CEE Pray for new Churches
Believers worship in heart of Romany community
A white lace curtain softens the light beaming in through the front glass window. From one side the main street of this Romany neighborhood in Brno, Czech Republic, echoes with the sounds of cars, trams and people passing by the busy area’s many casino bars. Children hide in the shadows and play soccer in the centers of their apartment blocks on this Sunday afternoon while a young mother carries her daughter through the trashed out alley leading to her apartment.
On the other side of the curtain a faithful few gather around a single table with homemade cake, coffee and tea for another meeting of the Romany Fellowship. This weekly time of worship through singing, Bible study and prayer is focused on reaching the Roma of Brno for Christ.
“It’s not necessary to go to Africa or Asia, we have missions opportunities here,” said Smilek Kristoslav. A Czech, Smilek is a deacon at the local Czech Baptist church and has been involved in this Romany outreach for many years.
Other attendees include Jiri Randall, also a Czech with a heart for the Roma; Kveta and Hugo, Romany believers; and Boyd Hatchel, IMB missionary and strategy coordinator for the Central Europe Field.
Smilek said he thinks the gathering of Czechs and Roma began about 35 years ago when a Czech woman ministered to the local minority by visiting homes. The group originally met at the Czech Baptist Church, but has since moved to its current location after skinheads wanted to fight Roma walking across town to get from their neighborhood to the church.
Although the place of meeting is now at the heart of the Romany community, Smilek said the group is having to adjust to new drawbacks.
“Now we have a place in this room, in the center of the Romany population, but the Roma don’t want to come here because they will be seen,” he said. “They don’t want to be seen as a strange Christian because in the Czech Republic you are a Christian only once you are Catholic. Once you are known as being from a different church you are not really a Christian.”
While the Romany Fellowship still may be in the beginning stages of sparking a church-planting movement within the local Romany community, its few attendees have a strong desire to share Christ with others.
“When I became a Christian my life changed into a beautiful life,” Kveta said. “I would like to give this same thing to others, especially my family and other Roma and let them know that God is our friend.”
Kveta and Hugo said they try to share Christ’s love, but sometimes evangelism is not easy.
“I think it’s most difficult to be an example and a light because every Roma is looking at you, what your life is about,” Kveta said. “It’s very important for Roma to see your life. If you are different than other Roma they notice. We try to be a light.”
“I agree with her,” Hugo said. “It is quite difficult. Roma notice … everything in your life. If you do something wrong, just little things, they notice immediately and previous good things don’t exist after it for them. It doesn’t matter if I am visiting church every Sunday. Once I do something wrong, that’s it. You have to start again.”
Yet even when things are tough, these gathered believers know their struggles to share Christ’s love with the world on the other side of the white curtain are more than worth it.
“We believe if only one soul is saved, it is good that we are doing this,” Smilek said. “It is better than all the gold in the world.”