In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, resulting in thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their country. Many of them took refuge in Pisa, Italy. At that time, the La Torre Church, which partners with OM, wanted to show the love of God by serving those seeking security in the city.
Some volunteers went to the immigration office and played with children while their parents waited in line. Church members also helped in other practical and personal ways.
OM worker Eunice says, “An initiative that we started then, and that continues today, is a free Italian course. It started four years ago for Ukrainian refugees. Now it is in its second year of being open to the community. Because Pisa has three universities, we have people from every continent who come to university to learn English, but they come to our classes to learn Italian.”
The course is taught by several church volunteers and is held once a week on Wednesdays for A1 and A2 levels — basic language skills needed to hold a simple conversation — and has proved tremendously popular. At the start of the 2025/26 academic year, 70 people contacted the church within 24 hours of the course announcement to reserve a place.
In October 2025, the church started an English conversation group.
The students are from many countries, with up to 18 different nationalities represented simultaneously in class. Pakistan and Ethiopia were the most represented countries in the 2024/25 academic year.
Eunice says, “Over the years, we have seen a couple of Ukrainian refugees come to follow Jesus and get baptised in church. Others who participated in the course became our dear friends, visited our church, studied the Bible and had faith conversations with us.”
Besides Ukrainians who came from across Europe, many refugees arrive in Italy by sea to reach the continent. OMer Christine says, “Many Italians are not so happy about it, because they feel threatened by the refugees physically, economically and socially.
“To reach out as a church to make refugees feel welcome, helping them learn the language and helping them find their way in society is a very practical way to show Christ's love — and also a way to build relationships to be able to share the gospel with them.”
Pray that God may continue to use the church to serve the community through teaching new languages and practically demonstrating the love of Christ.
Pray that those who participate in the courses from all over the world and from different faith backgrounds may know Jesus and follow Him.
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