Opera per le Chiese Evangeliche Metodiste in Italia (OPCEMI)
(Work for the Evangelical Methodist Churches in Italy)
The Opera per le Chiese Evangeliche Metodiste in Italia (OPCEMI) supports Methodist congregations across Italy in their spiritual, social, and cultural mission.
Today, OPCEMI coordinates around 50 congregations, many of which are multicultural.
Its priorities include ecumenical engagement, theological education, and social outreach—for example through social housing in Verbania/Intra and through its community centres in southern Italy which offer services like after-school programmes, food distribution and support for migrants and refugees.
Key initiatives include the Centro Ecumene near Rome, which hosts youth camps, theological training, and public debates, and the Centro di Documentazione Metodista, which preserves and promotes Methodist heritage.
In collaboration with the Methodist Church in Britain, OPCEMI developed a programme focusing on music ministry and inclusion which strengthened the way in which music could be used as a tool for multicultural inclusion and community building by training local leaders and revitalising worship through modern and traditional Methodist music.
Italy Factfile
1979
Federation
2,700
Members
50
Congregations
29
Pastors
History
Methodism in Italy began in the 1860s, inspired by the country’s political unification and the hope of a spiritual awakening. British missionary Henry James Piggott arrived in 1861, followed by American pastor Leroy M. Vernon in 1871.
Though from different Methodist traditions, they collaborated to plant congregations and promote gospel-centred living.
In 1904–05, the Methodist churches merged with the Free Church, a Protestant group active in the Risorgimento. The fascist era brought hardship, but resilience led to the 1946 unification of Italian Methodism under the British Methodist Conference.
By 1962, the church gained autonomy, and in 1979, it federated with the Waldensian Church, forming a united district while retaining distinct identities. OPCEMI was established to serve the Methodist branch, managing its ministries, properties, and ecumenical relations.
Today, it continues the legacy of “planting, preaching, praying, and working for the future,” rooted in both Italian history and global Methodist values.