Last year Prince of Peace led a funding appeal in support of outreach to Syrian refugees through the Minneapolis area synod of the Lutheran church. The effort led by PoP raised well over $100,000 to provide life-saving and compassionate aid to these vulnerable and at-risk children of God. But we are not done yet! Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is committed to engaging Lutheran Churches in deep and structured ways in the refugee resettlement program. This is not new to LIRS. As you may recall, in the 1970s, many Lutheran churches worked with resettlement affiliate partners to sponsor refugees and walked with them to successfully rebuild their lives and become productive citizens of their newly adopted homes. Prince of Peace was involved in this important ministry in the past. With the professionalization of the resettlement process, this volunteer avenue has been largely
closed for some time and the goal is to revive it in light of current needs and circumstances.
Pastor Chad serves on the LIRS committee working on these important issues which is planning to test-pilot a national initiative to reach out and re-engage Lutheran churches in the refugee resettlement process. Prince of Peace will work with Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota (LSS) to be among the first congregations in the country to get this work started by becoming a Community of Welcome.
A Community of Welcome partners with a refugee family who is just arriving in the United States. The transition period that families experience during resettlement is extremely difficult. They are experiencing culture shock, grieving the loss of their home, family, and friends, and adjusting to new requirements, while they try to learn how to navigate an entirely new system. The Community of Welcome helps families feel more secure about getting settled in their new community. As a Community of Welcome, Prince of Peace will walk with a family from their arrival at the airport and throughout the first few months of this difficult time of transition.
If you would like to serve on the PoP Community of Welcome team, let us know in the church office.