We are honored and overjoyed at the number of Refugee Sunday services held last Sunday. Matt Herzberg, LIRS Manager for Congregational Outreach, shares some of the joys of Refugee Sunday and important next steps.
Hundreds of Lutheran congregations across the country celebrated Refugee Sunday this past week. We heard about impassioned sermons, stories of reunion, lively forums about relevant issues, and even the tiniest of children being involved in welcome. It was truly a wonderful day.
The question is always, “Well, what do we do next?”.
Did the June 22nd schedule not work out for you? Fear not! We have plenty of materials available to you and the resources certainly don’t disappear. You can download them here. We already know a college town church planning their Refugee Sunday for the fall when the students are back. You can find a Sunday that works for you.
Was interest peaked in your congregation? Give me a call. We can talk about the dreams and ideas coming from your community and figure out the next steps!
Did your congregation decide to invest more fully in becoming a welcoming community to people on on the move? Great! There are refugee families that need sponsors, migrants and refugee children who need safe spaces to grow and learn, and detention centers to visit.
Only half-jokingly, I encourage you to celebrate Refugee Sunday every Sunday. Because it is about welcome. It is about futures. It is about community. It is about relationships.
Yeah, I think we can always care about that.
Share your experiences, questions, or concerns with Matt at outreach@lirs.org. You can still download the Refugee Sunday Kit and join in on the celebration. Click here for the kit and additional materials.