April 8, 2023
Two women at the annual Roma conference. (provided).
It humbles me the extent to which our Roma friends and colleagues practice hospitality, always laying a table for us with whatever they have. They are among the poorest of the poor, marginalized by a society that feels threatened by an alien culture living in their midst. I don’t use the word alien as a negative, just a reality. They are a people with deep traditions, a strong sense of family and community, their own language, their own music, their own style of dress. They do not wish to be assimilated, but they do wish to live in peace with their neighbors, if it is only possible. Often, should a job be posted, as soon as a Roma man or woman applies, it is not available. The Roma are also subject to violence (pogroms) and blamed for any bad incident that takes place in a community. It is assumed that they will steal what is not nailed down.
Andrey Beskorovaniy is in the middle of the picture. (provided).
Andrey Beskorovaniy is pastor of a Roma church in the city of Kursk. He is also leader of a network of pastors and missionaries engaged in ministry with Roma across Russia. Before the conflict in Donbas, this network included Ukrainians as well. He himself is Baptist, but he does not let denominational differences define the network or his ministry. He crosses boundaries without even noticing them. In normal times, he is constantly on the road to visit Roma communities for evangelizations, installation of new pastors and conflict resolution. In these days of Covid, he is at work visiting the struggling Roma families closer to home, carrying a few staples like tea and cooking oil and the love of Christ. He loves his people and he wants them to know the power of transformation and the hope we have in Christ.
Ellen Smith, Regional Liaison for Central and Eastern Europe, Presbyterian Mission Agency World Mission
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff
Ahmad Abri, Lead Web Developer, Communications Ministry, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Angielee Acevedo, Housekeeper, Stony Point Center, Presbyterian Mission Agency
Let us pray
Dear Lord, open our eyes to the alien in our midst, that we may sit together at one table, discovering our commonality in the midst of our differences. We give thanks for the bounty of your love that brings about transformation. Amen.
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