You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Leviticus 19:34-35
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…
Hebrews 13:2a
I was a stranger and you invited me in…
Matthew 25:35
In response to the Biblical call to love and show hospitality to the stranger, Springton Lake Presbyterian Church (SLPC) has launched this ministry to become a resettlement co-sponsor with Bethany Christian Services, the Resettlement Affiliate in the eastern PA region.
The purpose of a resettlement co-sponsor is to work alongside Bethany Christian Services to assist a refugee family in becoming integrated into the community and ultimately self-sufficient.
WHO ARE REFUGEES?
A refugee is a specific category of foreigner who has a “well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” Refugees undergo an extensive screening process by the US government (the process can take years) before being approved for resettlement in the US.
WHAT IS A RESETTLEMENT CO-SPONSOR?
Co-sponsors assist refugee families in the following ways:
- Securing safe and affordable housing
- Providing basic necessities (furniture, household items, clothing, food)
- Providing income support for the first 90 days
- Accessing government benefits (food and medical assistance)
Providing instruction & advice on:
- Local transportation
- Schooling children
- English language
- Job search & employment
- Finances, banking, paying bills
- Healthcare
- Providing cultural and community orientation
Being a refugee resettlement co-sponsor is a significant undertaking. It involves preparation & planning before a refugee family arrives and then an ongoing commitment to serve the family after they have been resettled locally. The length of time between when a refugee family is assigned to Bethany Christian Services and when they arrive in the community can be as quick as one week!
This ministry will need the support of the whole church –
volunteers, leaders, prayers, donors of goods, properties, and finances!
MINISTRY SUB-TEAMS
A group of people from SLPC have started to organize sub-teams for each of the areas of responsibility.
Ministry Leaders:
- Dana Swieson (dana@swieson.com)
- Andrew Lee (Andrewlee1254@gmail.com)
HOUSING: Find housing that is affordable, convenient, safe, and suitable for the family size. Assist with lease and utilities, help instruct family on arrival to home, provide education on renting, and conduct check-ins at least monthly. Housing Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Bill Clark (williamhclarkjr@gmail.com)
HOME SETUP: Secure & deliver furnishings and set up home prior to family arrival, including: furniture; bedding & linens; kitchen, bathroom, cleaning & laundry supplies; initial clothing, baby & children supplies; and initial 2-week supply of groceries. Home Setup Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Trudy Orthey (torthey@gmail.com)
ARRIVAL/ORIENTATION: Work in conjunction with the family’s case manager during the first few days of arrival. Meet family at airport, transport them to their housing, and assist in providing new home orientation. Assist Bethany with the first home visit, purchase a cellphone & plan, and provide neighborhood & grocery market orientation. Arrival Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Bill Clark (williamhclarkjr@gmail.com)
EMPLOYMENT: Establish a network of potential employers willing to employee refugees. Assist the adults with creating resumes, applying for jobs, and preparing for interviews. Assist with transportation to interviews and jobs, as needed. Assist with any employment issues as they arise. Employment Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Eric Burling (ecburling@gmail.com)
EDUCATION/ESL: For the adults, assist them with learning the English language through finding and/or providing ESL resources. For the children, assist with school enrollment and then with language and school tutoring, as needed. Education Volunteer Form.
Team Leader for Adults: Nancy Kirkwood (dnkirkwood@yahoo.com)
Team Leader for Children: Kathryn Burling (kwburling@gmail.com)
TRANSPORTATION: The first responsibility is to arrange for transportation to any essential and critical appointments during the early weeks after arrival (government, medical, school, banking, shopping, etc.). The second is to provide instruction and support on using public transportation. Transportation Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Cora Pennock (dugglebug@aol.com)
FINANCES: Help them to understand the various steps to becoming self-sufficient. Provide instruction on the value of US currency, paper & electronic banking, what is important mail/email, paying rent & bills, budgeting, how to protect finances & identity, how to identify scams, etc. Finances Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Kim Marie Falk (kimmariefalk@yahoo.com)
HEALTHCARE: Help them to navigate the American healthcare system and advise on health-related decisions, treatments, etc., as needed. Ensure they are able to get to their appointments and accompany them, if appropriate. Healthcare Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Kim Marie Falk (kimmariefalk@yahoo.com)
NEXT STEPS
If you have a skill, time, or resources that you want to offer to a sub-team, click on the "Volunteer Form" link next to the corresponding team and provide your contact information and answer a few questions that will help the subteam leader.
If you have questions or want more information about the ministry, contact any sub-team leader or one of the ministry leaders.
NOTE: All volunteers who will have contact with the refugee family must have current PA State background clearances on file at SLPC.
More Info
BIBLICAL CALL TO CARE FOR REFUGEES
Followers of Jesus Christ are commanded to love, care for, and show mercy to the stranger, the foreigner, the refugee, through hospitality:
- We are commanded to “practice hospitality,” which literally means to practice loving strangers (Rom. 12:13, Heb. 13:2)
- We are commanded to love our neighbors (Lev. 19:18, 34; Luke 10:25-37)
- God commands the Israelites to remember their own immigrant history (Ex. 22:21; Deut. 26:1-12)
- Jesus himself was a refugee (Matt. 2:13-18)
- Refugees and other immigrants are made in the image of God and possess inherent dignity and potential (Gen. 1:26-27)
- When we extend compassion to persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, we do so to Christ himself (Matt. 25:31-45)
- By welcoming those who are not yet believers, we have opportunities to “give an answer to everyone who asks” for the hope within us and to “make disciples of all nations” (1 Pet. 3:15, Matt. 28:19)
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROCESS
Refugees undergo an extensive screening process by the US government (the process can take years) before being approved for resettlement in the US. After receiving approval, the US State Department assigns them to one of the 9 national voluntary agencies called “Resettlement Agencies” (e.g., World Relief, Church World Service, Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service) to sponsor the refugees. Those Agencies, in turn, place the refugees with local “Resettlement Affiliates” (like Bethany Christian Services in eastern PA) who implement the actual resettlement of the refugees and provide initial services to the refugees. Those Affiliates seek out “co-sponsors” (like individual churches) to assist in welcoming and walking alongside a refugee family. SLPC will be a co-sponsor for Bethany Christian Services.
HOW TO LEARN MORE
To learn more about refugees and refugee resettlement in the U.S. from a Christian perspective, we recommend reading Seeking Refuge by Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Dr. Issam Smeir. It is a quick read and copies are available at SLPC.
OTHER REFERENCES
- 8 Things You Should Know About Refugees ebook
- U.S. Refugee Admissions Program: Reception and Placement, U.S. Department of State. Overview of the refugee reception and placement process.
- Webinar hosted by Bethany Christian Services on what it means to be a church co-sponsor with them
- Slides from Bethany Christian Services webinar on being a refugee co-sponsor team