The 4th Roma Networks International Conference
From April 9-12, I was able to attend the 4th Roma Networks International Conference held in the seaside town of Golem, Albania off the Adriatic Sea. As this was my first Roma Network Conference, I had no idea what to expect. Upon arrival, I found out that this was the largest Roma Network Conference with over 320 delegates from 40 different countries. From Canada, we had a contingent of 7 people from CIM, CCCOWE (Chinese Coordination Centre of World Evangelism) and GO International (Gospel Operation International). The irony is that all 7 of us from Canada are ethnically Chinese with myself being the only one being born in Canada. After the Conference, the Canadian contingent visited Roma settlements in Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece.
(The Canadian contingent)
The Conference was amazing. Not only was it an opportunity to network and learn about Roma ministries around the world, but it truly was a picture of heaven on earth as we praised and worship God in many different languages representing many nations. The main language of the Conference was in English but the main talks was translated to Serbian at the front and in the back, the translators, through headphones, translating to Hungarian, Russian, German, Romanian, and more.
(Translators)
Each day, there were also workshops each afternoon, regional meetings (Canada was grouped with USA), and time to network during coffee breaks. I was able to reacquaint myself with Pastor Miki (board member for the Roma Networks) and discuss with him the possibility of CIM doing Roma Ministries in Serbia. It was also wonderful to meet people from all over the globe with different backgrounds, different cultures, different languages all with a heart for the Roma people group.
(Regional Meeting with USA)
(With Pastor Miki)
Here is a short video with my remarks at the end of the Conference.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zz11zRqvDZAkuhKUbf_4KVLoAtOD1TBK/view?usp=sharing
And here is a wrap up video from Roma Networks.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=454399690591373&ref=sharing
I am very encouraged by the work of the Roma Networks. In 2013, Dr. Sharon Chan, president for the Great Commission Centre International was inspired reading 3 separate articles by Melody Wachsmuth about God’s work in Roma communities in Europe. She felt the Lord placing a burden on her heart for Chinese churches to serve in the Roma communities. Along with Dr. Thomas Wang, (the founder of GCCI, and a few others, they took an exploratory trip to Roma settlements in Serbia. Based on that trip, they decided to hold a conference to connect Roma leaders and ministries throughout Europe. In 2014, the first Roma Network Conference was help in Budapest, Hungary with about 100 people from 16 countries. The Conference has grown a lot since then with the leadership and board members being mainly from the Roma community. For CIM to participate in this conference was very meaningful and also eye opening.
For more information on how the Roma Networks started:
https://romanetworks.org/how-it-started/
After the Conference, we traveled to various Roma settlements in Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece. Stay tuned for a future newsletter that will give further details regarding that part of the trip.
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 second article in a series to bring awareness of simple estate planning ideas to CIM donors. The goal is that donors will consider some or all of the strategies in addition to their regular giving.
GIVING OF APPRECIATED STOCK
My friend had the foresight of purchasing Nvidia stocks a few years ago when it was around US$200 per share. These days, Nvidia stock price hovers around US$800 per share. Let’s look at the difference between donating the proceeds of sale to charity vs making an in-kind donation. For simplicity, we assume USD at par as CAD.
This strategy is best used for stocks held in non-registered investment accounts as registered accounts (such as RRSP, RRIF, TFSA, etc.) do not offer savings on taxable capital gain. When donating in-kind, CRA ‘forgives’ the tax owed for capital gain, and the donation tax receipt can be used to offset other taxes.
This strategy can be used during lifetime donation as well as through the estate.
In the coming months, there will be different topics on effective estate planning. Stay tuned.
April 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 that there will be donors for our benevolent fund so we can help with some of their physical needs.
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.