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 become a refugee resettlement sponsor 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 SPONSOR?

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 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.

This ministry relies on the support of the whole church –
volunteers, leaders, prayers, donors of goods, properties, and finances!

 

MINISTRY SUB-TEAMS

The ministry is organized into sub-teams for each of these areas of responsibility.

Ministry Leaders:

  • Dana Swieson (dana@swieson.com)
  • Eric Burling (ecburling@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. 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: Meet family at airport, transport them to their housing, and assist in providing new home orientation. Assist with purchasing a cellphone & plan, and provide neighborhood & grocery market orientation. Arrival Volunteer Form.
Team Leader: Eric Burling (ecburling@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: Arrange for transportation to any essential and critical appointments during the early weeks after arrival (government, medical, school, banking, shopping, etc.). 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)


INTERESTED?

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. In the traditional resettlement program, 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 or Catholic Social 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.  More recently, the US government created a temporary refugee program called Uniting for Ukraine that expedites the welcoming of Ukrainians fleeing from the Russian invasion of their country. Refugees in this program must have a US-based supporter (an individual or group) who agrees to provide similar assistance to the refugee as a sponsor would in the traditional resettlement program.

 

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