Sebastiano Ganci

Sebastiano Ganci was born in Canicattì Bagni on 16 October 1912. In 1933 he was drafted to Messina for service with the 24th Field Artillery Regiment. It was there that he met a young soldier named Canzoniere, who shared with him his faith in Jesus Christ. Sebastiano went along to pentecostal worship meetings in a private house, and it was there that he was converted. After his military service, having been demobilized, he returned to his native town: his new faith and his openness about it, however, sparked a running series of conflicts and reactions.

In 1936 he was recalled to arms, destined for East Africa. After three long years of military service in Africa he returned to Sicily to his parents and his fiancée. On 6 April 1940 he married Paolina Scavitto: only a month later, he was once again called up for military service. On 23 May 1940 he presented himself to the 24th Regiment in Messina, where he was issued a uniform and the necessary military equipment. On 4 June 1940 he left for Asmara. In 1943 the war in Africa ended, and after five months of captivity in Tunisia he was handed over to the Americans who transported him on a merchant ship to the USA. Having arrived in Chambersburg, PA, he asked the captain for authorization to be able to participate in an evangelical meeting: after several months, the pastor Alexander Mauriello (later a founding member of the AGUSA Italian Branch) visited him in the prison camp in Chambersburg. On 10 October 1945 he left the port of New York to return to Italy. They became members of the Church in Messina and after some time he was elected as a member of the church council.

In 1947, he received a letter from Giacomo Cicirello (1903-1994), a resident of Milwaukee WI, who (though born in Valparaiso, Chile) had returned from the USA to his father's paese Sant'Agata di Militello, sharing the faith that he had received in the USA. Cicirello and his wife Francesca invited him to come to Sant'Agata to encourage those who were seeking the faith. He did so. When the Cicirellos routed through Messina to return to the USA, they challenged Sebastiano to go to Sant'Agata to pastor the group which had formed there. With no firm employment, Ganci hesitated, but Cicirello insisted he trust in God. Ganci began to visit Sant'Agata with his family twice a week. What he found was about 15 people gathering in a storage room for fishing gear. Ganci was challenged again by the Scripture, to become a 'fisher of men'. (Matt 4:19)

His early visits had a remarkable impact, sparking a regional religious revival in Sant'Agata and its surrounds. As ADI and American evangelists moved through the area, the conversions multiplied into the hundreds, requiring the building of a church. This was built to purpose at 17 Via Capuana, with the support of the Cicirellos, and support from the Church of Pittsburg and by the missionary fund of the Christian Churches of North America. The Church was opened in 1959 with a special address by Brother Mogford: 'The place was packed and all hearts were filled and overflowing with the joy of the Lord'.

Continued growth meant that an even larger facility had to be built. After commencing in works in 1969, the new church was opened on 1 November 1971 by Carmelo Crisafulli. Ganci wrote "On that day, our thoughts went to all our dear brothers and sisters who have been close to us abroad and in Italy and have generously collaborated in the construction of this large venue." The building was large enough to host the ADI National Convention in 1973.

Just as Sant'Agata had benefited from the support of the Church in Messina, Ganci's long pastoral ministry resulted in churchplanting in Sant'Angelo di Brolo (1951); St. Constantine (1951); (with the collaboration of Giuseppe Castrogiovanni and Saverio Martino) at Mistretta (1948); Raccuja (1952); Tortorici and Musagna (1952); Patti (1952); Piraino (1953); and Cesare (1953). Ganci personally traveled hundreds of miles on foot to visit people in need. He left an indelible mark on his congregation and the area: 'His humility, the fullness of the Spirit evident in his life, his love for God and for his Church made him a true and authentic servant of God.'

Ganci died on 13 October 2005, at the age of 93.

Sources

Caltagirone, Joachim, Chiesa Cristiana Evangelica ADI Sant'Agata di Militello, Storia, http://www.lagraziaperte.it/index.php?sec=5&id=2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XeuddbriNI

21/4/3

Ganci, Sebastiano, Memorie: 1947-1987, quarant'anni di ministerio pastorale: cronistoria della diaspora di S. Agata di Militello (ME) (for the author, 1999).