Churches offer open hearts, doors to refugees
By Barbara Coward
UMCONNECTION CORRESPONDENT
The hardships faced by refugees are unimaginable to many in the Baltimore-Washington area. But for millions of people in war-ravaged countries, they are all too often a sad reality.
Persecuted for race, religion or nationality, refugees are often brutalized, tortured or imprisoned. They often arrive in the United States with nothing but heartbreaking stories and hope for a new future.
But because of the ministry of a number of local United Methodist churches in the area, many of these displaced families now have a new lease on life.
During the past 25 years, Chevy Chase UMC has hosted 50 refugees from such places as Cambodia, Ethiopia and Liberia.
Rev. Lanman |
“What begins working out of a sense of call of faith and discipleship becomes a sacred moment of definition of who you are as a Christian,” said the Rev. Nancy Lanman, deacon in residence.
Often these families have existed in a camp for years and need a lot of assistance, she said. Her church organized a special task force to meet their basic needs, including housing, clothing, transportation and language skills.
Other members of the congregation take an active role as well.
One story involves an 8-year old boy from Liberia who lost all his teeth when he was brutalized. He was in his teens when he arrived. “He just didn’t want to smile,” said Lanman. “But a dentist in our church provided care and new teeth for him. Now he has this wonderful smile.”
Bethany UMC has sponsored two families through the Virginia Council of Churches.
The first family came from Bosnia. The son had been tortured, beaten and imprisoned for a year. The mother arrived with post-traumatic stress syndrome.
The second family — two sisters — arrived with their male cousin from Sierra Leone. Their mother had been outspoken against the rebels and the family became separated. The youngest sister arrived pregnant at age 13.
“It opened up a whole new world for me,” said Linda Roberts, co-chair of the missions committee, who was there for the birth. “You feel so connected with these people. They were like my own children. It is so gratifying to watch their progress.”
Wesley Freedom UMC has sponsored an Afghan mother and daughter for the past two years, through the New Windsor Refugee Resettlement Ministry, an affiliate of Church World Service.
The women lost the rest of their family in the Afghanistan conflict with the Soviet Union. The church established a number of sub-committees, including housing, transportation, food and household, medical, employment and education. Other people helped with language translation.
“We’ve all had many nights where we couldn’t sleep just worrying about them and what we were doing,” said Greg Paytas, co-coordinator. “Our experience was hard due to the family’s medical situation and lack of education.”
“Every time we hit a roadblock, someone would find a way around it,” he said. “We found doctors, dentists, translators, social workers, apartments, household items, food markets and other discoveries along our journey. God showed us the way every time and we all became closer to Christ along the way.”
While contracts are typically for three months, support and assistance often go beyond that. Raising funds through special offerings and fund-raisers is critical for success as well as getting a team together before the family arrives.
“We didn’t know what we were doing when we first started,” said Paytas. “We literally began with a trust in our faith and a hope that we would be smart enough to listen to God’s word.”
It is difficult at times, he added.
“Any church considering this type of mission will face the greatest mission challenge they have ever faced because it doesn’t end in a single week or month,” he said. “Human beings are depending on you to help them; you can’t just go home after a short while.”
Yet all of these churches find that the rewards outweigh the challenges.
“Refugees get off a plane and within days have a deep set of community and family,” said Lanman. “Helping families in dire straits who lost everything, including their family members, and providing them with a sense of belonging and home… there is nothing like it.”
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