Our church teaches that, as a matter of dignity for all people, the U.S. has an international and moral responsibility to honor the human rights and dignity of migrants, and to not be silent in the face of racial injustice against people of African descent.
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“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service president and CEO Krish O’Mara Vignarajah said. “The outpouring of support we’ve seen … feels unprecedented and awe-inspiring. It feels like a unique moment.”
In a typical week, LIRS would see maybe a dozen people sign up to volunteer. In the past three weeks, 45,000 people signed up. And LIRS has partnerships lined up with Airbnb for housing, Uber for transportation and Walmart for gift cards.
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Working the overnight shift at the chapel at Ramstein Air Base in Germany is a challenge, but Chaplain Katie Osweiler is thankful to be helping refugees from Afghanistan on their way to new lives free of the Taliban.
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With a surge of interest in how we can help Afghan allies and refugees, we offer two resources: Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS).
Afghan Allies need food, housing assistance, clothing, and other basic needs. You can give to the LIRS Afghan Allies Fund and help allies as they await official services available to them.
LSS-SW has an Afghanistan Interest Form for those interested in helping. You’ll receive updates as the situation changes. They provide FAQs on their site, which we reprint in this post.
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The United States has withdrawn from a decades long war in Afghanistan. Under a special immigrant program, the U.S. has been evacuating thousands of Afghans who served alongside Americans.
Lutheran Disaster Response is reaching out to synods, congregations and affiliates that are taking an active role in welcoming Afghan families.
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“Even the most right-leaning isolationists” are coming forward to help those fleeing Afghanistan, a Phoenix pastor said. A mass mobilization is underway, as reported in this New York Times article featuring Arizona and Minnesota.
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Generosity is not just about our money. It is an attitude. It is a way of viewing the world. I was sitting watching the news and bemoaning the fate of the Afghans who had supported the US and their possible fate. Like for most people it brought me memories of the fall of South Vietnam and the plight of those who had aided the US.
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For nearly a century, Lutherans have been helping to resettle those fleeing harm. As we pray for Afghanistan, we are called to support those arriving in the U.S. by becoming a part of the long welcome for these families.
Support LIRS’ Neighbors in Need: Afghan Allies fund, which will provide food, housing assistance, clothing, and other basic needs for our Afghan friends as they await the official services available to them by visiting LIRS.org/HelpNow.
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In this season of Labor Day and “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, our nation and the ELCA focuses on the nature of work. As the pandemic and natural disasters continue, our call to do God’s work becomes clearer, louder, and more urgent.
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With the Afghan crisis shining light on the refugee resettlement program’s inadequacies, Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest gathered 675 letters for Senators and Representatives in support of the refugee resettlement program.
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Amid the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, local nonprofits expect large numbers of Afghan refugees to be coming to the U.S. and to Phoenix. Read and watch the story on AZfamily.com featuring Connie Phillips, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest.
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Jesus taught us that when we welcome the stranger as a person made in God's image, we also welcome God. Our lives, ministries and congregations have been blessed by many immigrants and refugees over the years — from many of our ancestors to those we welcome among us today.
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We have great news! Refugee families are arriving again. This means we need to find safe housing for larger refugee families, which is a challenge in the current market.
LSS-SW is seeking information about rental opportunities in the Phoenix and/or Tucson areas. Let us know about possible options as www.lss-sw.org/refugee-housing.
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With so many lives in danger, we will continue to honor the Lutheran legacy of generous and compassionate welcome for those who seek refuge in our communities. How would we respond if the refugee on our doorstep were Jesus himself? As Jesus taught, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
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Giovana Oaxaca, program director for Migration Policy and Mary Campbel, program director for AMMPARO (Accompanying Migrant Minors with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) share updates on the current situation and work being done by the ELCA to address change. Learn more and get involved at ELCA.org/AMMPARO.
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We share an update from Pastor Sarah Isakson, with Faith Lutheran in Phoenix, who along with many others in our synod are part of the Cruzando Fronteras network.
Thank you for your support and prayers! More than 250 asylum seeking residents of the shelter are now crossing legally into the United States. Most have been working as community residents for over a year.
Cruzando Fronteras has speakers who are available to do Zoom presentations to your congregations all summer! Please contact: Paztorsarah@gmail.com.
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Arizona 360 provides this news video on shelters along the Arizona border for migrants with Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) cases. Cruzando Fronteras is part of that support network.
“Across Arizona’s southern border, nonprofits and religious organizations continue to support asylum seekers who have waited months to present their cases in the United States. Tony Paniagua traveled to Nogales, Sonora where he visited a shelter providing aid and spoke to migrants about their journeys.”
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Unaccompanied minors are coming to the United States alone, fleeing dangerous situations, in search of asylum. You can provide a loving welcome to these asylum-seekers with the gift of a Comfort Bag.
Comfort Bags include hygiene supplies, school supplies, a comforting item, and a backpack or duffle bag. Find out how to donate here: www.lss-sw.org/comfort-bags.
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Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS-SW) is soliciting items for recently released asylum-seekers. They travel for up to 3 days to their destination in the U.S. All items (see the full list in this post) are non-perishable and can be collected over time, individually/as a group.
Drop items off at their office: 2502 E. University Drive, Suite 125, Phoenix, AZ 85034. If interested, email cshurtz@lss-sw.org.
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An increase in unaccompanied children and asylum-seekers arriving at the U.S. border with Mexico has given rise to claims of a crisis. Individuals, families and children seeking protection are no crisis — the crisis is the circumstances they are fleeing and the moral challenge of safe welcome.
To offer hope and hospitality to the sojourner in this season of Easter is to bear witness to the suffering that affects the lives of so many.
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