what can i say torefugees about God |
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| "The
LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty
and awesome, who shows
no
partiality
and accepts no bribes. He defends
the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the
alien,
giving him food and clothing. And
you
are to love
those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in
Egypt." (Deuteronomy 10:17-19)
"From one man he made every nation...that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:25,26)
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International Mission Board photo
As Christ-followers we want to love refugees, like everyone else, unconditionally, with nothing to gain, though the refugees have everything to gain. And when we serve them, the Blessing returns to us. We partner with refugee resettlement agencies like Lutheran Social Services to serve refugees in Tucson. The premise of these agencies is not proselytizing. And this is actually not too different from how we might say it We don't want to give anyone the impression that the only reason we are befriending them is to "convert" them.
International Mission Board photo Our commitment is that we will not pressure refugees or constantly initiate discussions of religion or deceive people into coming to religious gatherings or criticize their religious tradition. On the other hand that does not mean you as a friend of refugees have a gag order or that your speech is censored. It simply means that you will treat refugees with the same dignity with which you would want to be treated and with which you treat everyone else.
International Mission Board photo If your refugee friends ask questions or if the subject of your faith comes up naturally, you can express your relationship with God in a natural and normal way. If you would like to learn about befriending a refugee family, contact Renee. Back to previous Refugee page |
