WELCOME1/24/2023 stories of refugee & immigrant response (part 3)More Than They Imagined WELCOME: stories from Week of Compassion’s Refugee and Immigrant Response
In this four-part series, over the course of a year, we are in conversation with some California Disciples and their ecumenical collaborators, as they welcome an Afghan family into their community, offering radical hospitality and welcome to new neighbors in their midst. We also include a few brief check-ins with other Disciples who are doing similar work in their own communities. Education for Girls in Afghanistan1/10/2023 finding what is possible in troubled times In the midst of holiday cheer and the turn of year, devastating and difficult news from Afghanistan came to light last week. The Afghan Ministry of Economy has banned women from working in local and international humanitarian organizations. This follows news just days earlier that the Taliban government has again barred women from attending public and private universities (essentially, from pursuing any education beyond sixth grade). WELCOME10/11/2022 stories of refugee & immigrant response (part 2)From Idea to Action WELCOME: stories from Week of Compassion’s Refugee and Immigrant Response
In this four-part series, over the course of a year, we are in conversation with some California Disciples and their ecumenical collaborators, as they welcome an Afghan family into their community, offering radical hospitality and welcome to new neighbors in their midst. We also include a few brief check-ins with other Disciples who are doing similar work in their own communities. WELCOME6/22/2022 stories of refugee & immigrant responseHow It All Started Today we begin a four-part series:
WELCOME: stories of Refugee & Immigrant Response. Over the next year, we will be in conversation with some California Disciples, and their ecumenical collaborators, as they welcome an Afghan family into their community, and offer radical hospitality and welcome to new neighbors in their midst. We’ll also feature a few short highlights with each story, showing the ways other Disciples are doing the same work in their own communities. New Homes and New Hope5/17/2022 How Welcome Changes Us All In the fall of 2021, as the government of Afghanistan collapsed and families were rapidly evacuated, Week of Compassion reaffirmed refugee response as an ongoing priority and employed increased resources, including the Afghan Welcome congregational grants, to support local churches. Dozens of congregations, across multiple regions of the Disciples church, have helped Afghan families to establish a new life in an entirely new place under deeply stressful circumstances. Out of the desperation and disconnect of this crisis, opportunity and community have somehow thrived.
There are countless incredible stories that we could share (and we will continue to do so!), but just a few recent conversations reveal the unfolding and ongoing care for new neighbors in our communities: Together For a Common Purpose11/18/2021 Disciples Congregations Work to Welcome AfghansMany congregations have been working over the past weeks to respond to the growing need and help welcome Afghans to their local communities. Across the country, Disciples have been setting up apartments, collecting food and stocking kitchens, and helping enroll children in school—just a few of the details that need to be taken into account when a family starts life in a new country and culture.
First Christian Church of Bowling Green, Kentucky, has a long history of supporting refugees locally. In the early 1990s, the church worked to help resettle Bosnian refugees in the community. Through that ministry, they built strong relationships with several families who remain friends of the congregation to this day. Disciples Churches Respond to Refugee Crisis11/12/2021  In recent weeks, many congregations have been working to welcome Afghans to their local communities. Across the country, Disciples have been setting up apartments, collecting food and stocking kitchens, and helping enroll children in school—just a few of the details that need to be taken into account when a family starts life in a new country and culture.
Week of Compassion has long been committed to supporting the needs of resettled families. Now, there is a growing urgency to create pathways for newly arrived refugees to integrate into their new communities. With the high number of families who have been evacuated due to the collapse of the Afghan government, local and federal agencies alone don’t have the capacity to support that volume of people arriving in the U.S. in a short amount of time. |
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