Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses prayer meetings in private homes of Roma Pentecostals in England during the Covid-19 pandemic when visiting other households was not permitted, and asks what forms of care can exist in situations where rules are transgressed and which create increased risk of virus transmission.

Paper long abstract:

This paper discusses prayer meetings in private homes of Roma Pentecostals in England during the Covid-19 pandemic, drawing on informal online and in person conversations with Roma that took place during the summer and autumn of 2020. Even though the British government put in place measures that limited the number of people with whom a person could interact, and there were periods of time when visiting other households was not allowed, Roma from the Life and Light Church continued to meet regularly for prayer meetings, thus breaking the restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of the virus. Considering that many of those who belong to the Church are in a high-risk category for complications from Covid and there is an increased risk of transmission when people pray aloud next to each other, is it possible to look at these meetings as involving care? This paper argues that participating in religious meetings where people pray for others, both those who present and those who are absent, is a form of care even though it involves transgressing state-created regulations. Prayer is an intangible form of care, yet it is these expressions of care that help to forge, shape, and maintain social relationships. Additionally, the Church provides material support, in the form of financial, food or clothes collections and participating in Church activities, like prayer meetings, can help gain access to this material help in situations when access to state-provided care and material help is limited or absent.