Chiesa Cristiana Evangelica Sola Grazia - The "first stone"has been placed!

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The "first stone"has been placed!

Deposta la “prima pietra”!

Saturday morning (01.07.2012), via Pietro Nenni, at the presence of about a hundred people, was held a public ceremony to lay the "first stone" of the building that will house the Chiesa Cristiana Evangelica Sola Grazia of Caltanissetta.

During the ceremony, was traced the history of the young Christian community (founded in 1998 and formally constituted in 2000) and were read several messages of congratulations and good wishes from Italian and foreign evangelical churches sisters.

Among the speakers there were Vincenzo Paci (Italian Evangelical Alliance), Pastor Francesco Stelluti (for the Reformed Evangelical Baptist Churches in Italy - CERBI), Pastor Samuele Scandurra of the Apostolic Church of Enna, Pastor Rafael Drieyer of the Waldensian Evangelical church of Caltanissetta, Pastor Johnny Gravino of the Biblical church of Messina and the Pastor Luigi Cutri. In various ways, was remembered by all who, according to evangelical theology, not the physical place, but the community of believers is "the temple where God dwells" and that Christ, the living Head of the church is also called by Scripture " stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious".

On behalf of the citizens there were present Dr. Salvatore Messana, town Mayor in office at the time when the church began the project, the provincial councilor for Solidarity and Social Policies and the councilor Gianluca Micciché, and Ricotta Adriana who expressed their commitment to a plurality respectful of minorities as a sign of a more mature democracy.

Particular touching - even for people not directly involved - were the moments in which the tenor Angelo Villari masterfully sang the Our Father of A. H. Malotte, and then the composition from the pastor and deacons of the church of the "stainless steel box", a box in which were placed: a copy of the Holy Bible, a copy of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, a copy of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (a Baptist version), a copy of the first book published by Alpha & Omega "Daily Bread", a copy 1996 Cambridge Declaration, and a CD with the Exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians made by the past. N. Ulfo, pastor of the church. The "box", after being sealed, was placed in the concrete by the past. Ulfo and other workers.

The meeting lasted about an hour, ended with the singing of a classic Protestant hymn: Amazing Grace, written by the Anglican pastor John Newton, former slave who converted to Protestantism, and inspired the abolitionist movement of the slave trade. The pastor Ulfo concluded by recalling that the Gospel that makes men free has always been spiritually inspiring of all true social equity and democratic progress.

The building of which the "first stone" has been placed - in the intent of the community - will be at the same time, a place of worship, a center of culture and space to serve the whole town of Caltanissetta. At the end of the ceremony one of the members of the church said: "The first stone is placed ... God help us to lay the last".