A Variety of Ministries

Service to Others
"I am in your midst to serve." (Luke 22:27)

Jesus, identifying himself as a servant, took on this identity as a fundamental part of His ministry.
Servant-hood is not a consequence but an integral aspect of the Gospel, it is the translation of the Word into action.
Italian charity has a unique history, first within the Waldensian ghetto and then as a formidable evangelistic tool at the end of the 19th century.
From its inception the charitable work of the Waldensian Church, whether large or small, has been a transmission of the cultural and theological values of Protestantism. Various models of service were developed through experimentation and research based on the principles of reciprocity and the value of diversity.

The Waldensian Church today is composed of approximately 100 communities and as many social programs distributed throughout Italy, from Sicily to the Piedmont. The social work is active in three areas: culture (schools, training institutes, and publishing); hospitality (meeting centers, guest houses, and immigrant welcome centers); service (elderly, sick, and immigrants).
For a list of the centers see
http://www.diaconiavaldese.org/index.php?pagina=ach_intro_en&lingua=EN

The following site offers a complete list of the Methodist and Waldensian churches with their addresses and telephone numbers:
http://www.chiesavaldese.org/pages/contatti/dove_trovarci.php

Sites for special ministries of the Church:

Adelfia Youth Center, a “balcony” on the Mediterranean that organizes camps and study seminars revolving mainly around young people:
http://digilander.libero.it/chiesavaldesepalermo/adelfia.htm (Italian only);

Agape, international center for meetings and training, high in the Piedmont mountains: www.agapecentroecumenico.org

Casa Cares Meeting Center, in the hills of Tuscany, that organizes meetings and seminars but also accommodates groups with their own programs:
http://www.casacares.it/;

Claudiana Publishing House, specializing in the publication of books on Protestant history and theology: www.claudiana.it (Italian only site);
http://www.chiesavaldese.org/facolta/frame.htm (Italian only);

Ecumene Methodist Center, an ideal place for meetings and seminars, situated in the Latium hills, approximately an hour from Rome (for information write: Ecumene, Contrada Cigliolo - 00049 Velletri; tel. 06/9633310 - fax 06/9633947; email: ecumene@allnet.it;

La Noce Diaconal Center, of Palermo, carries out an important educational and social program in one of the most problematic cities in Italy: www.lanoce.org;

Riesi Christian Service, in Sicily, founded as a social service ministry by Pastor Tullio Vinay in the 1960’s that accommodates, among other things, a international resident community: http://www.serviziocristiano.net;

Waldensian Cultural Center Foundation, of Torre Pellice (an hour by car from Turin) which hosts an important library and historical museum. The Foundation also promotes important academic conventions at the local, national, and international level, as well as offering advice for the organization of tours and travel study seminars in the Waldensian Valleys: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/giorgio.baldazzi/Welcome.htm;

Waldensian Theological Seminary, in Rome, a state recognized academic institute that offers university level pastoral training and distance learning courses: http://www.chiesavaldese.org/facolta (Italian only).