THE GYPSY CHURCH IN NOVE MESTO BECOMES AN OFFICALLY RECOGNIZED INDEPENDENT CONGREGATION

As many of you know, we love to serve they gypsy community. For this blog we would like to bring you up to date on some exciting events that have been happening in Czech among our gypsy friends.

After years of tears, trials and errors, and much prayer, the first Moravian Gypsy Church was officially recognized as an independent congregation in January 2012. They meet on Sunday afternoon in the Nove Mesto Church building. Bishop Evald Rucky and the pastor and trainer for the gypsy church, Martin Bukovsky, consecrated the new pastor, Petr Jersak. Back in 1999 Petr was one of our Bible School students who took Ken's cross cultural and evangelism classes. We are so blessed to see how God has continued to fill his heart with love and ministry to the gypsy community.

Bishop Evald Rucky (in the white jacket) and Pastor Martin Bukovsky (in the orange shirt) consecrate, Petr Jersak, as the Pastor of the new Gypsy congregation.

Pepe Jarka's wife, Bozena (2nd woman) and his son, Petr (end of row) are part of the Worship Team for the new Gypsy Church.

Sorry the picture is fuzzy, but you can see how many people enthusiastically attended the ceremony for the new Church.

GOD IS WORKING AMONG THE GYPSIES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

As many of you know, Martin Vlasak, former youth pastor in Liberec who we worked with on many occasions for years, became the director of an organization in Rychnov nad Kneznou in East Bohemia that works with gypsy youth called the 5 to 10 Club. He has now become the pastor of the Church so he asked Lada Dzubak, a gypsy friend from Liberec, to come help him in the Club. We have encouraged them and the Nove Mesto Gypsy Church to become partners in reaching the gypsies for Christ. They have done some amazing outreaches. The following are two: One in Rychnov and one in Mimon.

Nove Mesto Gypsy Church reaches out to the gypsies in Rychnov

The Rychnov Church asked the Nove Mesto Gypsy Church to come and do an outreach to the gypsies associated with the 5 to 10 Club. Many live in a complex that includes two large buildings connected by a dirt courtyard. We set up a covered area for the gypsy worship team, had preachings, skits, refreshments, games for the children, dancing by the gypsy kids and prayer and conversations. In the end, five people prayed for salvation and a home group has been established. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

The Nove Mesto Worship team with Pepe Jarka and Martin Vlasak.
Pastor Martin Vlasak from Rychnov nad K. and Pastor Petr Jersak from Nove Mesto. Ken preaching.
People sat in the courtyard in the shade and listened intently.

The Children dance for us. The local Christian youth (from Rychnov and Dobruska) perform a skit about Salvation. We ended with prayer and conversation.

Gypsy outreach to Mimon

The Rychnov 5 to 10 Club spent 3 days camping at the church in Nove Mesto in July. It is very difficult to find a camp/building that will rent to a gypsy group but the Nove Mesto Church has warmly welcomed the Rychnov gypsies.

During that time there was a grand opening of a club for gypsy youth in Mimon. Like the 5 to 10 Club, it is registered as a secular NGO (non governmental organization) but is is run by a Christian couple. They invited Christian groups to participate and it lasted for half a day.

The Nove Mesto Gypsy Church supplied the Worship team and some speakers (preachers). A pastor from Ostrava (from the other side of the country) also spoke. And the Rychnov 5 to 10 Club performed the skit about Salvation that the church had done in the gypsy outreach in Rychnov even though they were not Christians. Later they told the leaders that is was their favorite part of the weekend.

The Nove Mesto Gypsy Church is already reaching beyond their local church into their culture and God is blessing them. To see the co-operation between the churches and clubs from different parts of the country is spectacular progress. Who says that God isn't working in Europe. Not us!

Pastor Martin with his gypsy youth from the 5 to 10 Club.
Ken with Pepe Jarka and others from Nove Mesto
The place of celebration was at community center in Mimon that was surrounded by large apartment complexes.

The crowd listened intently to the Christian presentations. The Gypsy Church in Nove Mesto provided the Christian music. Many pastors spoke and a Pastor from Ostrava concluded with a call to salvation. Many people responded and prayed including some of the youth from Rychnov.