As I understand it, most of us here tonight are from churches, mosques, synagogues or other faith groups. Given that, my sense is that we are here for a purpose; hopefully, for God’s purpose. Frederick Buechner has said, “Where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet, we hear a further call.” Using Buechner’s language, it’s possible that tonight some of you may hear that “further call.”
As a co-pastor in a small UCC church, I was both surprised and pleased when a small group of individuals at our church, the Congregational Church of North Barnstead, formed an outreach group last winter. I was surprised because, with a total membership of about sixty people, our church is always stretching to get the work of being a church done without taking on something new. But, I was pleased because the genesis of the group seemed to be growing out of a place of great enthusiasm and conviction.
The goal of the group was to explore locally how the gifts, resources, and talents of the people in our church intersected with the deep hungers existing in our world. Since becoming involved, we have discovered that many members of our congregation can make valuable contributions to the refugees who are resettling in our communities.
Assisting refugees to adjust to our culture and ways of life is an amazing experience. There are a myriad of skills for refugees to learn, and refugee life moves from one challenge to another. The services provided by LSS staff offer a foundation of support, but volunteers help with everything from learning about grocery shopping and scheduling doctor’s appointments to dealing with landlords, employers, teachers, and food stamps. Obviously there is a need for financial support. But our people have learned that some of the most urgent needs are more related to relationships.
Our volunteers have also learned to be aware of their own limits and to use good limit-setting skills. They have found it important to work with a team of volunteers that provides support and a safety net when the needs of a family seem to be overwhelming.
The friendship that we have formed with our new friends, Martin, Jacqueline and their daughter, Speline, has enriched the lives of us that know them. They teach us by helping us see our culture through a fresh perspective. They are generous about sharing their culture, and their ideas about friendship, faith, optimism, and gratitude. Our friendship with them has given a face to the headlines in the news. Helen has called this learning a process in which “the distant becomes personal.”
Our volunteers will be changed by their work. Part of the change comes from the painful realization of the dreadful consequences of these global situations. My own belief is that, as people of faith, we need this transformation in our lives as much as these refugees need assistance.
In closing, I want to again paraphrase Frederick Buechner. When we discern and respond to a call of action to alleviate some of the need these refugees face, there is the hope for deep gladness. As one answers the call to become an activist for the vast numbers of uprooted, marginalized and displaced people in our world, there is also the promise, of growing a little bit closer to embodying God’s purpose.
