotional wave will fade, only a commitment before God will be able to produce perseverance in the action for the glory of God," it said.
