Introductions
To intentionally
do faith-based ministry with and for refugees and asylum-seekers requires God’s
initiation of the ministry. This ministry requires God’s heart in each person
seeking to help them. Throughout the Old Testament, God tells His people to
care for the alien, orphan, and widow. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ told
people to love their neighbors as themselves. When asked who was his neighbor, Jesus
replied to the lawyer in Luke 10:25-37 with a parable. The answer to the lawyer’s
question to Jesus came from the lawyer in verse thirty-seven. The lawyer said
the neighbor was the one who showed mercy to the beaten man. This parable was about
the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan did not know the beaten man laying on the
side of the road, but he recognized him as a person who needed care.
Neighbors,
sojourners, and aliens are people. These people whom God created and cares about
are the ones He means for us to care about, too. Since God does not show
partiality among people, we should not either. Since He “executes justice for
the orphan and widow and shows His love for the alien” (Deuteronomy 10:18) and
commands His people to show love for the alien (Deuteronomy 10:19), we must
care for the people of the world whether or not we have a personal relationship
with them. This understanding is the basis for any ministry to people. God initiates
the ministry.
How do we
get from God’s command to care for the alien to doing ministry? How do we understand
God wants us to do this ministry specifically? God gives the vision/inspiration.
Conception: Empowering to Serve Refugees[1]
teaches about the different aspects of conceiving/envisioning a ministry from God.
It also explains why we should enwrap each stage and phase of the ministry in
prayer.
After
conception of the ministry, many stages of inception occur. The question of
“How do I get to know refugees” deals with seeking to meet the people and learn
of their needs through interacting with them. Inception: Working with Refugees, Stage One: Getting to Know the
Refugees[2]
discusses this stage. By relating
to individual refugees, one builds trust with them. With this trust bridge
built, they will more willingly share about their troubles and needs.
Additionally, they will trust your input and help as genuine, not self-seeking.
After
meeting and beginning a relationship with the refugees, we the person/people to
whom God gave the vision to help refugees and asylum-seekers must begin organizing
and founding a faith-based ministry. Inception:
Working with Refugees, Stage Two: Founding a Faith-based Ministry[3]
helps us walk through the steps of establishing a ministry. We must recognize the
importance of prayer throughout the process. This article helps us realize the
need to decide between organization types, too. For an effective ministry
organization, we must set up a vision statement, mission statement, goals, and
objectives.
An
organization can survive without connecting with other organizations and people
for a while. Eventually, connection needs to occur for the organization to be
relevant and to get resources. Inception:
Working with Refugees, Stage Three: Connecting[4]
tells us why connecting with others in the community, city, state, and nation
are important for the refugee ministry to which God called you. We connect with
others to get volunteers, funding, enlarge the ministry, get more expertise, and
to advocate for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Having
received God’s vision, met the refugees, created an organizational plan, and
connected initially with the refugees and asylum-seekers, the ministry is ready
to begin. Inception: Working with
Refugees, Stage Four: “On Your Marks”[5]
guides in the practical work of starting the ministry. The ministry
organization must find a place in which to house the ministry program(s). It
must acquire resources. Funds must be on hand to buy the basic supplies for the
ministry, i.e. paper, pencils, pens, books, blankets, food, etc. We must cast a
vision, so volunteers will join to help refugees so more than one set of
hands-yours-work at the vision God gave you. Advertising in the community about
the refugee assistance ministry must happen so the “neighbors/aliens” God wants
you to help will realize help is available.
With each
of these phases and stages accomplished, “day one” can occur. What happens with
“day one”? What steps are involved? Is it more than just performing the ministry
task? This article will answer these questions and others.
Being and Doing
The
beginning of the faith-based ministry can literally consider just day one of
the program or the first week, first month, or first year. What is important in
any of these time frames is the effective being and doing of faith-based ministry
to refugees and asylum-seekers. Planning and founding the ministry is often
long and involved. The first day of actual ministry is exciting and sometimes
exhausting.
Prayer
Prayer is still
the vital necessity for faith-based ministries. It keeps us connected to God. Prayer
reminds us who initiated the ministry and called us to join Him. It keeps us
focused on God and His call so that when days are difficult, we remember the
basis of the ministry. It also helps us as we prepare for each day and, at the
end of the day, assess and adjust the material or the ministry itself. Prayer
must continually enwrap each step, stage, and phase of the faith-based
ministry. Without it, we lose connection with God, minister in our own strength
and way, and lose focus of the purpose-to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Prepare
Obviously,
you have spent weeks and months preparing to start the faith-based ministry to
refugees and asylum-seekers. It became an exciting part of your daily life. When
day one, the opening or starting day, is tomorrow or this week,
ministry-specific actions must happen. These actions can include:
1. Ensuring the venue is ready for
use-chairs and tables are available and set up, floors are clean, the doorway
is not cluttered or blocked, etc.
2. Prepare the lessons if you will teach
English
3. Train and prepare volunteers for day
one
4. Make copies of intake forms or
registration forms
5. Make sure supplies are easily accessible
6. Pray with volunteers and other
supporters the night before or day one of the ministry.
Present
As day one or
week one arrives, the actual ministry occurs. One needs to make sure everything
is ready including one’s self. This includes heart, spirit, mind, and body, and
the practical ministry. People receiving help can perceive when the person
assisting them is condescending, uninformed, prejudiced, or not prepared for
that ministry. What needs doing for day one’s ministry?
1. Prayer-make sure you and each of the
volunteers are “being” the ministry vision which God gave. People can sense when
an “act” is being put on. Make sure your heart and spirit are in tune with
God’s and you “love your neighbor as yourself.”
2. Make sure you understand very well
the ministry you are offering. Know the English lesson. Know the amount of food
according to organization policy for a family or four, five, etc. Make sure the
food nutrition tables are easily available, so you can get the food without
faltering. Ensure the clothes are clean and organized. Make sure the rules of behavior
are visible and known to everyone who enters the premises.
3. Make sure you understand the
ministry’s goals, objectives, and policies well, so you can explain to the
person receiving help what you can and cannot offer.
4. Keep a sensitive heart so you willingly
and actively listen to the refugees’ stories, pray with them, and cry with
them.
5. Take a break so you can process what
has happened, can pray about people, pain, and fear. This prayer break brings
yourself to God for refreshing and healing after dealing with traumatized
people.
Assess
After day
one, the first week, the first month, and the first year, assessment of the
ministry should occur. Assessment is important to make sure the purpose of the
ministry is being done. This assessment will determine if the ministry you
perceived and heard was necessary is the one being expressed most by the
refugees and asylum-seekers when they seek help. It will also include
determining if you are meeting needs accurately and appropriately.
1. Do the people really need clothes for
an interview or rather do they need to learn how to look for jobs and how to
interview?
2. Is the greatest need of this refugee
population English or is it rent help or food or counselling?
Assessment
will include looking at the way the work is being done by each member of the
team.
1. Is the plan of ministry being done
in the way the team leader or ministry board wants?
2. Are each of the team members helping
refugees with a servant heart?
3. Do any of the team members seem
prejudiced or have complaints arisen against one of the team members?
4. Is more training necessary for team
members?
5. Do team members need
counselling/debriefing after hearing refugee stories?
6. Do we need a trained professional to
join the team in a particular area?
Adjust
With
answers to these and other questions, the team leader and members should adjust
the ministry, what they do and the way they do it, for it to be more effective
for refugees and asylum-seekers. If the real need is counselling, seek one or
two counsellors in the city or community who would volunteer their time.
Alternatively, seek training for trauma healing counselling for the ministry
team members. If the need is something else, seek ways to meet that need, after
you have prayed asking God’s wisdom. If the need is more than what you
perceived, seek more funding so the ministry can provide other necessities.
If the
assessment determines a need for change among the team members, speak to the
team about the issue and need. Address any specific team member whose attitude hinders
the ministry. Help him or her see what is happening. Offer ways to help that
person be more effective in the ministry role. Decide if more training for the
team is necessary and set up that training time. Include in each day of
ministry time for team members to debrief individually and collectively. As the
team leader, you will need to make time to minister to the team members. The
team members are an important resource and their needs are important to the
ministry, too.
Prayer
Finally, at
the end of day one, week one, month one, year one, the team leader should set
aside a time of prayer. This time will be time to reconnect with God more intently
about the ministry to refugees. It will be a time of reflection with God and a
time of opening your own heart to Him for readjustment to His will and way.
This time with the Lord will also be a time of resting with the Father and
preparing for the race ahead. The prayer time will guide you on how better to
minister to the refugees and asylum-seekers and where God wants to expand the
ministry.
Conclusion
The arrival
of day one brings excitement and trepidation. Are you ready? Are the team
members ready? Have you heard from the Lord correctly? Have you heard correctly
when talking to refugees and asylum-seekers? These questions each can weigh you
down with worry or can lift you with excitement depending on from where you
received your guidance-God or people. Day one should be exciting. Meeting new
people. Helping them. Sharing God’s love. Seeing lives changed. Day one should also
provide insight into whether changes need to occur to make sure the ministry
focuses on the need God wants met. It brings with it assessment and adjustment for
the team, too. More than anything, day one brings the opportunity for you and
the team members to join God in the work He is doing. It’s a chance to know God
better and to grow in your relationship with Him through prayer and obedience.
Through it all,
we should remember what Jesus told the people by answering the Pharisee’s
question. In trying to trick Jesus, the Pharisee asked, “Teacher, which is the
greatest commandment in the Law?” We recall His famous reply. Jesus said,
“’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40 [NASB])
Putting
these two great commandments into action requires a relationship with God. A
relationship with God draws us closer to Him to love Him more dearly. John put
this relationship of our love for God and obedience into a more understandable
statement in 1 John 5:2-3. He said,
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
We need to
ask ourselves these questions and seek God’s will. Are we loving God with our
whole being? Are we loving our neighbors as ourselves? Day one, week one, year
one, and year one-plus requires absolute obedience to God and His vision of
ministry to refugees and asylum-seekers.
