“My favorite memory since coming to America is my freedom!” Learn how during the past year, CFNA and volunteers from Christ Memorial stepped alongside one family in their resettlement journey from Afghanistan to America. Volunteers offered ESL lessons to family members, showed up time and time again to support them with transportation, welcomed them into their own homes to share a meal, and helped them understand what it is to be an American — the wonderful, and the challenging.

Three young people (two from Siena Leone and one from Mexico) graduated from Lutheran South and North in late May and are headed to college in the fall. Three eighth-grade graduates are all heading to Lutheran High Schools. We thank the many donors who have faithfully supported this program and individual students over the years and more students are on the way! Discover the wonderful stories of what the Lord has continued to do!

Every Tuesday and Thursday for the past nine months, approximately 65 children from 10 birth countries were served weekly by more than 35 volunteer tutors representing numerous Lutheran, as well as some non-Lutheran, congregations. CFNA is grateful for the many hands and hearts that came together to support this mission activity!

For such a time as this, for the ladies to learn conversational English, to socialize, to learn job skills, to choose the donated cloth to make clothes for their families, and earn some money. We have the privilege of sharing our faith walk in Word and deed with these beautiful, strong women, our sisters who are also the daughters of Abraham!

“I have never done a service event like this. We don’t do this in my country. It is so good to see American people working like this, and I am happy to help them.”  SHINE 2023 included picking up trash outside the Peace Center, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping floors, cleaning windows, disinfecting surfaces, setting up tables for a clothing giveaway, and emptying trash containers.

CFNA welcomed 200 trivia players to Webster Gardens Lutheran Church on April 1 for the 16th annual Trivia Night and Silent Auction.  It’s the first time the event has been held in person since 2019 and with 25 tables the atmosphere was energetic and joyful.  Sue Madden said, “It was a full house and lots of fun being had!” Trivia is as much a “friend-raiser” as it is a fund-raiser, and this proved to be true as CFNA connected with 75 new friends through this event.

Eleven students from Clemson University’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes made a 1,300 mile round trip to St. Louis where they spent three days engaged with CFNA in painting, cleaning, leading devotions, Bible studies and more.

Newly arriving refugees always need blankets and CFNA is always running out of them. Recently St. John Lutheran Church, New Minden, IL stepped up in a big way, demonstrating that you don’t have to live nearby to help New Americans in urban St. Louis!

“My name is Paige Bernau, and am excited to serve as the new CFNA Health and Wellness Coordinator: helping to coordinate the monthly Health and Wellness Clinics and working with the CFNA team to connect clients with healthcare services in the greater St. Louis area as needed.”

St. Louis School of Nursing students are becoming more and more engaged with CFNA! Indeed, a key partnership with students from the SLU Trudy Busch School of Nursing has become an integral part of CFNA’s monthly health and wellness clinic. Since the partnership began in 2021, CFNA has served as a clinical site for nursing students, and was borne out of a mutual desire to serve the needs of the local community, especially New Americans.

The Christian Friends of New Americans ESL program has never seen a greater impact than it has in the past few years. CFNA has been able to expand the traditional ESL program through key partnerships into a robust driving program that includes classroom instruction and on-the-road training, even establishing a car grant program, allowing newly arrived refugees to purchase a car once they have passed their driving test.

Currently leading CFNA’s African Youth Ministry, Pastor Mike Okine is this year’s Volunteer of the Month. With 30 participants, the Ministry offers Sunday Bible studies attended by people from Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. His wife Joan has also volunteered with CFNA over the years in the health and wellness screening program. 

CFNA’s newly launched Employment Support Program is showing results for some of our New Friends who have registered with the program. Philibs Ali from Sudan and Zaryalai Nawabi from Afghanistan each began new jobs in the last eight weeks, showing the fruit born from this important program!

CFNA is stepping forward to meet the growing needs facing refugees and immigrants! We seek to expand our impact for years to come, and secure the long-term financial future of the ministry. To fuel this vision, the Board of Directors of CFNA has established the Christian Friends of New Americans Endowment Fund.

A special partnership has emerged to engage a growing number of volunteers to help move beds, tables, chairs, microwaves, washing machines, dryers, and more provided by generous donors for the benefit of New American families. More than 200 household items from more than 40 donors have now been delivered to 25 recently arrived refugee families!

During the past 12 months, several program changes were introduced along with the addition of a new staff member, Debbie McBride, who now oversees the entire driving program. This, plus the addition of a Driver’s Ed vehicle, has increased participation to the extent that we had to modify the schedule to accommodate all the students! 

The staff at CFNA make mission their vocation. Kerry Pozaric is a shining example of an associate dedicated to their work for Jesus. As CFNA Business Manager, she is responsible for accounting, payroll, database, fundraisers, and more.