In the heat of the summer of 2013, Jane and I, and our four kids (Sofia, Inez, Luisa, and Archie), moved from leafy Sevenoaks to noisy, crowded Naples, Italy, to work alongside a Brethren church we’d built links with previously.

We spent two years serving in Pozzuoli, then moved into the centre of the city to plant the Chiesa Evangelica Neapolis (the Greek name for the city, meaning “new community”). In March 2026, we intend to leave Naples, having been called to serve Chalmers Church, Edinburgh.

Here are just a few of the things the Lord has taught us:

  1. The more you give the more you receive. Thirteen years ago all I could see were the sacrifices we were being called to make – in education, health, security, culture etc. Now, as I look back, all I can see is all that we’ve been given. Verses 29-30 of Mark 10 have become our family verses – we really have received 100-fold.
  2. God builds his church – and small is beautiful. In the beginning, we had three adults (Jane, an Irish student, and me) and our four children! I found Jonathan’s faith and courage in 1 Samuel 14v6 such an encouragement. A team of mature, godly Christians would have been ideal, but “nothing could hinder the Lord from saving whether by many or by few.”

    We had clear ideas about who we wanted to reach, and then we saw who the Lord called to faith and to the church. He chose each member of the body as he saw fit and in his perfect timing (1 Corinthians 12v18). There are now 40 or so adults and kids on Sundays!

  3. Cross-cultural ministry is hard graft. Anyone ministering in a context in which they didn’t grow up is engaged in cross-cultural ministry. We came to Italy because we knew the language already, but in a sense, the language was the easy bit. Each culture has a whole host of rules and regulations that you don’t appreciate until you break them. It can be exhausting work!
  4. Italian gospel workers are the real heroes. Twenty-two years ago, when I left my secular job to become an apprentice in a church in central London, I was one of a number walking a relatively well-trodden path into full-time gospel ministry: apprenticeship, theological college, curacy/assistant pastorship and church leadership. In Italy there is no such pipeline. The Italian men who leave secular jobs and leap into gospel work are the real heroes. They are unrecognised by the state, often unsupported by their churches or ministries. There are very few guarantees for them and their families and yet they are serving and sacrificing for the sake of the gospel. What a privilege it has been to get to know them.
  5. There is a huge need, especially in Southern Italy.
    The numbers as of summer 2025:
    Crosslinks mission partners in Italy: seven North / two South;
    International Mission Board mission partners in Italy: 15 North / three South;
    Agape mission partners in Italy: 30 North / two South;
    Acts 29 churches: 17 North / four South;
    UCBC (an evangelical church network) churches: 45 North / 14 South.Naples is the third largest city in Italy. It has some of the most densely populated areas in Europe. I’d love to say that it is filled with gospel-hearted churches committed to expository preaching, but it is not. If you are thinking Italy, think and pray long and hard about the South.
  6. There is nothing more fun than driving in Naples!

This piece was originally published by Christian UK-news outlet Evangelicals Now, www.e-n.org.uk, and has been republished here with permission.