Moving Forward with World Relief Durham

This fall, a few of World Relief Durham’s partners shared why they serve with World Relief and what it looks like for their community to move forward together. Here are some of their thoughts:

Why World Relief?

“They not only serve [the international community] well, but they love it well, and they do it from a biblical perspective and they do it holistically, which is very, very important to a person who has no idea what to do next.”

Raven Fox, ServeRDU Associate Director of Community Training, The Summit Church

“World Relief is great access to finding people that we can support as a church, and it’s also a place that gives us the tools with the training before people enter – that’s really helpful for them to be culturally sensitive and ready to help in a good, kind way!”

Andrea Tshihamba, World Relief Durham Volunteer

“I think it’s a great organization that combines our love for Jesus with love for people. I think keeping those things together is really important for us, as God’s people, and as a pastor, I’m excited that this is an organization that really shows us how to do that.”

Dave Dunderdale, Associate Pastor, Blacknall Memorial Presbyterian Church

How have you seen your community “move together” to create lasting change?

“I think Durham represents a lot of history and a lot of grit. And I feel like World Relief Durham is part of that community and when, for example, with the Afghanistan crisis, the amount of outpouring to […] donate money to help World Relief Durham to be able to serve the refugees coming in, was completely – we were all just blown away by the support of the community.” 

Naoshi Yamauchi, World Relief Durham Board Member & Volunteer

“We’ve seen more and more people thinking through what skill set or what gifting they have and how they can leverage that. […] One [example] around housing: some people who own a variety of rental units, and have been thinking how could they make them affordable; make them affordable especially to refugees who are just getting here. Maybe you have no credit history; maybe you can’t afford market rate. So they’re able to offer them at affordable rates, and be able to work with them to build credit and to be able to eventually move towards owning their own homes.”

KJ Hill, Pastor of Community Development and Outreach, The Summit Church

Interviews collected by Karen Spencer, U.S. Marketing Partner, World Relief, and Rachel Clair, Content Manager, World Relief.