According to Operation Mobilization, evangelical Christians make up less than 1% of the population of Italy, reports MNN. Over 100,000 practicing magicians live in Italy, and Turin has one of the largest satanic churches in Europe. OM's response? Train up others to do short-term outreach across the country, and send Italians to serve in other parts of the world with OM. The team also developed a training and conference center in Bobbio Pellice to serve the Italian church. With that groundwork laid, they're now looking into unique ways to draw more people to the Gospel. The spiritual climate of Europe is hard, but sometimes it is the arts that can speak the truth to ears that would otherwise fail to listen. Enter: OM Arts International, a ministry of Operation Mobilization. OM Arts utilizes artists to share the message of hope through dance, music, theater, photography, visual arts, and many of the high art disciplines. They also provide opportunities to engage cultures on short-term missions trips and by facilitating artists into long-term roles throughout the nations. The program has grown enough to where they hope to launch an internship program by this time next year. The program will be at Forterocca, home of OM Italy's conference and training center. Leaders and potential team members met recently to discuss possible avenues for local arts outreach. "Our visit was mind-bending and spirit-stretching," reflects one leader. "We went in with one idea of what the training program would look like, and left with another!" Aside from the team building, the group also got to know the spiritual landscape and legacy they were working with. This same leader writes, "We visited the stone mountainside huts where the Waldensians trained their best men to take the Gospel across Europe...and stood at the foot of the cliff from where they were thrown for not renouncing their faith. We return to the States with much to do and consider, sobered by the example of the martyrs."
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