The latest updates of CFNA and friends helping Immigrants and Refugees in St. Louis with Christ-Like Care
“Harassed and helpless” are very good words to describe what it feels like to be a refugee. You are in a country you never intended to live in, and however kind people are to you, you can never quite figure out how things work or what you’re supposed to be doing next. The very language your new neighbors speak is strange to you! And every time you turn around, you make a mistake. You need help. Where will you find it?
Read MoreI remember the early years of our Vietnamese ministry, when we were doing much the same sort of things CFNA is doing now. We collected food, clothing, household goods, and other necessities, and distributed them to newcomers who needed them. We taught classes in English, citizenship, and home health care, so that our people could learn as quickly as possible how to get what they needed in their new country. And constantly we faced the question: “What are these—these few resources we have—among so many?”
Read MoreIn chapter 7 of his Gospel, John states so casually that the Jewish leaders were out to kill Jesus! He says it like you’d mention the weather—something to be aware of, something to plan for—but otherwise no surprising big deal.
Read MoreThe light is for everybody! If you are living and working in the same house, of course, you can share the light! In fact, it would be strange if you didn’t. Hoarding light is ridiculous. You want to put that light high.
Read MoreWorries about ghosts and spirits are common among people who move to the United States. They may have grown up believing in powers that may harm them if they don’t do all the right rituals. This leads to a kind of slavery, where you have to do this or you can’t do that because it might bring bad luck to your family.
Read MoreHave you ever attended worship in another culture? If so, you know how nervous it can make you—a strange language, different ways of doing things. You wonder if you’re going to do something wrong. Maybe you will offend the other worshipers! These are all worries that immigrants and refugees have when we invite them to our churches.
Read MoreJesus’ disciples must have felt overwhelmed. Look over there—Jesus, shining like the sun! Moses and Elijah standing beside him! God’s voice booming from the bright cloud! No wonder they fell face down. Their senses couldn’t take it. It was too much.
Read MoreAre you far from someone you love—either physically or emotionally? Do you know someone else who is experiencing this grief? Come to Jesus for help. He is the Lord who has promised to take us to himself, no longer strangers and aliens, but his own beloved family.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed that almost everybody in the Christmas story is far from home? How about us? Is it easy when we are far away from home? What should we do?
Read MoreIt can be hard to know where to find help when you are new in a country. You start with the basics — food, shelter, clothing. Then things get more complicated — education, work, and requirements from the government. Who can help you fill out that insurance paperwork? Who can check your child’s American history homework? And what about that big bill from the hospital — is there anyone who can help you deal with that?
Read MoreIt’s not easy to be dependent on other people for things you are used to doing yourself. I see this in the eyes of refugees who come to me on Sundays, clutching paperwork in a language they can’t understand. They need help, and while they are grateful, they would much rather not be in that situation.
Read MoreSome Christians seem to think they must “sell” Jesus—they must disguise his message as something else so that people will be attracted to it and swallow the bait. How can this be right when we serve the God of truth? Alas, but take note of what kinds of fishermen the first disciples were…they were not bait-and-hook fishermen, but rather they used nets!
Read MoreDo you know what an exile is? The Lord is our life and our home, and our happiness. How we need Him! But we cannot go back by our own effort. The trip is too far; the road is too rough. We need carrying. We need someone to fetch us, to heal our wounds, to bring us home again. And that is what Jesus has done for us.
Read MoreHow do we get to know Jesus? John 1:43-46 shows us the way to The Way Himself: “Come and see!”
Philip wanted his friend Nathanael to know Jesus. But he also knew that Nathanael was not a person who trusted easily. Trying to describe Jesus would not work very well. Arguing with Nathanael would be even worse!
Join us for Dr. Kari Vo’s devotion: “Getting to Know Jesus”.
Read MoreOne of the hardest things in life is when you believe, rightly or wrongly, that you are not loved. That's incredibly lonely. Jesus understands this need, and He offers us what our hearts long for—love that is actually returned.
Read MoreThey know what it means to be a stranger—to be alone and dependent on other people for help, even for basic food and shelter. They have probably experienced this in their own lives. And now Jesus is saying to them, “You welcomed me”? When was Jesus ever a stranger—ever in need, ever at their mercy for food and clothing and shelter? It doesn’t make sense. But then we get Jesus’ wonderful conclusion: “As you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Read MoreWhat do you bring with you from your homeland when you come to America—family roots, a native language and culture, education and skills, a religious upbringing? Whether you know it or not, God loves you so much that he created you special and has a special purpose for your life through Jesus Christ, your Savior.
Read MoreAs a little girl, I would hear my mother sing, “He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am his own.” Looking back to the days she chose to sing those words, it seems those were often the days when she looked sad. Her face was strained, but firm.
Read MoreIt was sharing time during our Heart to Heart Bible study of the Ten Lepers. This is always a time of memorable moments. I will never forget one beautiful Syrian woman with the help of a translator telling about her first experience with bus riding in St Louis.
Read More
“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John 10:14-16Can you picture a flock of sheep grazing on a hillside, content and peaceful? Can you picture a flock of sheep safe in a sheep pen from wild animals or thieves who want to harm them? In a dangerous world, sheep need a good shepherd to lead them and protect them. In a loud world with many false voices, sheep need to hear the calming voice of their good shepherd who knows them by name and loves them so much he will lay down his life for them. They follow him because they trust him.Jesus lived in a dangerous world of competing religious voices, many seeking to take his life. As our Good Shepherd, he was sent by the Father to gather scattered sheep from all over the world into one flock. He must lay down his life for the sheep. He loves you, knows you by name and calls you into his flock now and forever. Welcome to Jesus’ flock!Father, thank you for sending your only Son to be our Good Shepherd by his death on the cross and his resurrection from the grave. AmenStephen J. Carter, Oakville, MO
If you would like articles just like this one delivered to your inbox each month, subscribe to our monthly newsletter!
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
