Testimony with Full History

Giovanni Lenti – Dantes Divine Comedy from Mid 1800’s. Pracilla Lenti – her bible from 1888

I will have to take you the past in order to tell you how the gospel came to our family.  The gospel first came to our family through a man named Giovanni Lenti.  He was saved in England in 1835.  He had been an opera singer, he was touring the English country side, singing in different halls, one night a man that was a stage hand, a curtain puller, handed a gospel tract to Giovanni as he was leaving the stage, that peaked John’s interest, Giovanni is John in Italian, and eventually Giovanni was saved in 1835.  He quit opera singing after he was saved, I don’t know the life style of an opera singer in the early 1800’s but it doesn’t sound like it was the life for a Christian. 

He met a man by the name of Tiodorro Rosetti who introduced him to an assembly.  Giovanni was baptized and eventually received into fellowship in a local assembly in England.  After Italy became liberated from the Papal church, in the 1850’s, Giovanni returned to Italy to his family home, in Spinetta.  Giovanni and others began to preach the gospel, the gospel prospered, souls were saved, an assembly was planted shortly after, and the assembly in Spinetta continues to this day, I have cousins and relatives in the Spinetta assembly in Italy. 

Giovanni had daughters, one of his daughters Pracilla Lenti, I have Pracilla Lentis Bible from the mid 1800’s, married a man named John Cavallero.  They had 7 children.  The oldest of the children was Carlo, Carlo Cavallero was my great Grandfather on my Grandmother Vizzini’s side. 

Carlo was saved as a boy.  Time went on and things got tough in Italy financially.  He had to go earn a living in the new world.  He had an English Sunday school teacher, Mary Madicott, Mrs. Madicott told him of the assembly work in Argentina.  She knew there had been a thriving assembly work in Argentina and suggested he move, which he did. He was either going to move to Argentina or the east coast of the United States where his cousin relocated.  Interestingly when Gene Higgins told his testimony he said his grandfather decided to move either to Argentina or The East Cost of the United States around the same time.

Carlo got to Argentina and took a job on the plains as a cowboy, where he said everyone lived by the knife and the gun.  He decided this was not the life for a Christian.  He earned enough money and took a boat, he took a passage to Syngal, to Vicar on the west coast of Africa.  Then from Vicar, he sailed back to Genoa Italy, where he moved home. 

He still had enough money left over for another trip, and he came to the United States where he settled in Harvill Massachusetts.  The reason he went to Havrill was because of his cousin, Ariel Belondi, was a Baptist preacher and he was preaching among the Italian immigrants, but he was bringing them to Baptist church.  Carlo was in the Baptist church from 1908-the 1930’s. 

One day a preacher came to his door named Rocco Copello, Rocco was a great personal worker, and went around New England from house to house handing out tracts.

Rocco Cappiello was unique. He was a fearless soul-winner. But he was not a platform man, never “mastered” the English language, and often employed tactics that were somewhat unusual. For example, once when passing a fire station, he walked in and shouted, “Fire! Fire!” One of the firemen worriedly asked him, “Where?” Rocco answered, “In Hell if-a you no get saved!”

Anne Siracusa is in fellowship in the Methuen, MA, assembly. Anne was just a child when Rocco became a frequent visitor to their home. He used to bring a bag of grapes with him when he came. Anne was 2 years old, and Rocco brought the grapes to give to her. Anne said, “This was to keep me quiet while he and my mother talked about salvation.” Anne added, “Imagine giving a 2-yr-old a bag of grapes!” I am not sure whether they were seedless or whether Rocco even worried about that. Her mother was saved through Rocco’s persistent efforts.

He carried a Bible Bag with the large letters ‘Prepare to Meet Thy God.’

When Rocco spoke with Carlo at his door Carlo said , well I’m saved.  Rocco asked him where he fellowshipped, and Rocco directed him to a gospel hall on Center Street in Methuen Massachusetts. 

Undenounced to Carlo all the years he was in the Baptist church in Lawrence, there was an assembly, just like he was a part of in Spinetta, in Methuen Massachusetts.  The next Sunday Carlo and his wife Bonita, and 3 children Emma, Gina, and John Cavallero, sat back at the assembly on Center Street in Methuen Massachusetts. 

Carlo and Bonita were eventually received into fellowship at center street and their children (on of which was my grandmother Emma Cavalero) started to attend the Sunday School and gospel meetings. 

In 1935, there were tent meeting on the east side of Methuen.  Rocco Copello and Ceasar Petrezzio came to preach the gospel.  They saw a number of souls saved, Mr. Grillo was saved at that time and a number in the Grillo family, Mrs. Simone was saved, The Larossas were saved, the Pumas were saved, the Phillies were saved.

In 1937, they began to break bread in a rented store, on Merrimack Street, eventually they built the hall in 1942 across the street, at the corner of James and Merrimack.  The building they rented is still there today, I looked on Google Maps and it is a barber shop.  The hall is there until this day, that is the Methuen gospel hall familiar to some here.  If you ever visit the Methuen assembly and look across the street, to the left was my great grandfather Carlos house and to the right was his daughters house Gina Netti who was marries to Anthony Netti who some of you would remember.  Anthony and Gina lived in that house until 1998.  My cousin lives in that house today, who used to attend the Sunday School but is still unsaved to this day.      

When you go to the Vizzini side of the family, my great grandfather and great grandmother, they were also saved in the 1930’s through Rocco Copello.

My great grandfather on the Vizzini side grew up in a town of Pocino in the south east of Italy, he was a rascal as a boy, in the spring of every year, they had a parade, it was the parade of the Madonna, the Madonna was a statue, the statue would go through the city, as the statue was going through the city,  the catholic church would collect money from the people. 

This parade was in the spring at the time of year when statue would weep, the statue actually wept, tears came out of her eyes, it would invoke emotion in the people and the church would take an offering.  My great grandfather as a boy wanted to figure out how this worked, he got under the platform where they were carrying the Madona, he found out that there was a grape vine planted in a pot on the inside of the statue, and in the spring when the sap started to flow, that sap would become the Madonna’s tears. He saw through things as a boy of 12, the fallacy of that religion. 

The family left the Catholic church, and began going to the Methodist church in Sicily.  When he came to the United States, he continued to go to the methodist church, there he met his wife, they were married, but still unsaved, the gospel came in the tent work in 1935 in Methuen, and that’s when my great grandfather and great grandmother Vizzini were saved. 

On my mother’s side of the family it was my great great grandfather Henry Brandt, that came from Hanover Germany to New York.  They were pure bread short horned cattle breeders in Germany.  It was through the Homestead act of 1862, Henry his wife and their 7 children, were able to acquire land in Garnavillo Iowa.  They were given 160 acres. Claimants were required to live on and “improve” their plot by cultivating the land.

They were devout Lutherans.  It was my great grandfather Elmer Brandt that questioned whether infant baptism, going to church, and living a good life would be good enough to get him into heaven.  His sister Matilda Kramer or Tilly as she was known, was married to Fred Kramer.  Tilly had a hired girl, living on their farm named Susie Ricker who was saved.  It was through this young girl that the gospel came to our family.  Tilly called her brother Elmer and said, “I found a girl who knows the way to heaven”. It was through this young girl that Oliver Smith came to Garnavillo to preach the gospel in 1919.  In these meetings, Elmer and Laura Brandt, Fred and Matilda Kramer and Dr. and Netti Tischauser, and Amanda Brandt, were saved.  Amanda Brandts Husband Louis Brand would later be saved in 1922 and become a gospel preacher. 

In July 1921, six believers from the Garnavillo area: Elmer and Laura Brandt, Tillie Kramer, Louis and Nettie Tischhauser, and Amanda Brandt, broke bread for the first time, meeting in Elmer Brandt’s home.

Why am I saying all this?  Fast forward to 1976 and I was born into a Christian home and I attended the Methuen gospel hall from a child.

From the time I was born I can remember the assembly was the 1st priority in our lives. Looking back this was the greatest privilege that anyone could have, out of all the religious confusion in our world, out of the Catholics, out of the Methodists, out of the Lutherans, out of the Bapsitsts, I had the privilege of hearing the simplicity of the gospel preached, the problem was I never knew anything else, and sometimes what we are given we don’t appreciated, but at the time I didn’t consider it to be a privilege. 

In fact, I hated going to meeting, whenever we would leave for gospel meeting on a Sunday night my friends would be outside playing baseball.  I hated that.  I wished I didn’t have to go to meeting. 

But looking back over my life I have to say no one in my lifetime has ever witnessed to me, no one has ever told me the gospel, or how to be saved.  Maybe searched it out for myself, read books, or maybe I would have stumbled across it but I’m no so sure.  Maybe you’re here you don’t want to be here.  But it is possible that outside the walls of this building you may never hear the gospel anywhere else.

Original sin and death

By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. 

Death- Angry with Adam 8 years old

GRANDFATHERS DEATH AT THE AGE OF 8

Personal Sin

Understand the seriousness of sin now that I am older

1 Cr 15:56- The sting of death [is] sin; and the strength of sin [is] the law.

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin

1.The first and greatest commandments- Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother

8.Thou shalt not steal

9.Thou shalt not bear false witness

10.Thou shalt not covet

James 2:10- For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.

James 4:17- Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.

THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE

Judgment

Luke 12- To whom much is given much shall be required! 

2 Peter 2:4- For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

2 Peter 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

2 Peter 2:21- Apostates---  For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known [it], to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

Mark 10:15- Caperneum--  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

Heb 2:3- How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?

“And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”  Again we see here that their thoughts, their words and their actions will be compared to God’s perfect, holy standard and will be found wanting.

At the Great White Throne there will be a Judge but no jury, a prosecution but no defense, a sentence but no appeal.

No one will be able to defend themselves or accuse God of unrighteousness.

SHUT OUT CAST OUT THRUST OUT

Eternity

How long is eternity?  From the birth of the universe when God brought worlds into being until the last universe collapses at the end, this great span is just one brief tick on the clock of Gods eternity.  It is vast and unimaginable, there will be people in heaven through these eternal ages, will you be there?

But the last thing.  And my time is almost gone.  But time ends like it is tonight.  It ends and then eternity.  No clocks in eternity.  Eternity is one of those indescribable words.  We struggle with it.  We can’t really grasp it, because we think in terms of time.  Everything we do is time oriented.  Take away my watch and Id be lost.  I couldn’t be without a watch.  We are slaves to time.  Everything is done by time.  Not in eternity, time ends and then eternity.  There are three things I don’t want you to forget about eternity:

Coming of Christ

Red dawn

Mark 13:18- And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.

1984told friends we wouldn’t see the year 2000

Visiting my wifes family in Iowa. 

Convinced I would never be saved!-

Pete Incavelia 

Death of Christ

Canada Mr Eugene Badgley/ The late Mr. Sam Patton