I want to first express my gratitude to all of you who made my birthday so special -- for the singing, for the beautiful words you added to chat, for the flowers and the fruit bouquet, for the calls, the messages, and the cards -- thank you so much! I am blessed to serve a church that you all are a part of. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I heard in the news recently that a few thousand Afghan families, who are coming to the US as refugees, are likely to settle in Illinois. Another news confirmed the arrival of about 70 unaccompanied children who will be making Chicago their new home. These families and children, as we can suspect, are leaving Afghanistan with nothing except their own lives and in some cases their family members. We need to help them settle into this new environment, new place and new culture.
I know the task seems too big for us so I am grateful for organizations like Refugee ONE, that help refugees “build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance,” and we can help them: by donating, by signing up to volunteer, by making in kind donations of new or clean, gently used winter coats only (due to the out-pouring of support, they are currently unable to accept other in-kind donations)!
Please drop off the coats at church by Friday, October 8th or drop them off at the Refugee One office (5705 N Lincoln Ave.) on Saturday, October 9th between 10am and 1pm. We can also help by emailing our elected leaders and telling them to expand protections for those most at risk -- that it’s critical to evacuate all of our allies to U.S. territory, provide international aid for humanitarian response, offer temporary protected status for Afghans in the U.S., and halt deportations for all Afghans from the U.S. That protection is needed for all Immigrants! Sign a petition asking Congress to allow citizenship for the many Immigrants, Immigrant Youth, farm workers, TPS holders and other essential workers.
Beloveds, the world we live in is filed with pain, anxiety, competition and the desire to have better, do better and look better. In this competitive world, may we stay focused on the most important thing -- to be in relationship with our siblings, to offer care for one another, to love unconditionally, to stand in support of each other, and to work towards building God’s kin-dom here and now. And, as always, I am with you in this work, and I look forward to seeing you in worship this Sunday!
