Give STL Day 2024
/Your gift is a partnership in ministry. This $10,000 match on Give STL Day gives us a greater opportunity to love our refugee neighbors through our programs and staff. Here’s how you can support us:
Read MoreThe latest updates of CFNA and friends helping Immigrants and Refugees in St. Louis with Christ-Like Care
Your gift is a partnership in ministry. This $10,000 match on Give STL Day gives us a greater opportunity to love our refugee neighbors through our programs and staff. Here’s how you can support us:
Read MoreZo Member-Meneh: “Thanks to God’s work through CFNA, I, a Nigerian-born, South City Saint Louis-raised kid was able to attend and graduate debt-free from a Division 1 school, Alabama State University. I then landed my dream job at Google. Now I can showcase how much of a difference an opportunity like the one I had makes in children’s lives.”
Read MoreWith the help of CFNA, they received support, guidance and assistance as they adapted to their new culture and language. During this time a relationship developed with Pastor Tanney at St. Johns Lutheran Church. It was then that Nabin (and later Ratna) took the first step to learn the teachings of the Lutheran Church and be confirmed. With a hunger to learn more, leadership classes began and with the help of CFNA they prepared for admission to Concordia Seminary!
Read MoreCFNA welcomed over 200 trivia players to Abiding Savior Lutheran Church on April 6 for the 17th annual Trivia Night and Silent Auction. Twenty-one volunteers worked to make the evening a success, including CFNA staff people, students, and friends. One said, “I am so glad CFNA was so blessed with the night and wish God's continued blessing for the amazing work done and will continue to do.”
Read MoreImmigrants to this country often face a challenge of trust. Many have come out of dangerous situations where they learned to trust no one—not even friends or family. They suffered betrayal by people close to them—some going to prison, some even to death. And even in the U.S., there are still con artists who deliberately prey on them, because they know that newcomers don’t understand how everything works.
Read MoreThese multiple blessings perfectly illustrate CFNA’s ministry and role in urban St. Louis, which is to connect recently arrived refugee families with Lutheran congregations and their well-established families in the greater St. Louis area.
Read MoreI am constantly amazed at how the Lord can use any skill, whether it be technology or something else. My time at CFNA has been “happy chaos” with a jumble of languages, cultures, and people. Sometimes I feel like a world traveler who hasn’t left home!
Read MoreThis time becomes a beacon of hope and renewal, guiding us toward a new chapter filled with possibility and purpose. It is a reminder that transitions are not endings, but rather beginnings, infused with the promise of growth and resilience. As we approach this pivotal moment, let us embrace it with gratitude and anticipation for the journey ahead.
Read MoreAl and Carol Buckman have been selected by the faculty of Concordia Seminary to receive the Christus Vivit honorary award at the seminary’s commencement ceremony to be held on May 17, 2024.
Read MoreDo you ever feel like you don’t belong in this world? Jesus said as much when he prayed to the Father for us, the night He was betrayed. He knew that the very next day He would be leaving the world through His death on the cross to save us, and he was concerned for us. So He prayed.
Read MoreHugely generous support from church congregations and individuals in 2021 provided a one-time fund to help cover the needs of Afghan refugees in St. Louis, MO. These donations have led to over one hundred dental appointments to address Afghan refugees' dental needs. People who could not eat regularly due to daily pain can eat again!
Read MoreTo date, CFNA has assisted 23 refugees with car grants. Many were for the purchase of a car identified by HumanKind STL, another organization that assists with the resettlement of refugees. HumanKind secures the vehicles from local dealerships and both organizations provide the funds required for the purchase.
Read MoreWe never know what surprising new thing God will do or what new challenges and opportunities He will place before us as people from around the world come into our midst, creating opportunities for CFNA to exemplify the love of Christ in word and deed. Another missionary motto, “Be flexible,” has played a pivotal role in CFNA's ability to adapt to evolving demands and opportunities. We do not want to lose that flexibility.
Read MoreJesus understands the special needs of children—how vulnerable they are, and how easily hurt. That is one reason he commands us to let the children come to him. In the arms of their Savior, they will never be lost or out of place. They have a home forever in the heart of him who died and rose again to save them.
Read MoreIn 2023, CFNA was blessed to have linked with a total of 300 recently arrived refugees from 30 birth nations. Engagement activities at the Peace Center continued strong with ESL (130 students from 10 birth nations), Health & Wellness (79 clients at screenings, and coordination of 209 client medical appointments), and After School Tutoring (60 students from 11 birth nations). The Community Engagement Ministry connecting congregational volunteers with specific relationship-building events saw 100 new volunteers engage via 21 events organized in partnership with eight Lutheran congregations.
Read MoreAs the torch passes to new leadership, there is a sense of continuity and renewal. The transition is not merely a change in personnel but a testament to the enduring nature of the organization's mission. With fresh perspectives and a continued dedication to fostering a welcoming community, the new leadership will carry forward the legacy of the founders, ensuring that Christian Friends of New Americans remains a beacon of hope and support for those seeking refuge and a new beginning.
Read MoreWe have approximately 80 participants, including a few from Sweden, Spain, and the Netherlands meeting for Bible Study. Questions include: “Why did Jesus suffer and die for us?” The idea of unconditional love is new to many of these people and they find it to be both encouraging and compelling. Another question has to do with, “What is expected of us as Christians?” For them and for all of us, the reality of salvation by grace alone through faith is especially important.
Read MoreFor refugees and immigrants, almost everything about their lives is a new beginning. A new language… a new city… new foods and customs… new work… new friends. The newness can be overwhelming. When it is, we call it culture shock.
Read MoreProviding for real needs exactly when they are needed! That’s what the CFNA annual giveaway is all about! Household use and personal hygiene items, especially for recent arrivals, include blankets and winter clothing, laundry detergent, paper products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps, cleaning supplies, and more are all shared with our New American neighbors.
Read MoreThe annual Christmas Party celebrates numerous tutors who help with homework, mastering English, reading, writing, and basic number skills, etc. during tutoring sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the school year as well as the students who benefit from their servant hearts! More than 50 students, 45 volunteers, and special guests participated.
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Walking Together
We are a mission society and a Recognized Service Organization (RSO) of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). Learn more about the LCMS at lcms.org.
Our Mission
Christian Friends of New Americans is an outreach ministry to immigrants and refugees in the greater St. Louis area. Our mission is to be involved in relationships with New Americans with whom we can share the Gospel through caring words and actions.
Contact
CFNA Peace Center
4019 South Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63118
314-351-1740
E-mail: mail@cfna-stl.org
© Copyright 2023 — Christian Friends of New Americans