Hager’s story: a refugee finds a new life in Northern Illinois
The ongoing Syrian civil war has driven over 180,000 migrants from Syria to seek refuge in the U. S. since the outbreak of violence in 2011. Hager (a pseudonym)…
REMINDER: Bring your offerings to Annual Conference June 3-5! Which district will win the coveted traveling trophy? If bringing a check, please make it out to "Northern Illinois Conference" and put Bishop's Appeal in the memo line. Thank you!
The 2018 Bishop's Appeal will go toward Global Migration
You have five minutes. What would you grab? Who would you grab to bring with you? If you had to flee your home, perhaps never to return, what would you do? Where would you go? In the five minutes you take to plan your escape, 100 other people (20 people every minute) in some place in the world will also face the desperate and unthinkable reality of running for their lives. For some it’s violence and war, for others it’s regular and systematic persecution; and for some nature’s wrath leaves them no alternative.
Not since the ravages of World War II have we seen so many people displaced from their homes and their countries. Our present reality of over 65 million people living this way means we are truly dealing with a Global Migration Crisis. Some of the images we see on television or social media are heartbreaking -- a baby boy lying lifeless on a beach; packed boats swamped by waves; tent cities crowded with families. Our first inclination is to cry or turn away so we don’t.
Our second may be to think, “There are so many, we can’t really make a difference.” Beyond the overwhelming numbers are real people with real stories, all children of God simply seeking to survive and start over.
As the Church of Jesus Christ, we are exhorted repeatedly in the Scriptures to “welcome the stranger” to “care for the orphan and widow,” to “love your neighbor as you love yourself, ’and to “do to others as you would have them do to you.” And we remember the plight of Jesus himself, as Joseph takes Mary and the infant Jesus to Egypt to flee the wrath of King Herod. Who offered this refugee family shelter and care?
In 2018, we, who make up the Northern Illinois Conference, have a unique opportunity to combine our resources to care for some of the families affected by the Global Migration Crisis. Bishop Sally Dyck invites us to do some local fundraising, to learn about the plight of migrants locally and globally, to consider having a Global Migration Sunday and to bring a special offering to Annual Conference in June as our 2018 Bishop’s Appeal for the denomination’s Global Migration Advance (#3022144).
This fund was set up in 2014 for donors to designate gifts specifically to support work that alleviates the suffering of migrants. Last year’s Bishop’s Appeal raised over $70,000 to help alleviate and prevent global HIV/AIDS! We can match or surpass that number if each church brings just $200 or more as a gift. Let’s get started now! Check back to this page as we continue to update with new resources and testimonies.
Resource Links
- www.umcmigration.org (resources for Global Migration Sunday)
- www.unhcr.org (updates on the worldwide crisis)
- Or contact: Rev. Jonathan Crail or Rhodalyne Crail, NIC Refugee Coordinators by email jcrail@firstumc.net, rgallocrail@niu.edu, or call 815.756.6301 x25
News Articles
Faith groups put a human face on migration
By Linda Bloom
Jan. 25, 2018 | UNITED NATIONS (UMNS)
The head of the United Nations recently called the world’s ability to deal with record levels of global migration a profound test of international cooperation — and religious leaders, including United Methodists, agree.
The contributions of faith-based organizations “are critical” for this test, said Ganoune Diop, leader of the International Religious Liberty Association, on Jan. 22, during the Fourth Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs.
“Migrants give us an opportunity to be humane and therefore human,” added Diop, who also serves as director of public affairs for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. “We allow ourselves to do deeds of righteousness.”
As the United Nations considers a “global compact” on human migration, “faith-based organizations are seeking not simply to assert the rights and dignity, but also to amplify the voices of uprooted people — regardless of their category or status,” stated a concept note for the symposium. Read the full article here.
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