After a two month summer break we are up and running again! Stevo preached a message of invitation: our sins are all washed clean by the blood of Christ shed for all on the cross. The gulf between us and God cannot be bridged any other way. All the Roma women came forward to be prayed for. They think and act as a group rather than individualistically. I just pray that the blessing will extend to their absent partners, who all say they are coming and then stay away.
The summer holiday break has helped us to see the challenges before us more clearly. Key to future success is getting a programme up and running for the children. The Roma parents don't take responsibility for their own yet. Oakdale Methodist are rightly anxious that the children are safe and that they respect the building. We've decided to stop hot food and just serve tea and cake. It took time to realise that the Roma all eat before they come out. It's perhaps a matter of pride to be able to always have food on your own table. The idea of "table fellowship" at church seems strange to them. However, the church meeting place is the only place they can meet as a community together. They always ask me "who is coming" before deciding whether to come themselves. We have formed a small leadership team including two Roma women. We key challenge remains "how can we empower to the Roma so that one day they won't need us to run the church for them.
With all the terrible media reporting of English Travellers at the moment, Luton Roma Church is a positive story of local churches partnering with local gyspies to advance God's kingdom. We are exploring when and how to get the story out there. All the distortions have to be challenged by a wholesome message of who the Roma people really are.
