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Worship artists in Italy reach their community affected by COVID-19 with the Gospel

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt on an international scale, and Friday morning’s online Convocation connected Liberty University students with two Christian worship artists located in Italy who have sought to reach their local communities, especially those who have felt anxious about the virus, with the Gospel.

Senior Vice President for Spiritual Development David Nasser explained in the livestream’s introduction that Italy has seen the death of thousands and remains at the epicenter of the pandemic, but it has also seen the local Church step up in response. Davide Di Lecce and Antonella Cicerale have used their talents with music and the resources of their different churches across the country to humbly serve victims in Italy.

“We heard about the thousands of lives that were lost, and we even heard about stories of the Church thriving and ministering in the middle of all that was happening,” Nasser said. “They don’t have the notoriety of a Francis Chan or the following of someone like Louie Giglio, but God is using them in a great way in their local capacity.”

Located in the northern region of Lombardy, a hotbed for the virus, Cicerale attested to the waves of fear and uncertainty in her community, but she reminded Liberty students that even the times when the unknown creates anxiety, God is constant.

“It’s a very dramatic situation, and it’s been very hard for us because in terms of victims, losses, and long-term consequences for the economy,” Cicerale said. “Our daily lives have completely changed. Everything is uncertain here, and our only hope is that God is certain, his promises are certain, and he is the only one who will never change.”

Cicerale and her husband, Leo, have written original songs and translated American worship music as a way to reach those who might otherwise not be open to hearing the Gospel.

“We use music as a vessel for missions; we use music to preach the Gospel to people,” Cicerale said. “Even if you think it’s a Christian country because of the Catholic church, people are not very open to hearing about the Gospel. Our mission is to write songs and translate songs from America that are richly Christ-centered and with solid theology.”

Di Lecce, who is a part of Vive Church based in San Francisco with locations in Rome and Milan, has seen this time as an opportunity for his church and all Christians to find ways to reach people who need to hear the Gospel in this time of trial. His church’s idea to start a broadcast even before the pandemic arose has revealed itself as a blessing from God as it has reached more people than he ever expected.

Antonella Cicerale (left) and Davide Di Lecce talk about the effects of COVID-19 in Italy.

“Many people think that this is just a time for rest, but we think it’s a time to reset the church instead of only resting, so we are resetting and looking for new strategies to find people,” Di Lecce said. “We want to see people awakened by the reality of Jesus.”

Like many other countries, much of Italy has been under quarantine to protect those at risk and reduce the spread of the virus. Cicerale said this time of isolation has been difficult for the people of Italy, especially with the culture’s tendency for physical affection, and it has revealed just how much people value their loved ones and need God’s love.

“What we didn’t realize is that we’re going back to essentials and really thanking God for family and the relationships in families, and even if we are apart from each other, people are having a lot of questions about God,” Cicerale said. “In this situation, God is at work and we have a great opportunity to be a light in the darkness. We can talk about the family of God and how we can be close with each other, even if we are physically distant.”

In this time of hardship, Di Lecce emphasized the importance that we as Christians worship God and allow our faith to guide our outlook on the pandemic.

“It’s one thing to worship when everything goes well, but it’s another thing to worship in times like this,” he said. “We are learning to worship in any season, because God is the same in every season, and we want to have our convictions model our situations and not have our situations model our convictions.”

Cicerale’s household was affected when her husband lost his job just as the virus first began to affect Italy, and she said it has reminded them to lean in to God’s provision and seek His peace in the storm.

“We are dependent on God and what has helped us is that we have to preach the Gospel to ourselves every day and remember that … it’s not about getting out of the boat in a storm, it’s about getting Jesus in the boat with us and trusting Him.”

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