A Statement on Refugee Resettlement

“You are to love those who are foreigners residing among you, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” – Deuteronomy 10:19

The Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) has long been a community of welcome for refugees. Due to the United States’ 90 day pause of the refugee resettlement program, that legacy is at risk.

For more than 80 years, Disciples congregations in the United States have welcomed more than 34,000 refugees. This work impacts the lives of the families and congregations alike as they live out the command in Scripture to welcome the stranger (Leviticus 19:33-34 NRSV). As members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we recognize the Biblical mandate to care for the marginalized and oppressed among us as Jesus declares in Matthew 25:40, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Through the wider church, Disciples have been responding to the needs of refugees around the world, working to resettle, prevent displacement and address pressing humanitarian needs through local partnerships.

The United States’ 90 day pause on the refugee resettlement program has caused incalculable harm to the church’s ability to respond to the needs of refugees and those displaced around the world. While the pause ended on April 20th, the administration has made no moves to restart the program, and the lack of resources for the program in the United States and around the world has decimated the refugee resettlement infrastructure. Those who are fleeing persecution, conflict, and the threat of climate change in their communities are the ones who will suffer. 

Every day our partners at Church World Service witness heartbreaking realities of refugees who are now stranded. Loni is a mother of six children who fled violence and torture in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The family’s flight to Houston to reunite with her husband and the children’s father was scheduled for February – but it was cancelled after the ban went into effect. Loni and her children are now stuck indefinitely in Malawi. Zenayda is a refugee who resettled in Texas who has been trying for years to get her child to safety after many attempts have been made to kidnap the child. The child’s flight was booked to arrive in February. That flight has now been cancelled, and the child’s case – which is listed as “extremely vulnerable” – is now once again delayed. 

As Disciples of Christ, we are a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.  As part of the one body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us. We continue to stand in opposition to the dismantling of the US refugee resettlement program which has enjoyed bipartisan support for decades, and we celebrate the ways in which Disciples congregations continue to welcome the stranger in their midst in spite of these unprecedented attacks.

I invite you and your congregation to join in the work of welcoming refugees at the local and national level to support refugees who are here and to advocate to reinstate the US refugee resettlement program. Week of Compassion and Disciples Home Missions offer Disciples of Christ many ways to get involved and offer support to affected communities:

• Volunteer at your local resettlement office to support their work in welcoming refugees who have lost access to government support.
• Join your voices with people of faith to Urge Your Member of Congress to Defend Refugee Resettlement. Church World Service provides the resources you need to call or email your Member of Congress here.
• Connect with Disciples Home Missions ([email protected]) and Week of Compassion ([email protected]) to learn more about how you can get involved.
• Congregations and individuals may sign on to the Church World Service Ash Wednesday Declaration: https://cwsconnect.org/ecumenical-declaration/.

Moving towards wholeness together,
Rev. Terri Hord Owens
General Minister and President