"Every time we bridge racial, ethnic, gender and socioeconomic divides,
we become prophetic witnesses to the reality of the kingdom of God"
writes Brenda Salter McNeil in
Roadmap to Reconciliation.
When sharing at a church where a friend is pastor here in Slovakia, I
recognized that I was in the presence of a fellowship trying to navigate
their way forward as prophetic witnesses.
The church in Nesvady celebrated the baptism and union of a Roma woman
into the church and were curious about what steps to take together next.
How do we integrate this woman and her family into their congregation?
What is the best way to reach out to them? I have heard that some of
them refuse to say "Amen," why is that? These and similar questions
followed the presentation on Roma history and what Scripture says about
the ministry they were beginning.
It was after the presentation that I had a chance to talk with the
catalyst at the root of these recent events. He is a stern looking
older gentleman who carried a cane that looked more like a weapon than
an aid. He was unsure how well I was following his Slovak even though I
assured him that I was understanding everything.
He told me that after his wife passed away he began bearing witness to
Jesus Christ as best he could with the Roma family next door. Using
every tool he could - from Christian videos to Scriptures and personal
conversation - he began to share Christ. Along the way, the two
households began a transformative relationship. People who lived next
door to each other for decades slowly became neighbors. And that is
when, and how, his attempts at bearing witness bore fruit.
 |
Like adding pieces to a puzzle,
when all are represented, we get the fuller picture. |
If someone wrote a one-size-fits-all
How To book about bearing
witness to Jesus Christ with the Romani peoples, it would be an
unfortunate waste of paper. The Romani community is very diverse - even
from village to village. The key to sharing Jesus with them is, in the
words of a Roma pastor friend, "You must live with them." The essence
of bearing witness to Jesus Christ across any divide is when we move
from seeing the other as a target of evangelistic efforts to seeing them
as a friend ... someone we know by name.
Concluding his story of how wonderful it was to see his neighbor become
part of the church, he held back tears. "After she was baptized," he
looked across the congregation at his neighbor and called her by name,
"she asked me 'Why didn't you tell me sooner?'" He shrugged a little
and smiled. Being a prophetic witness is hard work. These two
neighbors know it is worth it.
