God cares for the refugee. God loves the refugee. This idea is throughout the Bible. Leviticus 19:34-35, Hebrews 13:2 and Matthew 25:34-40 remind us of God’s heart for the foreigner, those who are oppressed and those who have needs.
Henri Nouwen stated, “Honest receptivity means inviting the stranger into our world on his or her terms, not on ours. When we say, ‘You can be my guest if you believe what I believe, think the way I think and behave as I do,’ we offer love under a condition or for a price.”
As Christ-followers, we must embrace those in need, regardless of background. Please join Wooddale Church in prayer for all refugees. Specifically, the Syrian crisis is very real and very serious.
Refugees are people who flee: they are displaced from their homes, typically because of oppression and/or war. As shown on many news channels and the internet, “The world is facing the worst refugee crisis since WWII.” 7.6 million Syrians are displaced within their country (that’s roughly the population of our state, Minnesota, and our neighbor, Wisconsin). 3.8 million have sought refuge in other countries. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) latest figures show the crisis is getting worse. Families are moving, not to simply better their lives, but to literally save their lives.
How you can be involved:
- Pray – get educated on the crisis and lift up the churches in Europe and elsewhere to help and accept the refugees coming to their countries.
- Welcome a refugee family to the Twin Cities – one small group of Wooddalers committed to help one family for one year (email worldwide@wooddale.org for more information).
- Become a Justice Team Prayer Warrior – on October 25 (room and time will be published in mid-October), we will have Dr. Curt Rhodes give us a first-hand account of the crisis. We will pray corporately. We will be challenged to personally get involved in helping refugees.
Please partner with Wooddale Worldwide, Wooddale Church’s missions’ arm. We support several partners who are intimately involved with this refugee crisis, including Questscope and World Relief. Your contributions to the Worldwide Missions Fund help us in this journey. #wewelcomerefugees #syriancrisis