On Sabbath, October 10, a Women’s Ministries (WM) gathering for churches in Southern Italy was held at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Naples. Pastor Rebecca Gaisie, the WM field coordinator, organized the event. Speakers included Pastor Abigaela Trofin, national WM coordinator; Costantin Dinca, Southern Field director; and Samuele Barletta, pastor of the Naples district. The event was attended by Adventist congregations from Avellino, Cellole, Naples, Naples Ukrainian, and Pompeii.
The day began with congregational singing and the moving testimony of L. Ponticiello, who rediscovered and experienced God’s intervention in her life following highly delicate surgery in the hospital.
Pastor Gaisie then led small-group discussions on engaging topics featuring women of the Bible. The groups’ discussions generated considerable interest as participants explored friendship, selfless love, individual commitment, and the awareness that we are called to represent the “salt” and “light” of the earth. Special musical selections then helped prepare the congregation for the message that followed during the second part of the morning.
Pastor Trofin introduced the central theme of the day: breaking free from the expectations of a world that demands constant performance and leaves no room for weakness. It is a world that continually subjects us to the judgment of others, the fear of failure, performance anxiety, and the feeling that we are never good enough.
Pastor Trofin encouraged everyone to find support in prayer and faith to overcome fear. Her reflection was profound and moving as she addressed the importance of overcoming conflicts with our parents, becoming men and women of faith and prayer, and confronting the various forms of abuse we inevitably experience or sometimes unknowingly inflict on others—verbal, physical, psychological, and even spiritual abuse. Our God is a God of love, not violence! She encouraged everyone to overcome the anxieties that weigh on our minds, especially in interpersonal conflicts and family life. Finally, she urged us to cast out fear and replace it with reverence for God!
The Sabbath concluded with the realization that sanctification means trusting God completely, both in facing life and in facing death, especially when the Lord’s will does not align with our own. It is a difficult but necessary journey, enabling Christians to overcome their frustrations and finally find refuge and protection in the arms and under the wings of our “Great God of Love.”