I grew up in a Christian home and accepted Christ as my personal savior at an early age. For many years I had opportunities to develop my faith and gift for teaching through leading small group Bible studies, working with Child Evangelism Fellowship and teaching Sunday school classes. I graduated from a Christian university with a BA in Child Development and a California teaching credential. I taught public school for 5 years and participated in summer mission programs to Romania.
Eventually I accepted a 3 year appointment with Greater Europe Mission to work in Sibiu, Romania. There I worked within an established church to develop a Christian kindergarten program and help build a youth ministry. I hosted youth in my home for pizza nights, game nights, and times of praise and worship. I led the youth on several short term mission outreach trips, giving them opportunities to share the gospel in areas beyond the immediate community.
Living in a European, post-communist country changed my perspective about living for Christ and the way that I should use the gifts and training that God had provided to me. It also opened my eyes to the great need and hunger for spiritual truth that currently exists in post-modern, western Europe. In the spring of 2006 I moved to Montefiascone, Italy and began my career assignment.
Youth Ministries
In Romania, a major focus of my ministry was building relationships with youth and helping with Bible study/discipleship groups. I have hosted youth in my home with pizza nights, game nights, and times of praise and worship. It was my desire to encourage the young people to serve God by reaching out in Sibiu and beyond. God provided me with five short-term mission trips with Romanian youth. The youth were able to see God provide funding, evangelism opportunities, transportation, safety, health, good weather, hospitality, and Christian unity! I have been encouraged to hear the youth report that they feel challenged to serve Him in dfferent ministry careers. Many Christian youth in Sibiu have an expanded vision for serving God to reach others for Christ. Through this ministry God showed me even more need in the area of youth ministry in Central Italy.
Why Italy?
This great and gifted nation has a long and rich spiritual history. Impressive churches fill the landscape and are often the architectural center piece of the city or town. Most Italians are Catholic in culture, but deeply cynical of the Church, which has lost over 10 million members. Nevertheless, Catholic traditions and mindset permeate every aspect of national and personal life. The Protestant witness, as a whole, is weak and divided. Only 1500 of Italy’s 33,500 communities have an established evangelical witness.
In 1958 Greater Europe Mission (GEM) held a tent crusade in Italy and soon after founded the Italian Bible Institute in Rome. The purpose of the institute is to teach the Bible to Italians that come to Christ. Graduates of the school serve in churches around Italy. GEM missionaries work at the institute and in churches in the vicinity of Rome.
Italians resist travelling far from home, so if we hope to reach the lost for Christ, we need to find ways to offer them a church within their community. Paul understood Jesus’ plan for reaching the world through church multiplication. In his ministry, Paul did not leave new believers isolated, but rather a trail of local churches.
My objective is to encourage Italians to embrace the gospel and then to serve God through evangelistic outreach in their region and beyond. It is my responsibility to find and develop teaching resources that will help the church to grow in spiritual understanding.
Hello, my name is Amy Williams. I live and work in Montefiascone, Italy, a rural community about a 2 hour drive north of Rome.
I continue to study the Italian language and work to develop programs within the local church. My goal is to reach Montefiascone’s young people with God’s Good News of Christ and to encourage growth among all evangelical believers in the area.
I invite you to explore this site and learn more about the work that God has called me to do. I thank you for your interest and humbly acknowledge that none of this would be possible without God’s provision through your prayers and support. For the most recent information about my ministry, please read my prayer letters, posted on this site.
