Press Release

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
FEBURARY 15, 2017
CONTACT:
Christina Klinepeter, 773-724-0605
Matthew Soerens, 920-428-9534

World Relief Announces the Layoff of 140+ Staff and Closure of Five Local Offices Due to the Trump Administration’s Reduction in Refugee Resettlements in the U.S.

“America is now less able to help those around the world who need our help the most.”
– Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief
 

BALTIMORE, MD — As a direct result of the recent decision by the Trump Administration to dramatically reduce the number of refugees resettled in the U.S. throughout fiscal year 2017, World Relief has been forced to make the difficult decision to layoff 140+ staff members across its U.S. Ministry and close local offices in Boise, Idaho; Columbus, Ohio; Miami, Florida; Nashville, Tennessee; and Glen Burnie, Maryland. Collectively, these five offices have resettled more than 25,000 refugees over the past four decades.

“It has been our great privilege to serve both local churches and resilient refugee and immigrant families in each of these communities,” says World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “Our staff at each of these locations have served diligently and sacrificially—some of them for many years—and we are deeply saddened to have to make this difficult decision. These staff members are also experts whose vast experience has brought an effectiveness and professionalism to their work. This represents a loss of more than 140 jobs—which by itself is deeply troubling—but also decades of organizational expertise and invaluable capacity to serve the world’s most vulnerable people.”

Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief, is making it clear that World Relief’s organizational mandate and ministry will continue on. “We fully intend to continue the critical work of resettling refugees and serving other immigrants in the communities where we serve throughout the United States,” says Breene. “The unfortunate truth is that given the unprecedented nature of the global refugee crisis, there are simply more people than ever that need our support and our compassion. We are redoubling our efforts to find solutions to serve displaced peoples in the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, and elsewhere around the globe. We urge the Trump Administration to renew and reinvigorate efforts to work together with the global humanitarian community to meet this urgent crisis head on.”

Private citizens, churches, and charities that would like to contribute to World Relief’s efforts here and abroad may do so at www.worldrelief.org.

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World Relief is a global humanitarian relief 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 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 WorldRelief.org |  Twitter @WorldRelief

STATEMENT
February 9, 2017

WORLD RELIEF PRESIDENT REACTS TO 9TH CIRCUIT RULING

Baltimore, MD
World Relief President Scott Arbeiter releases the following statement in response to today’s 9th Circuit ruling:

“We are heartened by this ruling as it keeps open a lifeline for so many refugees already feeling  traumatized and unwelcome. So many families, already separated for long periods by terror, war and persecution can now continue the process of being reunited. It is important to note however that this ruling does not address one of the most dramatic impacts of the Executive Order, the reduction of the number of refugees to be admitted from 110,000 to 50,000. Despite the positive impact of the temporary restraining order, this reduction means that many fewer refugees will be resettled at a time when the number of displaced people is higher than at any time in history.”

Scott Arbeiter
President of World Relief

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**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
FEBURARY 8, 2017
CONTACT: 
The KAIROS Company for WORLD RELIEF
MediaInquiries@theKcompany.co
 

As Refugee-Related Executive Order Makes Its Way Through the Courts, Top Evangelicals Speak Up via Full-Page Ad in Today’s Washington Post

WASHINGTON, DC —
More than 500 evangelical pastors and ministry leaders representing every state in the nation, signed on to a letter to President Trump and Vice-President Pence, expressing concerns over the dramatic reduction in refugee resettlement included within a presidential executive order. The letter is being delivered as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sustained a federal judge’s temporary restraining order on some, but not all, elements of that order.  

The letter, published this morning as a full page ad in The Washington Post, was affirmed by many of the most prominent evangelical leaders in the country including authors Tim and Kathy Keller, Senior Pastor Bill Hybels and author Lynne Hybels, and Northland Church Senior Pastor Joel Hunter.

Various other evangelical denominational leaders, authors, seminary presidents, and ministry leaders—among them National Association of Evangelicals President Leith Anderson, New York Times bestselling author Ann Voskamp, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary President Daniel Akin, and Open Doors USA President and CEO David Curry—also affirmed the letter. The full text of the letter, with the list of its signatories, is available at worldrelief.org/refugee-letter.

“We live in a dangerous world and affirm the crucial role of government in protecting us from harm and in setting the terms on refugee admissions. However, compassion and security can coexist, as they have for decades,” states the letter. “While we are eager to welcome persecuted Christians, we also welcome vulnerable Muslims and people of other faiths or no faith at all. This executive order dramatically reduces the overall number of refugees allowed this year, robbing families of hope and a future.”

The letter notes how thousands of local U.S. congregations have welcomed newly arrived refugees of all faiths through the Refugee Resettlement Program and how these churches and other ministries still have the desire to welcome many more. “As Christians, we have a historic call expressed over two thousand years, to serve the suffering. We cannot abandon this call now,” the letter continues.

The letter was coordinated by World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization that serves vulnerable people worldwide through a variety of holistic development initiatives. Additionally, World Relief is one of nine agencies nationally authorized by the U.S. State Department to resettle refugees.

“It is not new for the church to use its voice on behalf of those who have none. It is part of our historic call and identity. And for nearly four decades World Relief has helped thousands of churches and tens of thousands of volunteers express that call by welcoming refugees. This letter is evidence that the church will not abandon its calling to serve the most vulnerable,” said World Relief President Scott Arbeiter.

“Christians have always spoken up for the vulnerable. I hope the Trump administration hears our concerns that we have a safe and compassionate refugee policy—and our confidence that we can continue to do both,” noted Ed Stetzer of Wheaton College.

“For some people, embracing refugees is a political issue,” noted author Lynne Hybels. “For me, as a Christian, speaking up for and caring for refugees is more an act of worship and obedience to a God whose Kingdom is global and whose ‘mercies are new every morning.’ On a personal level, my life has been profoundly enriched by the courageously resilient refugees I’ve known in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as in Illinois and Michigan. I hope many more American Christians will be able to enjoy the rewards of such mutually transformational relationships.”

“While politicians debate and courts deliberate, we are Christians who pray for refugees,” said Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
 

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Download print-friendly version of the letter published in The Washington Post.
 

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World Relief is a global humanitarian relief 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 WorldRelief.org  |  Twitter @WorldRelief
 

STATEMENT
February 1, 2017

WE ARE PRO-REFUGEE AND PRO-SECURITY: THE REFUGEE EXECUTIVE ORDER AND OUR PHILOSOPHY ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

We have recently been both praised and criticized for taking a public stand regarding the executive order on immigrants and refugees. Our critics have quite reasonably asked us why we would take a policy stand on this issue. The following is our view on how we use our voice on behalf of those we serve.

Our mission is to empower the church to serve the most vulnerable. When public policy poses a threat to either or both of these mandates, we feel obligated to use our voice. We seek to do so wisely and with respect for the leadership whose authority we live under. Nonetheless, we consider it part of our calling not to stay silent when important matters are at stake.

Some have asked if we are opposing a candidate or a party; we are not. We never have and never will. While each of our staff has their own political leanings, we take no position on candidates or parties as an organization.

If, however, we understand politics to be the “art of public policy,” we will enter that discussion with conviction. In fact, we believe that to use our voice is part of our biblical call as we seek to influence legislation and public policy on issues that we believe impact the nation. (See For the Health of The Nation, written by our parent organization the NAE). So, on one day we may be speaking at “Evangelicals for Life,” and the next day speak out on the need for immigration reform.

Some may consider this advocacy for a cause and they would be right. We believe it is our obligation to use our voice on behalf of those who have none.

If we consider some of the great movements of the past centuries, it is the people of God who were central in changing public policy on the abolition of slavery, the care of orphans, improvements in the quality and availability of public health, and education. We do not believe that our Christian faith excuses us from the public discourse but in fact demands it.

In addition to advocating for the powerless and suffering, we have heard from many evangelical pastors and leaders that our voice helps them find theirs. Often pastors do not have time to study issues in detail on their own. Other times, they have a point of view, but find additional courage to act and speak when they know they are not alone. In this way we feel we can empower the churches, a critical part of our calling. 

It could be asked why we have been vocal on this particular issue. Several factors compel us:

• We are witnesses to the greatest displacement of people the world has known. We have been called to live out our faith in a day marked by enormous displacement and suffering. People are fleeing their cities and homes, they are wandering, cold, hungry, and unwelcomed. We must act and speak on their behalf. We work both in the U.S. and abroad to address these needs. And we are calling the church and the culture as a whole to compassion.
• In this time of crisis, the executive order issued completely closes the door to refugees already traumatized and forsaken, most of whom (70%) are women and children. It also keeps families separated. Approximately 70% of all refugees resettled by World Relief are for family reunification.
• The call for safety (a moratorium followed by a dramatic reduction in refugees to be admitted and likely indefinite ban on some nations) is based on misunderstood and often exaggerated claims of the danger posed by this population. Since the inception of the refugee program, three million refugees have been admitted to the United States. In this time, there has not been one American life lost to an act of terrorism perpetrated by a refugee. The Cato institute has published a study that indicates that the likelihood of a U.S. Citizen being killed in a terrorist act committed by a refugee to be 1 in 3.64 billion.
• No refugee can choose to come to the United States. They are only admitted after being selected by the U.S. Department of State and after going through a vetting process by the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other agencies that includes multiple interviews, biometric scanning, background checks etc. If there is any question about the security matters, the refugee is eliminated from the program.
• This is a matter of justice. Some of the most vulnerable people of an entire generation are being denied the compassion and care that have long been core American values. 

In the end, while we respect and affirm the role of our government to establish sound security measures and set reasonable terms on refugee admissions, we call for a swift end to the moratorium and a raising of the level of refugees to be admitted.

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