Word spreading

We've just had our fourth meeting and the word seems to be spreading through the Roma community that there's a Roma church here in Luton for them. However, they seem often embarased to invite others, leaving it to me to do. Growth can come quickly if one new family comes along with several kids. Since they have nowhere else in town they can meet, LRC is helping them form community and potentially lifting them out of isolation.  We're not managing to get over the imperative of English skills and so very few arrive in time for the English lessons.   But by the time the worship began we had c.35 there. I repeated the first of the 33 stories: "Beginning" and then moved onto "Curse".   Pulling out folk to be Adam and Eve gets the message over.  But so far, the idea of reflecting on the deeper meaning of the stories seems a long way off.  I think it'll come along the road of daily life.   People often say to me: "Martin!  Tu san dosh!"  "Martin it's all your fault!"  I respond drawing on the meaning of Genesis 3:  "Na! O sap, wo si dosh!"  "No, it's the snake's fault!" The story highlights how a blame culture can develop.  The work of translation is very fruitful as we have to excavate meaning and try to communicate it.  It would be great to have a set up visuals to back up each story.  

Meanwhile, there are always unexpected blessings.  The church windows and doors have been vandalised.  The Roma guys offered to repair them free of charge as a way of thanking the owners of the church for allowing us to use it.  Our food this week had been prepared with great pride by a Muslim couple who live a few yards from the church and who have a deep relationship with the Roma family next door.  In this way bridges are being built with those of other faiths in the area.   One major issue I'm having to face daily is that the Roma believe that I can snap my fingers and a NINO will appear in their hands, followed closely by benefits.  We have only achieved this so far for one person, and that had been a long and hard journey.  It is hard to avoid folk concluding that coming to church is what you have to do to get these blessings.