“How could you not, recognizing that we have so many resources that they don’t?”
So when Immanuel heard about the urgent need World Relief had for donations to assemble welcome kits for evacuees arriving in the Chicago area, it spread the word during announcements at its Sunday services and in its email newsletter.
The church regularly hosts Sunday school classes and informational workshops led by World Relief representatives, according to Annette LaPlaca, Immanuel’s minister of congregational life.
Some of its members also have been through training with World Relief and offered classes at the church teaching English as a Second Language and everyday skills like getting a driver’s license or cashing a paycheck, LaPlaca said. Others have volunteered to befriend newly arrived refugees and help them get settled into their homes.
Bambi Penney, a member of Immanuel, has tutored refugees and immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship at the church after receiving training from World Relief.
Penney first volunteered to tutor after so many things were said during the 2016 presidential election and in its aftermath that “seemed to be denigrating people who are valuable to the U.S.,” she said. She wanted to do something positive in response, she said, and tutoring seemed like it would fit into her busy life as a physical therapist.
It fit into what she takes away from reading the Bible, too, about caring for the world and everyone in it.
“We often in our country can ignore many things because we’re not experiencing it ourselves, but when you come face to face with it, you’ve got to make a decision about whether you’re going to be part of the solution or not,” Penney said.
This article originally appeared here.
