Some of our NOW District congregations continue to work with partner ministries to help the oppressed and dispossessed – in a word, the refugee. One of these partners is Lutheran Community Services Northwest, who has helped resettle more than 700 Afghans since August. Even today LCSNW is preparing for a wave of Ukrainian evacuees, plus more Afghans.
As Pastor Ted Moeller of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington noted, helping refugees is an inspiring and practical way for his congregation to serve.
“ ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me… (Matthew 25:35)’ With those words Jesus inspires us to see that helping Afghan refugees get settled in a foreign land is something we do unto Him. It might be sacrilegious to say that there’s more to it than that, but we at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Vancouver, Washington, have found the people we have met to be inspiring.”
“We started out by offering space for furniture donations to come in and then go out, but now have a Good Neighbor team as well. How great it is to show Christ’s love in such practical ways. ‘I needed a kitchen table and four chairs, a dresser, and a ride to the doctor, and you provided them.’ Okay, Jesus didn’t actually say that in the Bible, but we think it’s a valid interpretation.”
Go here to find out more and how you can get involved.
You may also download the PDF flyer for distribution.
