‟Relationships have opened countless doors for conversations about faith and have allowed us to answer questions about what the Bible actually teaches.”
Italy — Richard Allen
Our Story
Our journey to Italy began years before we ever imagined living here. While we were in college, we first heard about an opportunity to teach English in Italy as a way to build relationships and share the gospel. At the time, however, we weren’t interested or able.
After getting married and about five years after graduating, Richard was looking at a satellite map of the world that showed the lights visible at night. As he studied Europe, he noticed that Italy appeared surprisingly dark. That simple observation led him to think about Italy not just physically, but spiritually. He began wondering if there were still opportunities to help teach English there and use it as a way to share the light of Christ with people who might never otherwise hear the gospel.
That curiosity led him to seek out the Avanti Italia program.
Richard and Caleigh first came to Italy in 2016 through the Avanti Italia program, where they spent two years in Rome serving alongside the Italian Christians, learning the language, and reaching out to the community. We returned to the United States in January of 2019.
After moving to Texas we started our family, had two amazing boys, and I spent several years serving as a youth minister. Even while we were home, Italy never left our hearts, but we never intended to move back.
In 2024, we were asked to consider moving to Padova to help grow the church there. There were only 4 resident Christians meeting in building at the time plus a few students from the local university, and the Italians were having a hard time paying the bills to keep the building open. So, they thought of an idea to use the building as a student center during the week, where people could pay to become a member and have a place to study and join community events. My wife and I were asked to move to Padova to help realize this idea, to open and manage the student center, and therefore create more opportunities for spiritual outreach and growing the church. Long story short, we spent about a year transitioning our lives and fundraising. We then moved to Padova on July 17, 2025.
"Every year students from across Italy and around the world come to Padova, creating a unique opportunity to build relationships with people... during one of the most formative seasons of their lives."
~ Richard Allen
Our Field
Italy is known for its history, art, architecture, and food. Yet beneath its beauty is a significant spiritual need. While many Italians identify culturally with religion, relatively few have read the Bible for themselves and learned the truth about Jesus. Most people we meet say they either believe in God, but not in the Catholic church, or they don’t believe in God at all. Very few are actually practicing Catholics.
We serve in Padova, a historic university city in northern Italy with around 300,000 residents and more than 70,000 university students. Every year students from across Italy and around the world come to Padova, creating a unique opportunity to build relationships with people from all over the world during one of the most formative seasons of their lives.
Italian culture highly values relationships. Trust is built slowly, and spiritual conversations often grow out of genuine friendships rather than formal events. Because of this, much of our ministry happens over coffee, shared meals, English conversations, community events, and simply opening our home to others.
A large part of our outreach comes through the La Via Student Center. Along with the Italian Christians in nearby Vicenza, over the last few years, and since we arrived, we have renovated the church building to be also used as a place where students can study, practice English, attend events, and connect with Christians in a relaxed and welcoming environment. These everyday interactions naturally lead to Bible studies, discipleship, and opportunities to introduce people to Christ.
Our Impact
‟But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Rather than building a ministry centered around ourselves, our desire is to grow and strengthen the local church so that Italian Christians are equipped to lead and continue relationships that naturally help people to know Christ. Over the past year, God has allowed us to see that vision begin to take shape.
Each week I am involved in preaching, teaching Bible classes, and mentoring young Christians. Throughout the week I have conversations in English with residents and students about meaningful life topics: religion, politics, family, and more. We regularly welcome people into our home for meals, fellowship, and spiritual discussions, and invest in relationships throughout our community. A few who first visited simply to practice English or to study now participate in Bible discussions, worship services, and church activities. Several university students have even told us that it had been years since they had attended a church service before beginning to worship with us.
We have seen La Via Student Center become a bridge between the church and the community. What was once simply a vision is now a welcoming place where students study, practice English and Italian, attend lectures and community events, and build genuine friendships with Christians. These relationships have opened countless doors for conversations about faith and have allowed us to answer questions about what the Bible actually teaches.
One Italian couple, who previously worshipped in Padova, but had been absent for quite some time, began attending regularly again and have become an encouragement to the congregation.
We have also been watching God work through our every day conversations with the locals. We see walls of fear and misunderstanding about Christianity slowly begin to come down as people discover what the Bible actually says for themselves. A conversation over coffee becomes a Bible study. A student returns week after week. A family visits worship for the first time. Someone opens the Bible for the first time and begins asking sincere questions about Jesus.
Many of the greatest victories cannot yet be measured by numbers, but we see God laying a strong foundation. Lives are being touched, relationships are growing deeper, and we believe these faithful investments today will bear fruit for many years to come.
Our Challenges
Ministry in Italy requires patience.
Many people have little biblical knowledge despite growing up around religious traditions. They sometimes assume they already know what Christianity teaches, yet have never personally read the Bible or explored the teachings of Jesus for themselves. One of our greatest challenges is helping people become willing to open God’s Word with fresh eyes.
Meaningful relationships also take time to develop. Some spiritual conversations begin quickly, while others grow only after months of genuine friendship, shared meals, and countless conversations. Because trust is so important in Italian culture, long-term presence is essential.
Another challenge is the small size of the local church. With relatively few Christians available to share the work, leadership development, discipleship, and encouraging existing believers are just as important as reaching new people.
Our ministry also includes overseeing La Via Student Center, which creates incredible opportunities for outreach but also requires significant time and coordination each week. Balancing the daily responsibilities of the student center with evangelism throughout the city is both a challenge and a blessing.
These challenges require patience, but they also make every new relationship, every Bible study, and every returning visitor especially meaningful.
Pray For Our Missionaries
- Strength and boldness
- Spiritual growth
Share Our Mission
- Spread the word
- Engage our Social Media
Join the Mission
- Support ongoing projects
- Help those who need the Gospel
Your Support Will Provide:
Your partnership makes this ministry possible.
Financial support allows us to live in Italy full-time and devote ourselves to strengthening the church in Padova through evangelism, discipleship, and community outreach. It enables us to oversee La Via Student Center, creating a welcoming place where students and local residents can study, practice English, build friendships, and naturally encounter Christians.
Your generosity also allows us to invest time where it matters most—sharing meals, opening our home, mentoring young Christians, teaching Bible classes, and building long-term relationships that often lead to meaningful spiritual conversations. It also helps us share in the financial burden of supporting the local church and establishing La Via while it continues to grow.
More than anything, your support allows us to simply be present. Together, we are planting seeds that we trust God will continue to grow for generations.
Join the Mission
Your prayers and support help bring the Gospel throughout Austria.
Our Prayer Requests
- That more people in Padova would be willing to open the Bible for themselves and discover the truth of God's Word.
- That the relationships being built through La Via Student Center, English conversations, and hospitality would lead many people to Christ.
- That God would continue raising up faithful Italian Christians to lead, teach, and strengthen the church for future generations.
- Wisdom, discernment, and endurance as we balance church ministry, outreach, and the daily operation of La Via.
- That God would continue opening doors with university students, families, and others throughout our community.
