| Italian Methodists Elect New President, Focus Ministry on Immigrants | |||||||||||||||||
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New York, New York, October 22, 2009--The Methodist community of Italy now has its first woman president, who is assuming her duties at a time when the small church is seeking to increase it ministry among immigrants. Alessandra Trotta, 41, a deaconess who directs a social center and school for at-risk children in Palermo, was elected president of the "Opera per le Chiese Evangeliche Metodiste in Italia" at the end of the summer. In Italy, the Methodist Church is federated with the Waldensian Church, an older and larger Protestant denomination. There are some 5,000 Methodists and 45,000 Waldensians in what is known as the Waldensian/Methodist Church. Ms. Trotta was elected at the synod of the federated church. The Italian Methodist Church dates back to the 1860s, when missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church and the British Methodist Church went to Italy. The Methodist movement spread throughout the country and in 1962 became an independent Methodist Church. For decades it has been known for its diaconal work in orphanages and schools throughout the country. There are today 42 congregations. Together with the Waldensians, the Italian Methodists are attempting to respond creatively to a growing fear of immigration, xenophobic violence, anti-foreigner political movements, and new restrictive laws aimed at sending immigrants back to their home countries. There is some sentiment that the government is fostering policies that promote discrimination against foreigners. President is Native of Sicily Ms. Trotta, the new Methodist president, grew up in a Methodist family in Palermo, a city in Sicily. Her father was a prominent Italian Methodist lawyer and church leader. She was trained in jurisprudence and practiced law before pursuing a vocation in diaconal ministry. She was commissioned as a deaconess in the Waldensian/Italian Methodist Church in 2001. Since then she has served as the director of La Noce, a Waldensian/Methodist-run social center and school for at-risk children in the heart of Palermo. In addition, Ms. Trotta has served on several national church commissions, including the Church Discipline Committee, and as one of the youngest presidents of the annual sessions of Synod. She is active in a Palermo congregation made up of Italians and immigrants from Africa. Italian Methodists in 1975 entered into a union with the Waldensians, a Protestant denomination whose roots date back to the 12th century. The two churches share administration, pastoral appointments, and diaconal ministry. Focus on Immigrants For the past ten years, the Waldensian/Methodist mission priority has been to "Essere La Chiesa Insieme" ("Be the Church Together")--welcoming non-Italian persons into the churches, and helping them to integrate into the life of the church and society. A kind of "laboratorio di convivenza" (workshop of living together) has become something of a prophetic witness in Italy. The General Board of Global Ministries also has personnel in Italy who have ministry with multicultural communities, including immigrants. The Rev. Kristin and David Markay are missionary pastors in northern Italy. Their children, Hannah and Aidan, are with them. Their congregation in Milan is comprised of persons from some 18 nations, while another congregation in Novara is made up of Italians and East Africans. In both sites, many constituents deal with economic pressures and are turning to the church for both spiritual and physical assistance. Many Italian Methodists, whose ancestors and relatives once migrated to other lands, often cite God's words to the children of Israel: "You know the heart of an alien, for you were once aliens in the land of Egypt" (Exodus 23:9). Now, they say, "it is our turn to offer hospitality." In the Wesleyan tradition of personal and social holiness, the Italian Methodists are offering a spiritual home, as well as shelter, language instruction, legal assistance, job networking, and other kinds of material assistance to those who arrive on Italian soil. In the process they are discovering that, more than being merely the objects of charity, the strangers in their midst are bringing a richness to the existing congregations. God is doing a new thing in the Italian Methodist Church. United Methodist congregations, through Global Ministries, are helping their Italian Methodist sisters and brothers live out the gospel's call to welcome the stranger. In bringing greetings from Global Ministries at the recent synod meeting, the Rev. Üllas Tankler, a staff member, highlighted the commitment of the Italian Methodists to the migrants. "Your ministry with the migrants is a model for the Methodist family in the United States as well as in Europe," he said.
Date posted: Oct 22, 2009 |
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