We're Moving!

On November 1, this team blog is moving to a new location.  We'll no longer be publishing at the current site (cbfgypsyministries.blogspot.com).  From that date forward, we'll post at a new site:

cbf-romany-ministries.blogspot.com

That's the short version.  For the time being, old posts will remain on the old blog site, but any new posts will be on the new website.

Now for the longer version:

We changed the blog to reflect the new name of our team - rather than "Gypsy Team" we are now the "Romany Team."  As a team that works with Roma (or Romany People) across Europe, we don't want to perpetuate the stereotypes and hatred that are often heaped upon the word "Gypsy."  It's a centuries-old name, an inaccurate designation placed upon these people by others.  Today, especially in Europe, the word "Gypsy" is usually spoken with contempt - sometimes combined with a descriptive like "filthy," or with an expletive... or both.

In reality, the people long-known as Gypsies are not a scattered group of random nomads, but a distinct ethnic group that has broken into multiple branches.  They are called Roma, Dom or Banjari - names they have given themselves, names that honor their past and their rich culture.

We affirm the Roma people and see them as full members of the Kingdom of God, so we believe that it is no longer helpful (and is even harmful) for us to use the term "Gypsy..."  even in the U.S., where the term does not have such a strong connotation.  One of the ways we help with this is by changing our team name from "Gypsy Team" to "Romany Team."  And that means changing the blog name, too. 

Shane McNary states this in a much more thoughtful way over on the McNary ministry blog - you can read the post by following this link.