Who are the Romas?
When I share about CIM’s Roma Ministry, often times I get asked the question, “Who are the Romas? Are they from Romania or Rome? Are they known as the gypsies?” And though I have answered this question many times before, including here in our news updates, I thought I would clarify once more and share CIM’s commitment to reaching this people group with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the past, Romas have been classified as gypsies, though now it is considered a derogatory term. They were known as a transient group and involved in the supernatural with the reading of crystal balls. More recently, they have been classified as thieves and pickpockets. They are often looked down upon in society. Though there may be some truths to these statements, many of the Romas that I know personally are the nicest people I have met.
Romas originated in the Indian subcontinent. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Romas left India in migratory groups and were in Persia in the 11th century, in southeastern Europe by the beginning of the 14th, in western Europe by the 15th, and by the second half of the 20th century, to every continent, though the majority are believed to be in Eastern Europe. Because of their migratory nature and lack of census information, it is difficult to have an accurate approximation to the population of the Romas worldwide but the estimation is between 2 to 5 million. In Ukraine, where CIM has been serving the Romas, the estimate is 400 000.
In 2017, CIM Canada felt that the Lord was calling us to expand our cross-cultural ministries and after much prayer, the Roma people group was put on our hearts. We sent a team to Ukraine for an exploratory trip where the Lord reiterated our desire to reach out to this people group. In 2018, we officially started our partnership with House of Mercy in Ukraine and in June, 2018, we sent our first short term mission team to reach out to the Romas. Currently, we are supporting 5 Roma pastors and a ministry worker, Pastor Vlad, who is overseeing the Roma Ministries for House of Mercy.
With the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine on February, 2022, due to liability issues, we have not been able to send teams to the area, though we continue to support the pastors financially and have sent funds for aid to House of Mercy due to the war. Pastor Vasya gives the newest update in the following video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICPeNL5TYb4.To donate to our Ukraine crisis fund, please click here.
As we seek God’s guidance for expanding our Roma Ministry, we have been given opportunities in other Roma communities. In 2019, we sent an exploratory team to Serbia to visit Pastor Miki Kamberoivc. I was also able to meet him again in April during the Roma Network Conference in Albania.
After the Conference, we visited different Roma communities in Elbasan, Albania, Skopje, Prilep, and Bitola in North Macedonia, and Perea (near Thessaloniki) in Greece. This was an eye-opening trip for us. Each community was unique and yet similar. There is a huge need to share the gospel to this people group. They are heavily discriminated against by their fellow citizens and governments and in the Balkan countries, there is a very strong Islam influence. In each of these communities, we were greeted enthusiastically, and toured the villages. Along with Serbia, there are definitely ministry opportunities for CIM. Please pray with us as we seek God’s guidance as to where He will lead us and we expand our Roma Ministries.
(With Roma youth in Perea, Greece)
(With Roma leaders in Prilep, North Macedonia)
(With Roma youth in Skopje, North Macedonia)
In last month’s news update, we reported that Pastor Thomas was behind in his rent in Ghana. We are pleased to say that his rent has now been paid. Thank you to all the supporters.
To read our International Worker Janice’s blogs.
https://www.cimcanada.org/janice-ministry-updates
Rev. Isaac Quan
Executive Director for CIM Ministries
Olivia Luong, writes her fourth article in a series to bring awareness to simple estate planning to CIM donors. The goal is that donors will consider some or all of the strategies in addition to their regular giving.
REGISTERED SAVING PLANS
The Canadian government established the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) in 19xx to encourage Canadians to save for their retirement. RRSP, RRIF, LIRA, and the like all have one thing in common: income tax is deferred until money is withdrawn from the account. It is hoped that contributions are paid into the plan in the years when a person is in a higher income tax bracket, and withdrawals are made in later years when a person is in a lower income tax bracket.
It is the intention of the government that these funds will be used during retirement years to provide a major source of retirement funding and to be used up. Many people make the mistakes of not using these funds because its withdrawal will trigger income tax. Instead, they draw from their cash savings, non-registered investments or their Tax-Free Savings Account. Withdrawals from TFSA are completely tax-free. Withdrawals from investment accounts may trigger some capital gain tax. The taxpayer also pays tax on interest and dividend income yearly. The unintentional result is that a large sum of money sits in their RRSP/RRIF account and in the year of death, it will trigger a large income tax burden to be paid by the estate. It also wipes out many years of frugal saving.
I have read over and over again that some financial advisors are advising their clients to avoid drawing down their RRSP account due to fear of paying a lot of income tax. One must take into account the amount of income tax paid in one’s lifetime, including the final tax return. Prudent taxpayers may start drawing down a larger amount of RRSP even though they do not need the money for day-to-day use. It is better to pay a 30% income tax over several years than to be stuck with a 54% income tax in the final income tax return.
One strategy to lessen the tax burden is to donate some of these funds to charitable organizations such as CIM or your local church. The donation receipt can be used to offset some of the tax owed.
In the coming months, there will be different topics on effective estate planning. Stay tuned.
June Financials 2024
1. General Fund - for general and administrative purposes, such as staff salaries
2. Designated Fund - for specific ministries in different field locations as designated (cannot be transferred between funds)
*All financial figures are in Canadian dollars and rounded to the nearest dollar
Pray With Us:
Pray for guidance and direction in our ministries in Togo. Pray for Pastor Matthieu’s family as he embarks on the next chapter of his life.
Please continue to pray for peace in Ukraine. The invasion rages on and innocent lives are lost each day. Pray for House of Mercy as they take care of refugees, physically and spiritually. Pray for Pastor Vlad as he ministers to the Romas.
Pray for guidance and direction for our next steps for our Roma Ministry. After attending the Roma Network Conference and subsequent visits to Roma communities, we have been presented with different opportunities.
Pray for the pastors and teachers that we support in Ghana and Togo. Inflation is still greatly affecting their lives. Pray for wisdom to know how to empower church members to support their churches in these economically challenging times.
Pray for Janice in Ghana as she continues with her ministry after her maternity leave. Pray that she can find balance between her work with CIM and caring for Lucy.
Pray for the finances of CIM Ministries. Pray for new donors and a healthy general fund to run our ministries. In order to run our ministries effectively, we are currently seeking monthly donors. Click here to donate.
Pray for CIM USA as they are still looking for an Executive Director and Director of Ministry.