Sometimes I wonder how faithful I would be if I lived in northern Serbia and attended a small Roma church in Djordjevo. A woodstove warmed the room — a little (or a lot) too hot on the side facing the stove, a little (or a lot) too cold on the side facing the door. Would I come every Sunday to sit in child-sized chairs, in rows pushed close so more people could fit? Would I still sing songs of praise if I wasn’t sure where my next meal was coming from? Sometimes I wonder.
On the way to church tonight in Djordjevo, we passed a horse pulling a wagonload of cabbages down the road. Fields with the richest, blackest dirt had just been turned over on either side of the road — potatoes were harvested in the past few weeks. The sun was setting as we pulled up to the small church for children’s church and adult worship.
First the children came, some chasing the van because they were so excited to have church. We set up, carried in hand-knitted hats to give to the children, and put them on a table over bags of toys pastor Sasa had acquired so the children would have a taste of Christmas.
The children sang several songs — one of them in Serbian and in English. Sasa passed out leaflets with Bible stories in them, and he told them the story of Mary and Joseph coming to Bethlehem in preparation of Christ’s arrival. The children are practicing for their Christmas program, and he’s making sure they understand the real reason we celebrate.
After the lesson, he quizzed the children, and there was lively participation answering the questions he threw out. Sasa made sure all the children who raised their hands got to participate, even though there was that one little boy who knew all the answers.
Next, we passed out knitted caps. Teresa and Lorie placed new caps on the head of each child there. We’ve found out that pompoms are very popular! It was so satisfying to give a warm hat to a child who was wearing sandals with no socks in this cold weather. At least part of them would be warmer tonight.
Christmas gifts came next. We never did quite understand why they were passed out tonight, unless it was just a special occasion with visitors in church. Or maybe it was in preparation for the Christmas program. Whatever the reason, the end result was elated children. One tiny little girl wanted to hold her bag of gifts, but her big sister apparently thought it was too big for the young child and wouldn’t turn loose of it. The little girl didnt turn loose either!
After the children’s hour, the adults began to arrive. From the Babas (grandmothers) to the young couple expecting their first child, the church rapidly filled again. The woodstove was stoked, and worship began. Several familiar songs were sung in Serbian, including the beautiful “I’m Coming Back to the Heart of Worship.” If we weren’t standing in the middle of the heart of worship, I don’t know where we’d find it.
Pastor Sasa introduced the Linking Partners team, and Lorie, ReNata, and LaJuana shared what brought us to Serbia, and how the love of Christ motivates us all. We explained the knitted hat ministry, and thanked the people for welcoming us to worship with them.
The sermon was illustrated with a lit candle in the front of the room. Sasa talked about Isus (Jesus) being the light of the world, and also moved the candle around to illustrate what happened to your light if you tried to hide your candle. We closed with prayer and a song.
After church, Sasa passed out aid packages he had put together. A small plastic bag held tins of sardines, a soup mix, liver paste, a spice packet, and a pair of socks. He had also harvested his garden this week, and he brought each family four cabbages. When he held up the aid package to tell the church about it, a woman in the back of the room who was wearing sandals said, “That’s my package because I don’t have any socks!” Everyone laughed, because her comment was good natured, not a complaint. And besides, she wasn’t the only one in the room in sandals while it is 44 degrees outside.
After church, we had visitors waiting for us. Rodja’s wife Natasa, and his daughters Teadora and Jovana joined us for the evening. It was so good to visit with them again. Sharing how God is working in our lives kept us talking until late in the evening.
On the way back to our rooms tonight, more than one of us mentioned going to the store to purchase socks tomorrow. In addition to sock buying, we’ll be visiting more home churches, giving out hats, and attending the gathering held every Sunday evening for all home church members to attend. It is held in the church room, which is built onto the back of Sasa’s home. Support partners from the Netherlands helped with building the room. We’re learning so much about the needs in Serbia, and the way God is moving in this warm and welcoming country.
