Ministry Projects : Reaching the Roma in Central & Eastern Europe
Thieves, travelers, filthy pickpockets, liars, cheaters and inhuman—this is how much of the world sees the Roma people. They are outcasts, so they avoid larger communities. They are distrusted, so they distrust the outside world. They are unloved and told they are worthless, so imagine how they feel when told about the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.
"Radio is still the best tool to reach an oral community," says Stoyko Petkov, Director of TWR's National Partner in Bulgaria, Studio 865. "The Roma people live in their own districts, and the environment there is very bad. Poverty and high unemployment lead to crime and violence, and few of the children can get an education. SoTWR's radio programs for the Roma use a specific format of storytelling that attracts everyone. The spoken word is very important to them."
In Central and Eastern Europe, TWR and its National Partners are actively reaching the Roma through radio programs that are broadcast in the different dialects native to each Roma community. Studio 865, for example, began broadcasting to the Roma in 1996. Only months after the broadcasts began, listeners invited the producers of these programs into their villages. The Roma producers were surprised to find many of the villages full of committed listeners. Prayer groups were organized and, later, local churches.
Stoyko explains: "Here, Roma churches are more than houses of worship; Roma pastors are more than preachers. Their churches are their community centers and their pastors are their community leaders. And it all started with a radio program to reach them with the gospel."
The work began in Bulgaria, but has since spread to other countries as well. Today, TWR also has Roma programs in Albania, Hungary, Serbia, and Romania. In 2008, TWR Romania personally visited impoverished Roma villages. There, they distributed hundreds of solar-powered radios tuned to TWR’s weekly broadcasts. Many of the Roma cannot read or do not have electricity in their homes.
Your gift of $25 will help bring hope to the Roma in Central & Eastern Europe.
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