Changing Gears: Making Disciples in a Changing Sicily
What does it look like to make disciples in a city where the people, cultures, and opportunities are constantly changing?In this episode of the Mission Sicily Podcast, Brian sits down with Joshua Holmes, who serves in Catania, Sicily, among migrant and refugee communities alongside the local church. Joshua shares how a nonprofit bike shop has become a natural meeting place for building relationships, meeting practical needs, and opening doors for gospel conversations.Catania is a crossroads for people from across Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East. Many migrants pass through on their way to other parts of Europe, creating a ministry context where opportunities can be brief and discipleship often happens one conversation at a time. Meanwhile, building trust with Sicilian neighbours requires a different pace, patience, and a long-term commitment to the community.Brian and Joshua explore how ministry must adapt to these different settings, why partnership with Italian believers matters, and how Joshua’s family has learned to live with open hands when the future is uncertain.The conversation also takes an unexpected turn onto two wheels: Joshua explains how the Sicily Divide cycling route has become a way to raise funds, equip disciple-makers, and invite others into the work taking place in Sicily.In this episode, you'll discover:How Catania's changing population is creating new opportunities for cross-cultural ministry.Why a bike shop can become a practical bridge to relationships and gospel conversations.How to approach discipleship when people may move on before a relationship has time to develop.Why building trust with Sicilian neighbors calls for patience and a long-term presence.How local churches and outside ministry teams can serve together without replacing one another.What it means to hold plans, timelines, and expectations with open hands.How a seven-day cycling journey across Sicily combines fundraising with discipleship training.Key Takeaways:Changing gears: Different relationships and ministry contexts require different rhythms. A brief encounter with someone passing through Catania may call for a direct spiritual conversation; relationships with Sicilian neighbours often develop over years.Story, story, God's story: Joshua describes listening to people's stories, sharing his own, and looking for natural ways to connect those stories with God's story.Open-hands ministry: Cross-cultural ministry requires holding plans and expectations loosely, trusting God to guide the next step even when the long-term picture remains unclear.Everyday tools, eternal purpose: The bike shop is a practical way to serve the community and build relationships. As Joshua explains, if it weren't bikes, it could be another tool for sharing the gospel.Prayer Points:Pray for unity and meaningful collaboration between local Italian believers and outside ministry workers.Pray for wisdom in discipling migrants whose time in Catania may be brief and whose lives can take them in different directions.Pray for patience, courage, and deeper relationships as Joshua and his family continue building trust with Sicilian neighbors.Pray that new believers will grow into disciple-makers and become connected to healthy, supportive communities of faith.Pray for the Sicily Divide cycling initiative, its participants, fundraising, and opportunities to equip more people to make disciples.Podcast Theme Music: "Dream Catcher" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License. For more about the work of Mission Sicily, visit missionsicily.com.If this conversation encourages you, share it with someone interested in missions, cross-cultural discipleship, or the future of the church in Italy.
