Posts by worldrelief
UPDATED: 3 Things You Can Do Right Now to Show Support for Refugees
Over the past few days, we’ve seen an outpouring of responses to the resources we have provided on how to stand in solidarity with refugees. During this critical time, your efforts mean the world. Here’s an updated list of ways you can show support for refugees right now:
1. Advocate
Sign this petition expressing your support for refugees. Or call your elected officials on behalf of refugees at 1.866.940.2439.
2. Donate
Make a one-time donation or commit to $15/month to Unlock Hope.
3. Engage
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and join the conversation.
Additional Resources:
More Ways You Can Advocate on Behalf of Refugees
World Relief’s Policy Statement on Refugee Resettlement
Video Message from Emily Gray, World Relief SVP of U.S. Ministries
Video Message from Jenny Yang, World Relief VP of Advocacy and Policy
Religion News Service Published Op-Ed Written by World Relief CEO Tim Breene
In his op-ed titled, “Security is not everything,” World Relief CEO Tim Breene explains, “when our desire for security is so great that it diminishes our humanity and our capacity or willingness to see the world through the eyes of another, we lose a precious part of who we were designed to be.” Read Op-Ed
How to Advocate on Behalf of Refugees
Your voice is needed now more than ever.
On Friday, January 27, the new presidential administration issued an executive order that suspends the Refugee Resettlement Program for 120 days, cuts the United States’ current commitment to refugee arrivals by over half, and bans Syrian refugee arrivals for an indefinite period of time (with other nationalities potentially on the line).
We need an outpouring of signatures, calls, and emails to your elected officials to say that this is not OK.
Would you do the following 3 things?
1. Sign a petition.
Sign and share this petition expressing solidarity with refugees.
2. Contact elected officials.
Email your elected officials here and call your U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives by dialing 1-866-940-2439. Once connected, you can share:
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Your name, city, and state
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Your support for the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
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One or two reasons why you personally believe in welcoming refugees
Another great way to make your voice heard is by commenting on White House Facebook posts or submitting a message at whitehouse.gov/contact.
3. Use social media
Use the links below to tweet the following message to President Trump, The White House, and your senators and representatives.
My community stands with ALL refugees! The U.S. should continue to resettle #refugees! #wewelcomerefugees
Tweet @realDonaldTrump
Tweet @WhiteHouse
Tweet your senators
Tweet your representatives
Below, please watch a short video of Jenny Yang, World Relief VP of Advocacy and Policy, recorded shortly before last week’s executive order.
Thank you for taking a stand at this critical time. Your voice is going to make a difference!
A Letter to President Trump on Executive Order on Refugees
Dear President Trump and Vice President Pence,
As evangelical Christians, we are guided by the Bible to be particularly concerned for the plight of refugees, individuals who have been forced to flee their countries because of the threat of persecution. Evangelical churches and ministries have long played a key role in welcoming, resettling, and assisting in the integration of refugees from various parts of the world. As such, we are troubled by the recent executive order temporarily halting refugee resettlement and dramatically reducing the number of refugees who could be considered for resettlement to the U.S.
The Bible teaches us that each person — including each refugee, regardless of their country of origin, religious background, or any other qualifier — is made in the Image of God, with inherent dignity and potential. Their lives matter to God, and they matter to us. While the U.S. has in recent years received only a fraction of 1 percent of the world’s refugees annually, we believe the refugee resettlement program provides a lifeline to these uniquely vulnerable individuals and a vital opportunity for our churches to live out the biblical commands to love our neighbors, to make disciples of all nations, and to practice hospitality.
Our faith also compels us to be concerned with the well-being of families. Most of the refugees admitted to the U.S. in recent years are family reunification cases, coming to join a relative already in the country. A temporary moratorium will unnecessarily delay families whose cases already have been screened and approved from being reunited.
We fully affirm the important role of the U.S. government in vetting and screening those considered for resettlement to our country; indeed, it is a God-ordained responsibility of government. However, the U.S. refugee resettlement program’s screening process is already extremely thorough — more intensive, in fact, than the vetting that is required of any other category of visitor or immigrant to our nation — and it has a remarkably strong record. While we are always open to improvements to our government’s screening process, we believe that our nation can continue to be both compassionate and secure.
We would ask that you reconsider these decisions, allowing for resettlement of refugees to resume immediately so that our churches and ministries can continue to live out our faith in this way.
We are praying for you and for all of those in positions of civil authority, that God would continue to grant you wisdom and guidance.
Respectfully,
Chad Hayward
CEO
Accord Network
Shirley V. Hoogstra
President
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Hyepin Im
President & CEO
Korean Churches for Community Development
Leith Anderson
President
National Association of Evangelicals
Rev. Dr. Samuel Rodriguez
President
National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Rev. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon
Ambassador
The Wesleyan Church
Tim Breene
CEO
World Relief
Richard Stearns
President
World Vision U.S.
Download PDF of this letter.
Join us in urging Congress and local officials to end the moratorium and resume the resettlement of refugees as soon as possible. Sign the refugee petition now.
World Relief Calls for a Swift End to Refugee Ban
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
JANUARY 27, 2017
CONTACT:
The KAIROS Company for WORLD RELIEF
MediaInquiries@theKcompany.co
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World Relief Calls for a Swift End to Refugee Ban
“World Relief believes that every day counts for countless refugees in desperate need. We risk compounding this crisis further by lengthy delays.”
Scott Arbeiter, World Relief President
BALTIMORE, MD – World Relief expresses dismay at the Trump Administration’s decision to place a 120 day moratorium on the Refugee Admissions Program, and to indefinitely exclude refugees from many of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
“The lengthy delay imposed in this ban further traumatizes refugees, most of whom are women and children, keeps families separated and punishes people who are themselves fleeing the terror we as a nation are rightly fighting to end,” said Scott Arbeiter, World Relief President.
The security risks in the United States must not be confused with those in Europe where an unregulated flow of refugees both by sea and land present enormous challenges. No refugee enters the United States who is not approved by the State Department and vetted with great care by the department of Homeland Security and other US agencies. This process, often lasting 18-24 months, includes biometric scans, multiple interviews and other safeguards.
“We live in a dangerous world and it is right that we take security seriously. The American people are rightly asking for transparency on the measures taken to safeguard our homeland. However, World Relief does not believe compassion and security have to be mutually exclusive. While it is wise to always work to increase effectiveness, a lengthy and complete ban is not necessary to meet our commitment to security, transparency, and compassion,” said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief.
World Relief’s mission is to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable. The organization has done so, in part, by resettling refugees under seven different Presidential administrations for nearly forty years. World Relief calls on the administration to commit the resources needed for a rapid restoration of this life-saving program, which represents the historic compassion and courage of the American people.
“We stand with refugees. Standing with us are many thousands of American citizens in congregations and communities across the nation who have joined us in this cause. We do so remembering that many of our ancestors came to this nation fleeing the persecution of their day. In a day in which the world faces the greatest humanitarian crisis we have known we cannot be slow to act. Far too much is at risk,” said Arbeiter.
World Relief has publicly and privately expressed its willingness to work with the incoming administration to improve the program while ensuring greater understanding and greater confidence in its existing strengths.
To learn more about World Relief’s efforts to care for refugees already in the United States and in vulnerable communities abroad, visit: www.worldrelief.org/welcome.
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World Relief is a global humanitarian aid and development organization that stands with the vulnerable and partners with local churches to end the cycle of suffering, transform lives and build sustainable communities. With over 70 years of experience, World Relief has 25 offices in the United States that specialize in refugee and immigration services, and works in 20 countries worldwide through disaster response, health and child development, economic development, and peacebuilding.
Website | www.worldrelief.org Twitter | @WorldRelief
Download PDF of this press release
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CHURCH LEADERS: A Call to Prayer for Refugees and Immigrants
For the better part of my life in ministry, churches, including that ones I have served in, have taken the very reasonable view that they should not dive into politics. Politics are divisive. Political rhetoric eschews with “alternative facts,” and our role as church leaders is to extend welcome to anyone seeking the grace of Christ—we do not want to alienate based on party. Pragmatically, this makes sense.
But what is the role of the Church when politics and clear Biblical teaching collide? How do we respond when the explicit commands of Scripture—to respect the sanctity of life, to welcome the stranger, and refugee, and care for the poor, but up against discourse in the public square?
For many church leaders, including myself for many years, we choose to direct attention elsewhere, avoiding the thicket of these issues, citing with resolute pragmatism that we do not want to be a stumbling block. This has weakened our voice and done a disservice to our congregations.
When politics and the Bible collide, it is an opportunity for discipleship.
I do not think that it is the role of the church to endorse politicians or political parties. But the Church must teach the Scriptures and provide practical ways for its community to reach the lost and hurting in the world. In this way, many of us have failed. I have failed.
Take the recent crisis with refugees and immigrants. Right now there are more people forcibly displaced from their homes than at any other time in recorded human history. The Bible speaks clearly to the issues of human suffering, welcoming the stranger, and the role of the Church to provide relief. But a recent survey by Lifeway Research shows that only 21% of American Christians have been challenged by their pastors to explore the Scriptures and to reach out and serve refugees and other immigrants in our midst.
Let’s take the most uncontroversial thing that a church can ever do—pray. A survey conducted at the end of 2016 by World Vision, found that only 19% of committed Christians prayed for Syrian refugees in the previous 12 months. Only 1 in 5 people from the most well-educated, most well-resourced group of Christians to ever live, took a moment and prayed for the world’s most needy and violent areas last year.
This is a crisis of discipleship.
This is thorny, it’s complicated and like almost everything in life, there are many shades of grey. But what is clear, is that the Bible is clear.
Church leaders—your job is hard and the number of things you have to navigate is astounding. So, we are going to make our call simple. Will you sign this letter saying that you will commit to praying for refugees and immigrants during your services over the next few weeks? If you want to teach further on this—GREAT—and we have resources below for it.
We cannot stay silent and abdicate our responsibilities as leaders of the Church to deepen discipleship in our congregations by addressing issues that the Bible clearly and unequivocally addresses—even if those issues have political dynamics.
Sign on now!
Additional Resources:
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Livestream Recording with World Relief’s Jenny Yang, Matthew Soerens, and James Misner
Evangelical Experts Oppose Trump’s Refugee Ban
This Christianity Today article explores the effects of the newly signed immigration and refugee resettlement executive orders on Christian aid groups like World Relief. Read story.
Jenny Yang Statement on Smith-Eshoo Bill to Help Genocide Survivors
STATEMENT
January 19, 2017
WORLD RELIEF VICE PRESIDENT JENNY YANG COMMENDS SMITH-ESHOO BILL TO HELP GENOCIDE SURVIVORS
NEW YORK, NY
World Relief Vice President of Advocacy and Policy, Jenny Yang, releases the following statement commending the reintroduction of the Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act (H.R. 390) co-sponsored by Reps. Smith and Eshoo:
“Over the past few years, religious persecution around the world—especially in the Middle East—has reached unprecedented levels. Christian, Yazidi, and other minority religious communities, which have resided in the region for centuries and even millennia, have been driven from their homes, and in many instances, systematically exterminated. Tragically, the world, for the most part, has stood by in silence.”
“The reintroduction of H.R. 390 comes at a time of urgent need. I applaud Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. Anna Eshoo for their unwavering commitment to provide relief and seek justice for the survivors of ISIS genocide in Iraq and Syria. This bill is critically important to the establishment of a broader peace throughout the region, one that defends the God-given religious freedoms of these extremely threatened communities.”
Contact: Jenny Yang / jyang@wr.org / 433.527.8363 / Twitter: @JennyYangWR
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Changemakers in South Sudan — Establishing a Place of Peace and Love
This month, we’re sharing stories from our work around the world. It is our hope that these stories will inspire, encourage, and enrich your lives. The following post was written by Darren Harder, Country Director for World Relief South Sudan.
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“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me;
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father, brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother, in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now;
With every step I take, let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live each moment, in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”
The lyrics to this beloved Christmas hymn seem to ring truer with each passing year.
Peace. Something that has too often seemed unattainable in 2016. A year that has been difficult, contentious, and violent both here in the U.S. and around the world. A year that has challenged us all as individuals, as parents, spouses, friends, colleagues, even as Christians. Now, as we draw near to the end of the year, we long for a more peaceful 2017, one filled with love and with hope for a better tomorrow.
Amidst this darkness, what better time to look to stories of incredible hope where peace can indeed triumph against the odds? Stories that encourage and inspire us. Stories that show us we can rise above our doubts. Stories like the one of the Church in war-torn South Sudan.
Though pushed from international headlines by the tragedy of Syria and the horrifying images streaming almost daily out of Aleppo, few places have more tragic histories or precarious futures than South Sudan. After decades of civil war with North Sudan, the world’s youngest country was born to great fanfare and hope in 2011. But that hope did not last long. In 2013 violence broke out, between supporters of the President and former Vice President of South Sudan. Over the last three years, ethnic-based killings have taken place on all sides, accompanied by growing demands for vengeance. According to the U.S. Institute for Peace, nearly 4 million South Sudanese face severe food insecurity, and more than 2 million have been displaced by the war.
The stories circulating in international media, paint a bleak picture of South Sudan and its immediate future. Even bleaker are the suggestions from the diplomatic community that the situation could get worse before it gets better. Despite multiple efforts to broker peace, South Sudan, like too many other places around the world, now faces impending catastrophe. Militias are mobilizing along ethnic lines, hate speech is circulating on social media, and international human rights groups are now documenting widespread human rights abuses.
And yet, against this dark canvas of suffering, fear, and forced displacement, one area stands out, determined to be a place of peace and love. This place is Ibba, a county in Western Equatoria State, where World Relief South Sudan is partnering with Church leaders, determined to become a light amidst the darkness.
In Ibba, World Relief is working in collaboration with local Churches to build homes for the elderly and the sick, run agricultural trainings to increase harvests in order to feed the hungry, and start savings groups. We are training women and young mothers in fostering peaceful family environments and in other life skills. Above all, we are focused on working together to organize spiritual activities that help build the unity of the Church, enable them to share each other’s burdens and challenges, and share in peaceful solutions.
On November 20, 2016 a joint prayer service was held at St. Charles Lwanga Catholic Parish of Ibba, which brought together more than 3,000 people from across the region for over eight hours of prayer and worship. It was the first time that four Christian denominations, namely ECSS/S, Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, and Seventh Days Adventists, have come together to worship in Ibba. Church leaders preached messages of peace, unity, and collaboration. Many announced it was the first time in their lives that they’d seen such unity, and challenged the congregation to take the message of peace home to their neighbors.
As I watched the church come together as a unified body of believers, to pray for their communities and to serve the most vulnerable, I reflected on how much we can learn from our brothers and sisters in South Sudan who are doing the hard work of peacemaking each day. Even though insecurity exists in neighboring counties, Ibba has remained calm, and I have no doubt it is due to the leadership shown by the local pastors in Ibba. I thank God for them daily and pray that they will continue to find their voice as they become beacons of light in their suffering communities.
Now and in the coming New Year, let us stand up for change. Let us join together with these peacemakers. Let us come alongside them to learn from them, to stand with them, and to give to them, so that they may increase their capacity for peace in South Sudan and beyond. Let us find peace on earth, and let it begin with you.
Changemakers in Rwanda — A Story of Light Overcoming Darkness
The following post was written by Moses Ndahiro, Country Director for World Relief Rwanda.
Rwanda.
A country as magnificent as it is complex. A place of breath-taking beauty, and of an unthinkably violent history. A marvelous land of a thousand hills, still haunted by an eerie morning fog that sits atop the horizon and whispers of horrors passed; a genocide that shook the world so deeply, it promised, “never again”.
It is a country unlike any other, where God’s creation is on display in all its splendor and diversity. The warmth and hospitality of a people striving to rebuild and rewrite their story. The hope of a history overcome, and of a nation reborn.
And it is a country where God is at work in powerful ways. Where people’s hearts and minds are being transformed through Christ. Where the Church is stepping into its rightful place as the hope of the world.
It is a story of light overcoming the darkness.
The Church established itself in Rwanda over 100 years ago, and today, more than 70% of the population is in a church building every week. How then, in 1994, did a genocide of such horrific proportions and unprecedented brutality take place? Volumes have been written on the underlying causes, on the immediate events leading up to the genocide and of the failure of the world to take heed of the warning signs. Little, however, was said of the failure of the Church to stand up and protect the vulnerable. Fortunately, that has changed. Today’s Church in Rwanda is quite different from the institutionalized Church of the past. It is vibrant, diverse, and growing. And step-by-step, it has begun to walk alongside its people in their journey from darkness and despair, towards hope and renewal.
World Relief first established its presence in Rwanda immediately following the genocide. Watching the international community respond with one-off emergency interventions, we became increasingly convinced that solutions needed to center on the resourcefulness and hearts of the local people, and that the Church had a unique role to play. Born out of that conviction, World Relief first pioneered its Church Empowerment Zone model in 2011. Founded on our strong belief that transformational change begins with the Church, we began teaching, mobilizing, and empowering local churches and their networks to serve the most vulnerable in their communities. Through sharing and building leadership capacity, we brought churches of all denominations together in one network to unite under a common curriculum and leadership development program, giving them the opportunity to wrestle with common problems, share resources, and join together in a common vision for their churches, families, and communities.
“We do not see one another as enemies anymore. Now we come together as brothers, bringing our strengths together. We are at peace.” – Pastor Museveni
Today, the Church Empowerment Zone model is unleashing the potential of hundreds of churches and communities across Rwanda, building a legacy of hope, generosity, and self-reliance that is sustaining progress. Local churches are no longer simply institutions for Sunday gatherings, but the epicenters of their communities—transforming hearts, minds, and attitudes. Rwanda is a vivid and timely reminder that there is more to religion than just turning up to church. It has revealed how essential it is for our faith to be strongly rooted in a holistic and meaningful understanding of the Gospel.
One pastor in Bushenge, Rwanda said, “Now we are caring for the poor and most vulnerable. We are creating love where the Devil was bringing hate and division. We are bringing the Kingdom of God down to Earth. Our families are in harmony. And a family in harmony will prosper in everything.”
Over the last five years, we have seen families reunited and health and nutrition outcomes improved. We have seen neighbors, siblings, spouses, children, and friends overcome their challenges and experience renewed and strengthened holistic relationships. We have seen the transformation of lives.
The story of the church in Rwanda is powerful and inspiring. But it is not the only nation where the church is catalyzing transformational change.
Now is the time for the U.S. church to join in this rebirth. We have a unique role to play in helping African churches increase their capacity, and they have much to teach us about what it means to truly trust in God. When we work together in harmony, uplifting one another, and placing God at the center of our partnership, we have the true potential to transform the lives of millions of vulnerable people.
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