Piedimonte Etneo (Sicilia)

A strategic presence in the "heart of the Mediterranean"!

The Lord has put a desire in our hearts: to see every believer and church discipled and made fit for mission! The base in Sicily is a perfect tool for making this vision a reality, which is also the headquarter of GiM in Italy.

The Centre, found on the east coast of the island with a magnificent view of Etna on one side, and the Ionian Sea on the other side (with Taormina's beach), is truly a unique situation to take some time out and meditate on the Word of God.

Thanks to its position at the heart of the Mediterranean, Sicily easily facilitates the reaching of countries in North Africa.

The main aims of the base are:

• Bring in, build up and send out missionaries.

• To be a springboard for men and women who are eager to reach the muslim world which is just on our door step geographically-speaking, but a million miles away spiritually!

• Accommodate missionaries in need of encouragement and rest, so that they can return to their mission field refreshed be it spiritually, emotionally and physically.

We believe that these aims are part of the Great Commission that God gave us: "...go and make disciples in all nations...".

We are very much encouraged by the enthusiasm and openness shown by many churches here in Sicily. Throughout the years these churches have developed a loving, brotherly relationship with us.

Sicily

Sicily has a strategic position in the Mediterranean!
Being so close to North Africa, this offers us the unique opportunity to reach many people-groups not yet impacted by the Gospel... a field ready for harvest!

If one considers the history of the island, you will discover that in the course of three millenia a multi-cultural civilisation has developed due to the occupation of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Vikings and Spaniards among others... a myriad of many cultures now seen in the cuisine, art, traditions, dress and the personality of the inhabitants.

The surface-area of the island is around 10,000 km² and a 1,000 km of coast-line. There are approximately six million inhabitants, a third of which live in the metropolitan areas.

The vision

Our desire is to help people to come to a knowledge of the living God and to see them committed to His service. Therefore we are prepared to:

• work with churches to disciple new believers

• encourage the church to facilitate and send out missionaries

• guide the young people to share the Gospel boldly and effectively

• help those called into the mission field, offering them adequate preparation

• provide a time of rest for missionaries in need of it

• evangelise in Sicily, the rest of Italy, North Africa and wherever God sends us

The location

Our base is situated in a rural area amongst trees and vineyards in the village of Piedimonte Etneo (CT).
On one side we can see the Ionian Sea (about 8 km away), and on the other side we enjoy the magnificent view of Etna (3200 a.s.l), the largest volcano in Europe.  The base's property is approximately 500 a.s.l, not far from Taormina and a short 45 minute car-ride to Catania, Messina and the airport in Catania. The beach is only 20 minutes away by car and just 5 km away you can reach the toll-booth for the motorway in Fiumefreddo.

Opportunities

Our multilingual staff make short and long term mission opportunities possible, to cater for people from many parts of the world.

• Short-term activities:

  • Seeking God's guidance is one of the reasons why we want to bring together individuals and families in our base. Some are uncertain about their calling to the mission field or another field. Others come because they view YWAM as a missionary opportunity where they can serve and see how able they are to work in a community environment. Others come for a week, others for a month or more. It is a perfect way to take a first step without committing yourself to serving long-term.

  • Offering churches and other missionary organisations the possibility of making the most out of our base in order to introduce their members to a missionary environment where they get specific teaching on how to serve the Lord better.
     

• Volunteering

  • Church members often organise trips to come and give us a hand in various practical jobs. Women generally occupy themselves in the kitchen, men deal with the construction and maintenance work of the base, while the children can enjoy themselves outside. The Lord surely delights seeing us active in His service. Families are also of course welcome to come and help us out, investing their holidays in a rather different way.
     

• Teaching

  • DTS consists of three months of in-class teaching followed by two months of evangelism in Italy and/or in another country. For more detailed information on the school get in touch with us here at the base or click here!!
     

• Hosting missionaries

  • Work in the mission field can be particularly demanding and at times it's necessary to take time out to refresh oneself before carrying on. Through a time of relaxing and encouragement we wish to help missionaries to not "burn out" in the mission field! We put them up here on our base or we visit them in their field of mission to encourage them as much as we can.

Enos & Margherita Nolli
Gioventù in Missione
Via Sciarelli 1 (Fraz. S. Gerardo)
95017 Piedimonte Etneo (CT)

tel. 095 648136
e-mail: gim@gim-italia.com                                                                       web: www.gim-italia.com
CCP: 47530761