Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) deployed a team of three volunteers to Oak Park, Ill., to aid children and families among asylum seekers who have been sent to Chicago from the southern border of Texas. The team served from Monday, Nov. 6, to Thursday, Nov. 9, caring for 51 children.
refugees
October Ventures course focuses on a Kansas congregation’s experience resettling refugees
The October online offering from the Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College will be “From Ukraine to Central Kansas: A Positive Refugee Experience” to be presented by the McPherson (Kan.) Church of the Brethren Welcomers Group. The course will be held online Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon (central time). Continuing education units (CEUs) are available.
EDF grants offer aid and relief in Haiti, the United States, Ukraine and Poland, the DRC, and Rwanda
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to respond to multiple crises in Haiti, support continued Brethren Disaster Ministries work following 2022’s summer flooding in the central United States, aid displaced Ukrainians with disabilities, provide school kits for displaced children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, provide flood relief in Rwanda, and support a summer program for migrant children in Washington, D.C.
The Holy Spirit is the first firefly
This year I caught a glimpse of the first firefly next to a pile of refuse near our back gate, blinking beautifully and hopefully in an abandoned place. When we celebrate Pentecost we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. The disciples gathered in prayer, hidden in a room, in fear. While there may have been hope and expectation, it was likely tentative. I imagine it felt like an abandoned place. Into that place of fear and disorientation came a blinking light. A flicker of flames amidst a rush of wind.
EDF grants given for tornado rebuilding project in Kentucky, aid for Ukraine refugees, among other needs
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) for a tornado response and rebuilding program in Kentucky, aid to Ukrainian refugees and others affected by the war, a hurricane response in Honduras, projects of the Church of the Brethren in the Democratic Republic of Congo, among other needs.
Washington City supports asylum seekers bused to nation’s capital
Due to numerous humanitarian crises around the world, thousands of people are seeking asylum in the United States, some of whom make perilous journeys to the southern border. In April 2022, the state of Texas began sending many of these asylum seekers in buses to Washington, D.C., without plans for their care or in coordination with the city government or others in the area.
Nothing quite compares to this: A reflection on the war in Ukraine
As director of Humanitarian and Disaster Response for World Relief, and someone who has attended a Church of the Brethren congregation for many years, I am stunned and saddened by what is happening in Ukraine. As a member of the Integral Alliance, World Relief has witnessed many natural and man-made disasters over the years. Nothing quite compares to this.
Church World Service calls for signatures to support displaced Ukrainians
Church World Service (CWS) is circulating a faith sign-on letter urging the administration to support Ukrainians and uphold protections for displaced and at-risk populations. The deadline for signatures is Wednesday, March 23.
Mission and Ministry Board issues statement on Ukraine, calls for time of concerted prayer and action for peacebuilding
The Church of the Brethren Mission and Ministry Board issued a statement on Ukraine during its Spring meeting at the denomination’s General Offices in Elgin, Ill. Board chair Carl Fike, who led the meeting, signed the statement with the unanimous consent of the members of the board.
Brethren Disaster Ministries distributes first round of grant money for Ukraine crisis
Responding to this crisis will be a massive, multi-year effort. Brethren Disaster Ministries is working with partners to determine the best avenues of support, including immediate assistance as well as a longer-term response. An initial Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) grant of $10,000 has been given to CORUS International.
