This is the last post for CBF Romany Ministries.

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Reflections by Keith and Mary

To read about CBF's work with (not for or to) Romany, look in the archives of this blog.

Below is a brief overview of who served on the team and where.

The CBF Romany Team began in 1992 with the appointment of pioneers "T" and Cathie Thomas. They grew the team to include first Ralph & Tammy Stocks (1995, Hungary & Romany), then Frank & Cindy Dawson (former USSR), Robbi & James Frankovich (focusing on Banjara in India), Keith Holmes & Mary Van Rheenen (resource coordinators, living in the Netherlands), and Amy & Jon Derrick (Slovakia and Czech Republic). Eddie & Macarena Aldape joined the Frankovich's in India. Allen and VerrDean Williams, CBF field personnel who had served in another capacity in Europe, shifted to focus on Domari-speakers.  The Thomases joined them. Earl and Jane Martin, CBF's first emeritus field personnel, served the team as volunteer prayer coordinators.

After the Derricks shifted to assignments back in the U.S.A., Rachel Stephen  joined the team. She served in the Czech Republic where she met and married her husband. The Brunclikova family continues to live in Czechia. Shane and Dianne McNary then focused on Slovakia & the Czech Republic. They were joined there by Jon & Tanya Parks. 

When the Thomases retired from the field, Sandy & Kevin Holmes worked with the Williams. The Holmeses were seconded from another sending agency. Mary Helen Brandon contributed to the Domari work through the two-year Global Service Corps.

Ralph & Tammy Stocks hosted a number of Global Service Corps volunteers. These included English teachers at the Gandhi School for Romany high school students in Pez, Hungary:  Mark Knowles, Penny Mann, and lastly Doug & Clista Adkins, who actually served for 3 years. Doug Adkins created and led the Gandhi School choir. Additionally, Cheri Hornbach taught English for two years at a Hungarian teachers' training college. 

The Stocks moved from Hungary to Bucharest, Romania. Four Global Service Corps volunteers served there. Wes & Cindy Craig (Gypsy Smith School; Ruth School) and Skyler & Ronella Daniel (Ruth School, children with special needs; chapel services + teaching). 
Global Service Corps member Elaine Childs who worked in Croatia also affiliated with the team. 

Since 1992, each of these team members have either transitioned to other roles within CBF, retired, or moved on to serve in other ways. The goal of the team has always been to work ourselves out of a job. We praise God for the many local partners who have made that possible. The Spirit continues to work through Romany Christians across Europe . . . and across the Globe.

You won't throw me out, will you?

Mirecek (in Czech this means “little Mirek”) is about 6 ft 2 in tall and has the biggest hands I’ve ever seen.  He is a Roma man who could be anywhere from 25 to 50 – it’s hard to tell. 

Miricek as one of the three kings

Every year Mirecek plays one of the Wise Men as they go around town raising funds for the local Charitas. Though slightly mentally disabled, he is able to function quite well. He attends the Catholic Church and often hangs around there.  That is how he came to be at our Thanksgiving celebration.

We had it at the Catholic parish hall and when he saw that something was going on, he came to see what it was. Most of us were finished eating and were just sitting around and talking.  When he came in he went to our friend Petr (who also goes to the Catholic Church) and said “Hey Petr, you won’t throw me out, will you?” We didn’t.

We fixed him a plate and he liked everything but the sweet potatoes. He didn’t hang around very long, but I was glad that he was there. Some of our friends were a little surprised, but hopefully they understood a little more about the meaning of Thanksgiving. 

Day 7: My Disciples Have Love for One Another

Join us in praising God for the following ways He is at work with the Romany

A young man who graduated from the Ruth School four years earlier returned to school, successfully completed high school, and received a scholarship to Polytechnic Engineering University in October 2011.

A small group of believers in Detva, Slovakia, were touched by the ministry of Romany believers from Cinobana. The group in Detva asked to have regular meetings, modeled after the one in Cinobana. The first meeting took place this past January 25. Praise the Lord for this next phase of the partnership where a successful model of ministry is going to be reproduced in another community.

Women in the Romany village of Vulcanesti, Moldova, have begun making and selling handicrafts.

The Ruth School in Bucharest, Romania, has a new principal, Mrs. Holban. Weekly chapel services started this year for children and staff.

The last two sessions of the Gypsy Smith pastors’ training school have been filled to capacity. More Romany church leaders want to attend the sessions than can be accommodated.

Jon and Tanya Parks have been commissioned to join CBF’s Romany Team. They will be teaching English at a Romany elementary school in Slovakia.

Even though Sinti Romany traditionally oppose having their language written down, Sinti leaders in Germany are not only becoming convinced of the need for God's word in their own language, they are also spreading the printed New Testament as language-learning material among their own people.

An outreach to Romanian Romany immigrants in England is growing. The local pastor is partnering to produce appropriate media materials in this language.

Yet another Student.Go team touched the lives of many Romany children during their ministry this summer.

Various team members faced health issues this past year . . . and can rejoice in on-going healing.

A Romany leader in the Czech Republic shows Christ’s love to others by running a Roma Education Center. A side benefit: increased understanding between Romany and Czech in his home community.

A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples,if you have love for one another. John 13:34-35

Day 4: Justice and Peace Making

Discrimination against the Roma has taken many forms throughout history. One of the most shocking is the forced sterilization of women. In 2004, the European Roma Rights Centre expressed suspicion that Romany women underwent forced sterilization in Czechoslovakia and later the Czech Republic between the years of 1971 and 1991.

It is estimated that as many as 1000 women were forced or coerced into signing documents which authorized medical workers to terminate their fertility. Under a decree valid until 1991, 10,000 crowns could be paid out if a woman underwent such an operation.

In 2009 the Czech government apologized for the sterilizations and recently the government’s Council for Human Rights has recommended compensation be paid to these women. Although these steps toward justice are welcome, there are many more that need to be taken.


Prayer requests:
-Pray for the Roma women who are seeking compensation. May they find not only justice, but also peace in the process.
-Pray for those who seek justice for the Roma.

Greater Is He--Week of Prayer, Day 6

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
I John 4:4, NIV

Join us in praising God for this truth and for the ways He is at work for and among the Romany.

The Roma Education Fund provides support to talented Roma university students across Hungary—and helps shatter stereotypes.

The January session of the Gypsy Smith School was a huge success--20 were expected but 24 attended. The Gypsy Smith School is a leadership training for Roma church leaders held four times a year in Bucharest, Romania.

A hundred years ago one of the greatest evangelists in Britain was Romany—Gypsy (Rodney) Smith.

The two women working with Romany in Italy use most of their financial resources to feed and clothe children who live in make shift houses under bridges and overpasses. When the police chase them away, these Christians search until they find them again.

This past Christmas the International School in Kosice, Slovakia had a food drive to emphasize the importance of concern for others and provided food for at least 10 Roma families.

This year Project Ruth took a new step in their quest to break the cycles of poverty through education by beginning a preschool class in a Roma neighborhood in Bucharest, Romania.

Through her hobby of making and selling cards, a Dutch woman is providing tuition for a Romany student to attend the Moldovan Bible College.

Bethlehem Baptist Church in Moldova tried for more than 6 years to get electricity. The fee was $300--a month's wages for some people. The whole church dedicated themselves to two days of prayer and fasting. The whole sum was provided.

Laszlo, a retired Hungarian business-man, supports the Roma Baptist Church in Csobanka Sunday after Sunday, despite member-ship ups and downs, weather conditions, often the lack of a musician, through teaching, preaching, praying, and serving as treasurer.

Greater Is He--Week of Prayer, Day 7

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,

because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

I John 4:4, NIV

Join us in praising God for this truth and for the ways He is at work for and among the Romany.

The Roma Education Fund provides support to talented Roma university students across Hungary—and helps shatter stereotypes.

The January session of the Gypsy Smith School was a huge success--20 were expected but 24 attended. The Gypsy Smith School is a leadership training for Roma church leaders held four times a year in Bucharest, Romania.

A hundred years ago one of the greatest evangelists in Britain was Romany—Gypsy (Rodney) Smith.

The two women working with Romany in Italy use most of their financial resources to feed and clothe children who live in make shift houses under bridges and overpasses. When the police chase them away, these Christians search until they find them again.

This past Christmas the International School in Kosice, Slovakia, had a food drive to emphasize the importance of concern for others and provided food for at least 10 Roma families.

This year Project Ruth took a new step in their quest to break the cycles of poverty through education by beginning a preschool class in a Roma neighborhood in Bucharest, Romania.

Through her hobby of making and selling cards, a Dutch woman is providing tuition for a Romany student to attend the Moldovan Bible College.

Bethlehem Baptist Church in Moldova tried for more than 6 years to get electricity. The fee was $300--a month's wages for some people. The whole church dedicated themselves to two days of prayer and fasting. The whole sum was provided.

Laszlo, a retired Hungarian business-man, supports the Roma Baptist Church in Csobanka Sunday after Sunday, despite member-ship ups and downs, weather conditions, often the lack of a musician, through teaching, preaching, praying, and serving as treasurer.

Greater Is He--Week of Prayer, Day 6

This past summer I attended my first baptism of Roma believers. All five of them had come to know Christ through the efforts of the OASIS Ministry of the BETHEL House of Christian Help in Litomerice, Czech Republic. We drove through Terezin, where one of the Nazi concentration camps was located, on the way to the baptism.

The sun was shining; it was warm and the perfect day for baptism in a river. As I walked down the old stone steps to the river, I remember thinking that it was an interesting choice of location for the event. It wasn’t until we were leaving that the true significance of the site became clear to me. Although Terezin was not considered one of the death camps, it was complete with gas chambers and cremation ovens and over 30,000 people lost their lives there.

Reading the memorial statue by the river, I realized that this beautiful place was where the Nazis dumped the ashes from the cremation ovens. What had once been a place of death and darkness was now a place of rebirth and light. God truly is greater than even the darkest moments in history.

--Pray that the new Roma believers in Litomerice will continue to grow in their faith and witness.

--Pray for the new cooking class outreach to Roma girls in Litomerice.

Bloom where you are planted

Greetings from the Czech Republic! My name is Rachel (some of you remember me as Stephen) Brunclikova and I’m the newest (re)addition to the Roma Team. Many of you have been praying for me over the last few months and I want you to know that those prayers have been felt every day! I continue to recover from my second surgery and am gaining strength daily. I’ve decided to get myself started blogging – we’ll see how it goes. Those of you who know me know that I have felt a call to missions since a young age. As I look back over my journey, I see how God’s work tends to be cyclical and that these last few years when I’ve been “out of missions”, I’ve actually been going through a very important time of preparation for this new work. I also got some time to just be a wife and a mom – both answers to years of prayer. Since I have been living as a “real Czech” for the last seven years, I see how God has uniquely prepared me to work with the Roma and the Baptist churches here and hopeful stand in the gap to foster cooperation and understanding. I remember when I was young hearing in Sunday school that we should “bloom where we are planted”. There was always this voice inside of me that said “No!! I’ve got to GO somewhere”. Well, I went. . . . and now I’m planted here. . . and guess what God is asking me to do – BLOOM WHERE I’M PLANTED!! Of course, making something bloom takes good soil, the proper amount of water and often a little fertilization – and all of that means work. I ask for your continued prayer as I “bloom” and start working with the ongoing projects here in the Czech Republic and look for other projects to support.

CBF Commissioning Service - June 23

The CBF Gypsy Ministries team would like to invite you to join us at the CBF Missionary Commissioning Service on June 23rd at 6:45PM. Rachel (Stephen) Brunclikova will be commissioned as an Affiliate field personnel ministering among the Roma of the Czech Republic. The service will be held at Pritchard Baptist Church, Charlotte, NC. Because of medical treatments after an operation, Rachel will be commissioned in absentia.

Rachel is already known to people who are familiar with CBF Global Missions with the Roma. She began her service years ago as a Global Service Corp missionary when she served in Litomerice, Czech Republic. After graduating from Truett Seminary in Waco, TX, Rachel returned to Global Missions, this time as field personnel serving in Kosice, Slovakia. Rachel left CBF to marry Vlada, a Czech national. Ask her about the story that has brought her back to Roma missions.

Join us in praise for Rachel, Vlada and their son Michal Patrik (who will be four years old in July). Pray for Rachel as she continues to heal and as she begins her ministry. As an Affiliate, Rachel must raise 100% of her financial support – she is not funded through the Offering for Global Missions. Pray that God will lay a burden for all the people of the Czech Republic – Roma and non-Roma – and that God will lead individuals and churches to invest in the ministry of Rachel Brunclikova.

If you or your church feel lead to give to Rachel's support, please contact us and we'll provide the information needed. Thank you.

See you at the Commissioning and the General Assembly!