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!
