Heritage Column for July 21, 2005
By Fred Anderson
ROVIGO, Italy – Our three weeks in Italy have left us with many impressions. Our ears are still ringing with the constant traffic noise of Naples, the sounds of Italians rapidly uttering completely unintelligible phrases, the peals of church bells on the hour, the motor scooters with their fierce whines, the trains rapidly pulling away from the station. Our eyes are full of scenes of great palm trees, sidewalk cafes and ancient ruins. Our stomachs are full of pizza and pasta. Our hearts contain the lives of those with whom we interacted. Yet what we know about Italy and even the Italian Baptists could fill a thimble.
We did find a warm and responsive people who welcomed the Americanos and suffered our lack of Italian. New friends find other ways to communicate. We found small and struggling congregations which were an interesting mix of native Italians and “come heres” (as they say in the Northern Neck) from many other nationalities. We found people astonished to learn that the Baptist General Association of Virginia is comprised of some 1,400 churches with about 600,000 members. In a land where Baptists are few in number, gathered into small churches and scattered across the country, they were amazed to know that Baptists elsewhere are so numerous.
We found a people hungry to learn more about their own heritage. When I spoke near Naples and in Florence on George Boardman Taylor and the early connection between Virginia Baptists and Italy, I noticed several persons taking copious notes. Franco Scaramuccia is a former president of the Italian Baptist Union and the unofficial historian of his people and he shared: “We Baptists in Italy have no memories of our past time. It seems we are ashamed of our past or are afraid to be proud of our memories; but I think it is not to be proud but to be thankful to the Lord for what he has done through those persons [who went before us]. Before me [and a few others] no one was studying our history.” In 1998 he wrote “the first book by an Italian Baptist pastor speaking about our Baptist heritage.”
There are several ideas emerging from the visit to Italy including the hope of hosting Franco's visit to Virginia where he can study in the archives of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the International Mission Board, SBC, and learn more about the early roots of Italian Baptist history. We would like to arrange opportunities for him to speak before Virginia Baptists. The Heritage Center could publish a book on the Virginia-Italy relationship and print the volume in English and Italian. The Center's magazine for children, Heritage Seekers, may feature the Italian Baptist story and we could find writers among the Italians. And there are other ideas.
When I explained the missions partnership in Florence, I emphasized that a partnership implies two equal parties engaged in some mutual enterprise. Members of the small congregation seemed puzzled as to what they possibly could contribute to such a large and seemingly prosperous denominational entity in faraway Virginia. I think there are several things which we could learn from each other.
I believe that small churches in Virginia (and there are more of them than there are large churches) can learn from the spirit of the small Italian churches which are large in spirit and effectiveness. I visited the Rovigo church and discovered that they operate their own radio station yet they only have about 100 members. Lidia Giorgi has been pastor of the church for 15 years. She is the wife of Carmine Bianchi, secretary of evangelism department for the Union, and their church is an interesting mix of Italians and Nigerians. They offer language translation for the worship services.
I believe that our ministers and laypersons can be inspired by the spirit of servanthood found among the Italian pastors where the average monthly salary is about 500 to 600 Euros or about $700 or $800 which is paid by the Union. The pastors are quick to tell you that they are in a different economic circumstance than most Italians. The Union also rotates the pastors who can serve about 5 or 10 or no more than 15 years in one church. Certainly such practices are not for Virginia Baptists yet we can benefit from sensing the devotion and dedication of the Italian Baptist ministers. Italian Baptists could teach Virginia Baptists how to do more with fewer resources.
Virginia Baptists could teach Italians about stewardship (a subject which we are in danger of ignoring) and church growth. One Italian kept asking, “How do you grow such large churches?” Virginia Baptists could help Italian Baptist youth who visit this summer to enlarge their vision of the Baptist community. Imagine their shock over Eagle Eyrie as well as Baptist schools and colleges. Already Virginia Baptists have provided a scholarship for a promising theology student who will come from Genoa to BTSR.
Virginia Baptists could learn more from the Italians about diversity and reaching out to ethnic groups. Italian Baptists have an easy acceptance of women in places of leadership; and while Virginia Baptists are among the more accepting of women, we still have few women in ministerial positions. Italian Baptists also have an ecumenical and cooperative work with other evangelical groups including the Waldensians and Methodists with whom they share a newspaper. Virginia Baptists could do more cooperative work with other faith groups.
Virginia Baptists long have valued the principle of separation of church and state yet the trends in our society have made in-roads into the thinking of our people on the subject. We could learn to re-appreciate the principle from the Italian Baptist perspective where they are a definite minority in a majority culture. It has been a long time, beyond anyone's memory, when Virginia Baptists were a despised and persecuted minority. But we once were. In Italy there is an elaborate palace-like Catholic church on every corner; and when I told Franco that in Virginia there is an evangelical church on every corner, he replied with a single word: “Hallelujah!”
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies.