Help Us Discern the Way Forward

Join us in discerning Christ Church's response to the Afghan refugee crisis. More than 50,000 Afghan refugees are expected to be resettled in the Maryland/Virginia/DC area. Under humanitarian visas, they receive just 90 days of services upon entering the U.S. There will be an immense, ongoing need for housing, economic/workforce development, tutoring and mentoring, and other services for families and individuals who've been forced to flee their homes.

Under the guidance of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS), an organization that has long-served refugees from around the world, we are embarking on a theological and scriptural-based discernment process to determine how we would like to respond as a congregation to the huge needs of these refugees.

We have four Zoom sessions planned:

Monday, August 30th from 6-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, September 1st from 6-7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 7th from 6-7:30 p.m.

and Thursday, September 9th from 6-7:00 p.m.

If you're interested in helping discern the way forward, please download the series document and check the Monday editions of Christ Church's This Week on Zoom email for links and details. You can attend as many sessions as you’re able to.

While we don't yet have details on specific volunteer opportunities, we are exploring both short-term needs/responses and a long-term, sponsorship-type commitment. Once we go through the discernment process and coordinate further with LIRS, we will have a better idea of how we can specifically meet the needs of those who will be coming to our area.

One very powerful thing we can right do now is to pray. We can pray as individuals, as a congregation, and as a community. In this spirit, LIRS is hosting a virtual Interfaith Prayer Vigil on August 31st at 4:00 p.m. You can register here to take part in this interfaith community event.

If you have questions about this emerging ministry area, please contact Deacon Denise at deacondenise@christchurchcolumbia.org