Italy Bible Weekend 2024
The 3rd annual Italian Bible weekend was held October 4-6, 2024 in the small but lively city of Bologna, Italy. Perhaps the city is best known for being the birthplace of Bolognese sauce—a treat not to be missed!
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There are three sisters who live in Italy, and currently, there are no brothers. Our sisters are spread throughout the northern Italian cities of Cremona, Torino, and Bergamo. Since there are so few Christadelphians in Italy, the annual Bible Weekend is a critical opportunity for our sisters to connect with others and to be encouraged. In addition to the annual Bible Weekend, there is a monthly Zoom event. Every quarter, it is held as an online memorial service, and in the remaining months, we hold a Bible readings and discussion session.
Bro. Volker Imhoff of the Esslingen, Germany Ecclesia, presented the classes for this year’s Bible Weekend. They focused on the Biblical theme of the Promises. He led us from the first promises made to Adam and Eve to the promises made to Abraham and David. On Sunday, the classes culminated with the hope of our promise in Christ.
This was our biggest weekend yet! Twenty-six participants, including three children, attended, and members came from five different countries.
On Friday, we incorporated an evening class instead of the readings, which worked well. It allowed initial conversations on the theme to be kicked off over dinner on Friday evening, some of which continued late into the night.
On Saturday, there were two morning sessions, lunch, followed by a session on the readings. During the class sessions, the children joined some of the sisters for Sunday School activities corresponding with the weekend’s theme of God’s Promises. A little bit of free time in the afternoon allowed attendees to explore the city as they pleased, taking in the various sights, sounds, and tastes of Bologna. We enjoyed a simple but delicious meal in the evening at a trattoria close to our hotel.
Sunday morning, we concluded our weekend together with a final session, shared the memorial emblems, and enjoyed one final meal together before everyone headed their separate ways. Participants, especially our Italian sisters, expressed joy at being a part of a larger group this year and feeling surrounded by a sense of community. This is something desperately lacking for believers in Italy. It was sad to depart, but wonderful to conclude the weekend with positive feedback from all who joined.
Visits to our sisters in Italy are greatly appreciated! If you are planning to be in Italy, we are happy to help coordinate visit our sisters with you.
We are also planning a 2025 Bible Weekend. At present, our plans are as follows:
Date: October 3-5, 2025
Location: Santa Barbara Hotel, Milan, Italy
Speaker: Bro Jeremy Morgan, UK
Topic: Philippians
If you would like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: italy@cbm.org.uk. We would love to hear from you and appreciate your support with the weekend.
In summary, 2024 was a very refreshing weekend together around God’s word. Should our Lord remain away, we look forward to doing it again next year.
Michael Davey,
CBM Link Person for Italy