I was a stranger and you welcomed me.
                        Matthew 25:35

There is a long history in both Holy Scripture and in the Christian Tradition of welcoming the stranger. I could literally fill this page with hundreds of quotes from the Old and New Testament.
But maybe it is simpler just to say that as people who follow Jesus Christ, we are in the business of welcoming people in need.

At the end of 2021, over 50,000 Afghani Refugees have been brought to the United States for permanent re-settlement. The large majority of these refugees were people and their families who assisted us in the longest war in U.S. history. They are our friends and allies.

Now they need our help.

At least 33 families already been located to Columbus, and another group of 30-40 families will be arriving here by mid-February.

They need our help.

Several of our ministries at Prince of Peace (Global Missions, AMMPARO, Faith, Justice, and Racial Reconciliation, as well as Local Missions) will be marshaling their support in this effort.
The good news is that we don’t have to re-invent the wheel.  LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services) along with ETSS (Ethiopian Tewahado Social Services) have partnered together for years to do this exact kind of work.  We will be partnering with them in this re-settlement project.

Needs that these people have include financial, furniture and furnishings, transportation, and English Language support. Details of how we can meet these needs will be outlined in this week’s Peace Signs.

For now, I just want you to pray about how you will support this current need. Watch for details in the Thursday newsletter Peace Signs. And then get excited about this opportunity to help people in need.

In Christ,

Pastor John D. Morris