Refugee Ministry

"In Christ gathered, by Christ sent"

"Not allowing a person who has experienced a great loss to walk alone is the greatest act of love that heals." - Pesach Krauss

Resurrection is a unique community of the world's people gathered by a common Savior and called to a common mission.

What is the Mission for Refugees at Resurrection?

As a response to Christ's claim on our lives, we commit ourselves to:

· Creating an Anglican Church home that provides Anglican refugees and others a place to belong, to serve and be served.
· Providing the opportunity for worship, study, pastoral care, and the assistance they need to flourish in our country.
· Develop relationships through fellowship and friendship in Christ.

At Resurrection we are blessed to be a unique gathering of cultures and backgrounds that is a true example of the melting pot our neighborhood and country really is. We include members from England, the Philippines, Liberia, and Kenya.

Partnerships

We recognize that an ongoing ministry like this requires partnerships. Several parishes are supporting the refugee ministry and we ask for their continued generosity. These parishes include Trinity in Owensboro, Ky., Trinity in Bloomington, Ind., St. Lukes and St. Marks in Louisville. Several other have expressed an interest.

We are in need of volunteers to assist us in achieving all of our goals. Donations of clothing, shoes, household items, furniture and at times food are needed. Monetary donations are needed for the purchase of educational and worship materials and to provide emergency assistance with bills, food and physical needs. We welcome your partnership, input and Support.

"Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve, you don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second law of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love. " -Martin Luther King

The Karen

The newest additions to our church family are individuals and families of the Karen tribe who fled genocide in Burma. They have recently come to the United States from refugee camps in Thailand in hope of a better life with religious and personal freedom here. They are in immediate need of help in most areas of American daily life - understanding bills, running a household and assistance with educational and job opportunities. They worship with us every Sunday at 9:45am and attend Sunday School. We strive to meet their spiritual needs and find that we are always in need of worship and study materials.

Background on Our Karen Membership

The Karen are being forced to flee their traditional homes due to what many call an ethnic cleansing program being carried out by the military government of Burma. Entire villages were burned and atrocities committed against men, women and children alike. Many Karen lived in hiding for years within Burma, moving from place to place to keep ahead of army troops hunting them. When they run out of options, they flee into Thailand where some 155,000 are living in refugee camps. The people are largely confined to the camps and not permitted to make a living. Many have lived in the camps for 20 or 30 years and their children know no other life.

There is no change on the horizon for Burma, so governments around the world are beginning to accept the Karen for resettlement in their countries. In 2006, thousands left the refugee camps for Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and more. To give up on one's homeland and strike out to a new place is a difficult choice. But the chance for citizenship, freedom and opportunity leads many to take the leap.

The Karen began to attend Resurrection in 2007 when a Karen family visited our church. The Karen presence in our church has grown rapidly since and continues to grow. Many were Anglican but attending Crescent Hill Baptist Church and were happy to find an Anglican Church home in their area. We continue to work with CHBC to meet the needs of our members and to keep the door open for any newly arrived Anglican Karen. We owe them many thanks.

"So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."- Deuteronomy 10:9

"Nothing is stronger than gentleness." - Abraham Lincoln

Our goals for this ministry is to provide:

- Opportunities for worship, study and growth in faith through resources in their own language and music in their tradition.
- Friendship and fellowship through social events and activities.
- Assistance with obtaining access to services.
- Job search assistance.
- Assistance with understanding paperwork, bills, finances, checkbooks and the tasks of maintaining a
household in the US.
- Assistance with homework, school correspondences, parent teacher conferences, etc.
- Tutoring school children and adults attempting to obtain a GED.
- Help meeting the physical needs of daily life: clothing, food, bill payment, transportation to church, job
interviews and doctor’s appointments, etc.
- Assistance learning English as a second language.

"I do not ask the wounded person how he feels; I, myself, become the wounded person." - Walt Whitman

If someone who has worldly means sees a brother in need and refuses him compassion, how can the love of God remain in him? - 1 John 3:17