“He showed us our future glorification that still awaits. He showed us the justification that we already have. And he exhorted us to live in the present putting ‘Christ in you’ on display for the world to see.” These are the words of an individual who attended a recent TMAI conference in Italy. But the impact of the conference has arguably been years in the making…
The story begins in 2002, when Dr. Bill Shannon of Grace Community Church met a young Italian man, Johnny Gravino. Johnny wanted to know more about theology—and specifically, how he could receive theological training. Dr. Shannon described to Johnny what training was like at The Master’s Seminary and encouraged him to continue praying for the Lord to open the door for him to attend.
Johnny was able to attend the seminary, serve under Dr. Shannon and others at Grace Community Church, and earn his degree from The Master’s Seminary. Johnny describes Dr. Shannon as “a faithful mentor who has been an ever-present example in my life of what it means to shepherd the flock.” Johnny then returned to his native Italy, eager to pass on the training he had received, as well as begin training other church leaders in Italy. Now, he leads Italian Theological Academy (ITA), The Master’s Academy International’s member school in Italy, and oversees the training of church leaders across the nation.
Although they minister 6,600 miles apart from each other, recently, in an effort to provide the best possible training to his students, Johnny invited Dr. Shannon to Italy to speak at The Shepherd the Flock Conference held by ITA. The theme of the conference was sanctification, and Johnny wanted his students to see how a pastor specializing in biblical counseling could help the congregation understand and apply the biblical truths they hear from the pulpit. Dr. Shannon describes his visit this way:
“It was such a rich time to be with these brothers. But for me, the icing on the cake was spending time with these young men eager to go into ministry. These men had all kinds of questions about ministry as well as related topics to the things that were being taught from the word of God. They had an enthusiasm to learn how to handle difficult situations and the everyday troubles folks face in this life.”
“It was such a rich time to be with these brothers. But for me, the icing on the cake was spending time with these young men eager to go into ministry. These men had all kinds of questions about ministry as well as related topics to the things that were being taught from the word of God. They had an enthusiasm to learn how to handle difficult situations and the everyday troubles folks face in this life.”
The enthusiasm of one man was evidenced by the fact that he drove himself and his wife “the length of the boot” from Northern Italy to Messina (on the Island of Sicily) to attend the conference. One student, Michele, described his experience at the conference, saying:
“The conference was very interesting. I was struck by pastor Bill Shannon’s ability to draw out of 1 Peter 1 the beauty of our salvation. He showed us our future glorification that still awaits. He showed us the justification that we already have. And he exhorted us to live in the present putting “Christ in you” on display for the world to see. Added to this were many illustrations from pastor Shannon’s personal walk with the Lord and from his numerous years of counseling others in Christ. If I could summarize the experience I would say: living holy in the present with the joy of belonging to Christ.”
Dr. Shannon was also blessed to teach an evening Bible Study at the church of one of the students, discussing the topic of marriage. “What a blessing to see both younger and older couples at the study, enthusiastic to be reminded of biblical truths to help the husband-wife relationship.” In concluding his visit, Dr. Shannon said, “There is a growing desire among Italians to know the truth and the men of The Master’s Academy International are filling that desire.”
What started with a conversation between Johnny and Dr. Shannon more than a decade and a half ago has grown into a fruitful ministry relationship, impacting church leaders like Michele and many more in the local church to live out their faith boldly for Christ.
Your support helps strengthen the ministry of men like Johnny and the faculty of Italian Theological Academy, but it ultimately helps to change the lives of thousands of students and church members through the teaching of God’s truth. By praying and giving financially to TMAI, you enable the Word to go forth to reach the nations.
