As we finish up our final week of our sermon series ‘We are Not Afraid’, we hope that God has opened your heart, mind, and soul to not fear the other, to listen, to welcome and to embrace.
I know as we started this series, I was uneducated and unaware of how vulnerable a refugee truly is and how I thought I could not make a difference. However, I see that there are simple ways that we can indeed make a difference by loving God, loving the other, and changing the world one step at a time.
If we simply begin with prayer then God will lead us each individually on our next step.
This week we will learn how to embrace the other. One way we can further our knowledge and understand how to welcome, listen and embrace the other is by learning more.
The following books are great starters:
- Seeking Refuge: On the Shrore of the Global Refugee Crisis
- Welcoming the Stranger by Matthew Soerens
- Christians at the Border by M. Daniel Carroll
- Fear of the Other by Will Willimon
If you missed this week's Refugee Forum, check out our podcast here to listen and learn more.
As a church, we desire nothing more than for you to grow spiritually and grow deeper in your faith. That is why we purchased something called Right Now Media which is the "Netflix of Bible Studies and Resources". This is something that we offer free to you and your entire family. There is a book on there called I am N, as well as a variety of other topics for youth, children, marriage, leader studies, and more.
You will receive an email next week inviting you to Right Now Media. Be sure to register through that email or you can register here for free.
HOW CAN WE HEAR THE CRY OF THE NEEDY RIGHT IN OUR COMMUNITY?
As we finish, this series, we continue to learn and grow and reach out to others. Please consider purchasing school supplies for our Giftmart families. Amazing relationships have formed with our schools over the past few years and the families we have met are near and dear to our hearts. Pray and seek how you can contribute to these students and families on the margins.
The list of supplies can be found here. Please bring the school supplies in to any campus and drop them in the marked boxes by August 8.