DVD launch for Christmas

See top right and click "The Story of Jesus" on YouTube.   You can listen in either English or Romani language.   It's taken a year to put these stories together as week by week I prepared a talk for our Wednesday evening meeting.  I chose Gospel events which address issues that I see the Roma here facing.  Using Mudrow and Maximov translations and then consulting the Roma themselves, we put together scripts in a dialect of Romani that most of the Roma here speak [Hunedoara region].  All twenty families will receive a DVD this Christmas.  Since they all have DVDs playing 24/7 this seemed a good medium to use to get over the Good News of Jesus.  

Life, death & growth...

 This panaramic shot gives you a glimpse of the way we are managing growth at our Wednesday meetings.   The pre-school children on the right in the cafe area - the adults on the left in the sanctuary - and meanwhile the school aged children a short distance away in another church.  Since the Roma pastors from Coventry, Nottingham and London began coming a month ago, we've grown from 40-100.  See on the left all the Roma guys who are now coming.  Two minibuses has made it possible to ferry in most of the women and children, whilst nearly all the men arrive in their cars in their own time.  The service rolls for two hours and is touching the Roma deeply.  The word is spreading and our little gadjo team does it's best to meet the growing needs.

 I can count at least 12 births in 2012.  Here you see the growth of the church paralled by the growing triplets.  A three-seater buggy came all the way from Scotland for Maria, Zara and Luca.

We've set up a monthly legal advice clinic which is now helping three families hack through the ever more baffling benefits system of the UK.

A PHD student in Roma studies will be with us all 2013.  Luton provides a clearly defined microcosm of a migrant Roma community seeking to establish itself in an EU country.  We trust the research will help be fed back into the system and help us all understand how best to respond to the issues the Roma face.

With growth comes also tragedy. One mother lost two babies.  Both died on 19 September.  One in 2010.  One in 2012.  Both of the same congenital condition.  Aged 6 months and 7 months.  Mother lost all her benefits.  The only compassion visible was in the faces of the medical team who had fought and lost both battles.

"Lord, you have made us all in your image.  We all bear your divine imprint.  You are beyond time, space, ethnicity, culture and politics.  Yet in your Son, Jesus, you penetrate our darkness, break down all the silly walls that separate us, and weep over our tribalisms and lack of vision.  For in you there is neither Roma nor Gadjo, male nor female.  Pour out you grace on us, that we might glimpse the wonder of your Kingdom breaking into the very places that seem beyond hope. Come Lord Jesus, come!"

Quantum Leap

At last my blog is letting me make a post after a month frozen over!   Last night our little Roma Church made a quantum leap forward.   A group of Roma pastor's who I had met in Luton the day before came and led our service.  They seem keen to move to Luton and settle amongst us.  If this happens it will be one huge leap forward for Luton Roma Church. As usual these days, the school aged children are taken to another local church, as the adults worship with the little children and babies.  Last night, overall we had about 100 on board.  It took 3 round trips in the minibus to ferry people in.  So we have an urgent need to find a way of funding a second minibus.

In the service many were brought to tears as testimony after testimony was given to the accompaniment of real Roma worship led by two accordions, and keyboard with a dulcimer-sounding stop, and voice.  Most of the service was in Romanian with the pastor leaning over to me to translate into Romani!   It looks like I may have now to get to grips with Romanian as well.  They hold the Romanian Bible in very high regard and I have yet to meet a Roma pastor who seems interested in creating a Romani Bible.  It seems odd to me to worship in Romanian when the only language spoken amongst all our Roma is Romani.  They say this is in part because of the great variety of Romani dialects, Romanian thus becoming a kind of lingua franca.  My point however is that in 10 years time all their children living here in England will only know Romani and English. We'll see!

Today, one Roma guy told me he had a dream last night.  He had seen himself in a small room with me and some other people.  Today that meeting actually took place in the Luton Red Cross.  We were amazed.  Another Roma lady told me she had got up in the morning today and found herself singing for the first time in her life.  Her children confirmed this to me!  

No English? No Bank Account!

Trying to open a bank account for a Romanian citizen in the UK is like trying to land a man on Mars.   You'd think that establishing identity and address would be straightforward enough.  But bank staff are clearly trained to grab any possible reason for not accepting an A2 national.  Once they discover your from Romania, the face glazes over and the phoned is reached for.  "These are regulations we are subject to, I'm sorry.  I am being told we do need further evidence from you..."  Sometimes getting that further evidence is almost impossible.

We went along to my own bank too.  "I've been banking with you for over 20 years and have had excellent service!  My friend here would like to open an account with you too!"  I got a nice smile.  And effectively another shut door.  Another bank said bluntly: "If he doesn't speak English we won't accept him." I asked: "What, even if a translator is present?"  "No! We need proof he has understood!"

As a last ditch attempt we entered one the really big banks.  Almost just to see what excuse they would come up with to bar my friend.  We were warmly welcomed. All the papers were shown.  "That's all just fine! What kind of account would you like."  Speechless, jaws on the floor, we muttered "Oh.  Just a normal account will do fine, thanks."  As the interview progressed it became clear that the young bank lady had warmed to us for some reason.  She asked a few personal questions and soon we were showing each other photos of babies and wives.  She said she'd just come home from her honeymoon with her handsome partner from overseas.  That was it!  She'd understood at a heart level what it means to try to settle in a strange land.  The Roma sense instantly if a person is on their side.

Early the same day I had a big God moment.  The word "JUSTICE" came up on the screen as I was singing hymns in my gadjo church.   This is what the whole church thing is for: to fire us up to work for JUSTICE in the world.  It took me a few minutes to recover.  I needed that moment to make sense of all the brick walls those of us face, who try to help the Roma find a life in the UK.

"FESTA ROMANI LUTON"

We are just catching our breath after our three day Festival for the Luton Roma community.  c.40 Roma children ran or were carried through the banner each day as their names were called out and they were told that the Good Shepherd, Jesus, already knows all their names.  This was the one thing that thrilled everyone and brought us all together.

Each day the pre-school children were introduced to the letters of the Alphabet in their mother tongue, with the long term aim that by the time they start school they will know the letters and be up to pace with the other children when they encounter written English.  

We are hugely encouraged by the way the school aged Roma children are entering into Luton Roma Church.  It remains a mystery why their parents don't seem to engage with what is happening, only too glad to slip out down town for a few hours.  

However, extraordinary things did happen with some of the Roma adults.   One Roma guy living in Germany heard from God just two days before the Festival:  "get on the next coach to England and go to Luton to tell them that God wants to bless the Roma church there!"  As he shared this message with us we were caught up in his testimony of healing, being born again in faith, and longing to bless the Roma in England.  His benefits in Germany have just been stopped.   His family of 6 is on the brink.  All we can promise him here in the UK is a very warm welcome, and the invitation to be part of what we are seeing God do in our midst.  

On the second day of the Festival we marked the "Porrajmos" by watching a film of the gypsy holocaust of 1944, and hearing from an Jewish lady who had been brought to England in that year and thus saved.  Many of our Roma seem hardly aware that c.500,000 of their people died in this way; none were aware that this was International Roma Holocaust Day.  

Passionate prayer is being released for one of our Roma women whose baby is fighting for her life in a London Hospital.   We stood together around the bed, crying out for a miracle.

The three day Festival was made possible by a team of over 20 non-Roma people from many different churches in Luton and beyond who all pulled together to bless the Roma.   A truly ecumenical effort.   I am hopeful that some of these will stay on board and become "Befrienders" to the a Roma family.   A last minute grant from a generous Christian businessman provided funding for the Festival.  If ever we had been walking by faith and not by sight, it was now.   I think God likes to keep it that way!  

Thanks to all readers!

Hi all of you guys out there who read this blog!   It was my daughter who suggested I set up a blog when we started Luton Roma Church in May 2011.  She's in TV, so understands the media.  Then my son showed me how to do it.  In obedience I followed their advice, wondering if I would be writing for myself.  In fact I've had nearly 2,000 hits since then which is a bit scary.  Not a few people from across Europe have got in touch, some have visited us here in Luton, and some are becoming friends.  Here in Luton people often chat to me about about a post.  All this feedback is so helpful as together we grapple with the myriad issues facing the Romanian Roma economic migrants streaming into Luton.

The given wisdom of church planting is that you take a group of deeply committed Christians, plant them in a fresh location, and pray that others will gradually be attracted.  Looking back, we were not in a position to do it that way.  We began with no critical mass of believers.  For a long time things were completely chaotic.  We stayed with it in faith that God is in the business of bringing order out of chaos.  The Holy Spirit hovered over the waters of chaos at the dawn of creation, and the rest is his-story.  He seemed to delight in taking motley group of Israelite slaves and forming them into his treasured possession, poised ready to bless the whole world.  This way He gets the glory.  The process of transformation happens at an unseen, kinetic level.  The Spirit works his way into the cracks and crevices of the community, as new life springs up from the grass roots.

Today, one year after launch, perhaps the most precious thing is what God has done with the Roma children.  They seem to love coming, delight in the Romani songs, especially when they get a chance to play percussion, and respond well to the Bible teaching the team give them in English.  I dream what this group of 20+ might look like in ten years time?  Bi-lingual, integrated, educated, employable, and earthed in the good soil of the Gospel.  And 20 years time?  Running the church!

Poet or Fraud?

"You have only helped the others!"  The cry comes from every direction and the anger and frustration increases.  The resentment comes from Roma and Gadjo alike.  To disappear behind a screen or into a meeting is no solution, and is an even lonelier place than remaining face to face with those seeking justice.

"I can't help everyone equally!  Even Jesus didn't attempt that!"  The appeal to reason runs into the sand as the voices become more impassioned.  We fall into silence, into a vortex of sorrow.

Soup is served. To me before all the others.  "Kade summi si o mai lasho summi me xalem ando se murro traiio."  "This is the best soup I've tasted in all my life."  A smile breaks through the silence.

"Show me that!" It had been hidden in my pocket but had buzzed.  "You've got a new one!"  My iphone 4s, symbol of wealth and power, betrays me.  The deepening gulf has little to do with ethnicity or culture.  The gaping gulf is about money.  As my inheritance finds it's electronic route into my bank account, I think of St Francis.  Is the only route to authentic solidarity with the poor, obedience to Jesus' invitation to renounce all wealth?

"Look at his cigarette! In a minute it will be no more.  Ask for the comfort of the Holy Spirit and you will never be thirsty again!"  I shift the ground to escape the uncomfortable question in my heart.  "Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness .... and then think about rent, eviction, food, sick relative." Another good quote straight from my armoury of verses painstakingly learnt by rote.  It rings hollow.  Has the gulf deepened or is a seed sown?

Back home to a vicarage now fitted with two power showers to wash away the loneliness and unanswered questions.  I stare into my Macbook and type... "You're a poet...or a fraud."

"Search me, God, and know my heart;  test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  [Ps 139:23-24]

New Luton Roma preacher!

Vasili has just arrived in Luton with his family to live with Bobby, the father of the triplets. See earlier post.  The two brothers have been part of the revival that has touched many of the Roma communities in Romania.  They bring to us great spiritual passion and commitment.  Here is Vasili yesterday breaking open for our little church the parable of the sower.  Only the seed that falls on the good soil bears fruit.  Many are so weighed down with the troubles of this life, that they are unable to receive the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

I had been praying for the arrival in Luton of Roma men of faith, able to lead and speak, since we began LRC a year ago.  The prayer has been answered!  Everything depends on the emergence of Roma leadership over the months and years to come.  Some of the tiny seeds have fallen into good soil.  We await the harvest.

Meanwhile the issues facing the Roma here become ever harder.  The Job Centre has moved the goal posts, and are no longer recognising the self-employed status of the Roma we take to interview for National Insurance Numbers.  There is a deep injustice here.  Whilst Romanian citizens are legally allowed to settle here, and are only allowed to work as self-employed, the powers that be now refuse to recognise their very best efforts to work.  They are thus trapped in poverty with all the negative consequences of that on the whole nation.

We walk by faith, not by sight, keeping our eyes fixed on a God who intentionally sides with the poor and is poised to bring justice to the oppressed.  

Seeking wisdom...

I've been back and asked why the Roma woman is not allowed to share in the administration of Communion with me in the old people's home.   "She was seen begging in town." "She has not been CRBd".   "You can take communion on your own and don't need a helper." "She strokes people's hands."  

My responses:

"She had to sell flowers in town to feed her 5 children.  This is an offence.  So would allowing her children to starve be an offence."

"She can easily be CRBd."

"In our church we try to do all our ministry in two's and whenever possible and man with a woman."

"We can easily ask her not to stroke hands."

I pray for wisdom and insight...

"Don't bring that woman with you again!"

For three years I have been taking communion to old people's homes in the parish.  But now I've had phone call telling me "not to bring that woman again."   So who is she and why might there be a problem?   I've been taking communion to people in homes for 20 years and have often taken somebody with me from church to help.  The most compassionate of all, the one who shows the greatest desire to get alongside the elderly, is this roma woman who is now being excluded.   I've taken her along with me in this ministry a few times having first noticed how beautifully she related to my late mother when she was still living in a care home.  So why on earth is she being banned now?   Readers will form their own conclusions.  Watch this space!

Triplets born!

On 26 March babies Zara, Luca and Maria were born to us!  Their parents, Bobby and Ana have only just moved to Luton and joined up with both my gadjo church and Luton Roma Church. The plan is to bring their other two children still in Romania over asap so that the whole family can be reunited.  

Bobby and Ana have been a real God-send!  At just the right moment he was there to help me record 18 Bible stories in Luton-Romani [and English].  He was there as language consultant, advising on vocab and pronunciation.  The final DVD will have both visuals and a background music track to bring alive the narrative of the stories.   Keith Holmes, who has been in the field for years, facilitated the project.  

"Wash each other's feet and you will be blessed!"

Last night we celebrated the 60th birthday of one guy who has worked steadfastly to improve the lot of the Luton Roma for two years now.  As he drove across Luton to pick up the local Roma, we kept the secret celebration from him. But he must have guessed by the number coming out of the houses that something was up.  When no seats were left something unprecedented happened.  The Roma guys got in their cars to drive their families into church.  On arrival the lights were turned out and the cake bearing 60 burning candles was brought in to the singing of "mulsantreyaske, la mult san" which I'd just learnt the night before at the birthday of a 3 year old.  Later we had 7 Roma guys role up at worship and they stayed as we heard to story of Jesus' footwashing and the last supper.   The minibus driver had done plenty of "footwashing" for the Roma.  Wash each other's feet, said Jesus, and you will be blessed.  We are being.  Massively.  Just a few days earlier triplets were born to a couple who we had just rescued.

How is the wheel to be mended?

The crushed wheel -

E rota phagi

When I saw this image on the Internet it made an immediate impact.  Something precious has been crushed by overwhelming force.  I was intrigued to see how the Roma would react if shown it at our weekly service. 

The very first thing they saw in it was an angry fist pointing upwards.   I pointed out that the blue represents the sky, and the green represents the green grass of the earth.  They still didn't recognise what I had seen.  I went on to explain that this was a broken wheel, thinking that they would then get it.  But they only saw the damage done to the broken wheel....

The Roma Flag - Wheel
Blue Sky - Green Ear

... only then did I show them this second image. The Roma Flag.  The waggon wheel travelling across the land with the blue sky above. A symbol of freedom.  Immediately they recognised their flag.  I went on to say how the life of the Roma people had been damaged by the gadgios [non-Roma people] over many centuries.  Who was going to repair what had been done?   

It strikes me the fist in the first image might be understood as a militant response of Roma activists.  "We are going to fight back!"  I suggested another interpretation:   

"God wants to repair the broken wheel.  Only he can do this.  He is doing this through those that believe he is a liberator-God, poised to set the captives free.  As this happens in our little Romani church, the lives of those who come will be changed. Luton will be changed.  The world will notice.  What the world has broken, God can restore.  This will be a sign to the world that God reigns."  

It's hard to know how this was received.  The pain may be so deep, so buried in the dust of the centuries, that the Roma cannot see what has happened in any kind of objective way.  But the room filled with silence for a few moments.  The sound of silence is very rare amongst the Roma. Someone is usually talking or laughing.  After the wind, the earthquake and the fire comes... the sound of sheer silence... God speaks....

International Women's Day

As people around the world are thinking about women's rights, many of us are conscious of the subjugation of Roma women.  It's got me thinking about our weekly gathering where we have almost only women and children coming. We have been looking at how Jesus deals with women for some months now.  I'm only just beginning to realise just how revolutionary Jesus approach must have been within his patriarchal community.  The men thought they were top dogs.  Having women brought to centre stage must have been deeply alarming for the the men folk of the day.

Last night we looked at the way Jesus draws the attention of the men in the temple to a lone widow.  The men are rich and give out of their riches to the temple treasury.  This poor widow gives all she has - out of her poverty.  Jesus must have shocked the men at two levels.  Firstly, it was a woman who is setting the example - giving beyond her means as a response to her knowledge of the generosity of God.  Secondly, because it is a woman who is now centre stage.  "The mighty shall be cast down. The humble lifted up."  As Mary sang.  Jesus arrives and the process begins to roll.  2,000 years later it is still underway.

The widow was enacting what it looks like to fulfil Jesus' summary of the Law, to love God with all the resources he has given - however meagre.   I then invited Richard to come and give out £1 coins to each of the women there, explaining that I could afford as I am rich. He followed this by then giving out 10p coins to each woman.  We put a plate out on the side.  "Here's an experiment.  You can either keep your £1.50, take all the money on the plate, put  your £1.50  on the plate, or give 10% [10p] as the Bible invites us to do.  Let me know what happens over the week to come.  God is ready to bless your generosity by opening the floodgates of heaven on you."   Actually, I have got the language yet to put it as nicely as that.  But I think they got the point.  God's greatest gift to us, is FREEDOM.   

Home-grown worship songs and stories

Our last meeting was the best we've had since beginning LRC last May.  Thank you Lord for prevailing over us and bringing peace and order into our gathering!  The Roma seem to have come to terms with the fact that the London Roma have pulled out from coming every fortnight to lead us.  This was a blow at the time.  The reason given was that our Roma men are not coming.  My sense was that the time had come to rise to the challenge to lead ourselves and make the whole thing home grown.

We now have a small number of songs of our own in Romani.  I have to put on my ethnomusicologists' hat and record, write up, and then sing the new songs.  We had Jeannot with us on guitar the first week, and then last week Trevor.  On retreat last week my director suggested I wrote a song.  See below.

To hold the attention during Bible Story time we did a powerpoint showing 12 slides of the story of Jairus's daughter.   This seemed to make a huge difference.

We've also begun singing the UNA club song which will head up the UNA FESTIVAL which we are planning for 2-4 August.   Gradually the kids are getting it.

But best of all is "The Wise Man built his house upon the rock."  I took my first attempt at the story line to one Roma home.  Once we'd got it into Luton-Romani, the girls (who had been educated in Belgium) sang the whole song in French. Word perfect.  Somewhat out of tune.  I suggested they had a go at writing a version in Romani and was amazed when 2 days later that had it all ready.  See below.  A 9 year old girl from another home now sings it from memory every time she sees me.  Intonation coming slowly.  This is so promising and a real breakthrough.  Communities are formed around communal singing.  But none of our Roma here seem to have ever really sung before.   We have far to go, but have turned a corner.

See our new songs in column opposite....

"From the mouth of babes..."

"I've just started school here in Luton.  Don't speak a word of English.  Born thousands of miles away.  Grew up speaking Romani with my own people, and Portuguese with everyone else.  It was really tough in my first days at school.  One girl pulled my earings really hard so it hurt.  I thought she was going to nick them, so I fought back.  Actually she'd probably never seen a child like me wear earings before.  Best keep them off when I go to school, or else.  Even though lots of the kids in my class have parents from other countries, I still felt I stood out.  It was the first time I'd ever been to school in my life. Everything is weird.  I realise to fit in I'm going have to become a bit like the others.  My mum has let me colour my hair so it's more like the others.  The pastor came along later and asked me why I'd done it.  He said he liked black hair, that God had made it that way.  He doesn't understand.  He's bald.  Later in the day when we were coming home in the bus, I told the pastor I didn't like the gadjo people.  I prefer my own people.  He asked me why.  I said I just don't.  "You don't like me then?"  he asked.  He looked sad.  "No, you're alright."  "Why?" he asked.  "You're Roma!" I answered.  He looked surprised.   "Really?" He said.  "You speak our gypsy language. You're Roma."  "Ok" he said.  "Funny man," I thought.

Nothing lower than the cross

In England people say there is nothing lower than Luton.

In Luton people say there is nothing lower than the Roma.

Amongst the Roma, people say there is nothing lower than the Romanian Roma.

Is there any hope for the Luton Roma?

Yes, Jesus went to the bottom of the pit for them too. 

"The Pure in Heart - An Epistle from the Romanies"

For Christmas I got a Kindle.  The first thing I bought from Amazon was my own book which tells the story of what God did amongst us in my last parish in Kent.  How the English Romanies came to faith and changed my life along the way!  You can buy the Kindle version of the book for only £2.64 Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pure-Heart-Epistle-Romanies-ebook/dp/B005W2FG5A

Any money that comes my way through the sale, I continue to put straight back into the ministry with the Roma people.

Bible Stories live

We started up again after a two week post Christmas break.  Neither of our Roma pastors could make it to us from London.  Stevo is facing eviction from his home which shocked all our people when I told them. Somehow we all thought this kind of thing couldn't happen to Stevo, an international preacher!  So we prayed for him and his family.   The leading of our worship fell back to me.  We sang again a capella.  Loud.  Each chose their own tonality.  "Dake duxo le develesko ei andre mande, me gilabau sar o David!"  I don't think we sang quite like King David! We need more musicians Lord!  Then I we heard the story of the prodigal son.  One new Roma guy who [the one who had taught me the song] had helped me earlier in the week to translate the parable.  His dad had been a pastor, he knew the story well, is literate, and was very particular.  I had to correct some of the Lutonian-Kalderash-Romani phrases and grammer before he was happy.  In the service two English helpers acted out the Father and the Older brother (with a few nudges from me) and the Younger brother was a 9 year old Roma boy who was brilliant.  I then invited everyone to consider "who are you in this story? The younger son? Older son?  Father? Fatted calf?"  "Where are you in this story?  On the road to ruin? Starving?  Repentant and on the way home?  Back home?"  Then the invitation went out: "who wants to join the party? who is staying outside resentful of all the celebrating?"  Nearly all came forward. We prayed for them. The kids had been wild, but one Roma lady physically took them in hand.  A break through. At last one of their own taking responsibility for their church.  The chief challenge remains the same: to get the men to come.   Stevo thinks that if we were to move to a Sunday afternoon service we would get more.

Meanwhile, our aim is to have a DVD for every home by the early summer.  On it there will be c.15 Bible Stories with visuals and background music and the spoken words in either Luton-Romani or in English. You can choose.  So they will be able to learn English and the Bible.  Every Roma home I've ever been has a DVD player ON.  So this could prove a great way to get the simple message across in a very accessible form.  They often watch the Jesus video.

Several Roma babies will be born here in Luton over the months to come.  Every one, made in the image of God, and so reflecting His glory.  Yes, there are questions one might ask.  I just want them to be born into a smokeless zone and into a community of love.  Dake o Del chi tradia peske shaves te del kris e lumia, numa te skepil la! For God did not send his son to earth to judge the world but to save it!  Jn 3:17

If you are reading this and want to know more about becoming a mentor to a Roma family in Luton do email send me a message!  We need you!