Josef Pieper said love is saying it’s good that you exist. As a volunteer, I watched New American students develop confidence while finding their place in a new country. I also watched friends grow beyond the trellis of support the Peace Center provides. As a summer intern, I have been blessed to join in welcoming my new neighbors in love. While driving to swimming, ceramics, citizenship, and math classes this summer, I am invited to exist in Jesus’ love with my friends. 

Making a Real Difference: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow! From 2007-2008, when 20 refugee children received elementary school scholarships to Word of Life and Christ Community Lutheran School, to 2023-2024, when 13 elementary and 18 high school students were attending four elementary and two Lutheran high schools, the program has served at least 104 refugee students. Almost without exception, these students made satisfactory academic progress and went on to quality post-secondary education or military service.

At CFNA, it is our joy to support our New American friends in so many of these development benchmarks. This summer, we got to witness 24 students enrolled in BWORKS, an organization that allows youth to Earn a Bike or Earn a Computer after attending six weeks of class. Safety, components of the tool, proper use, and responsible ownership are taught in both courses. 

As the new Coordinator for the CFNA Health and Wellness ministry, Gayle has said “yes” to multiple responsibilities having to do with the coordination of this significant CFNA ministry. These monthly screenings at the Peace Center require the services of a sufficient number of volunteers as well as translators, not to mention the availability of medical supplies, follow-up medical visits and more. 

A 10 year Anniversary and Thanksgiving celebration will take place at St. Johns Lutheran Church on Saturday September 14 beginning at 11:00 am. You are cordially invited to join with the Nepali Lutheran Community for a time of special music, a message of thanksgiving and prayers along with an event video. A very nice lunch will also be provided. 

Remember the fun and freedom days of summer as a youth? Days spent exploring, spending endless hours with friends, picnics, swimming, and more! CFNA has engaged many of our New American friends in such activities with the hope of expanding their experiences, growing their ideas, and providing a summer full of fun. 

Adapting to a new culture and environment was challenging, but CFNA played a significant role in my continuing transition. Connected to CFNA’s tutoring program for English through a friend, I grew academically and spiritually as I was introduced to the Living God and the Lutheran community in St. Louis.

What impact does VBS have on our immigrant/refugee friends? Deepshyas, a Nepali boy, shared: “I learned that God helps me to make good choices in my life and that bad choices can have negative consequences. Good choices please Him. When I make bad choices, He doesn’t give up on me and will forgive me.”

At CFNA, we strive to follow Jesus’s words to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Mathew 22:37) We try to model love, service and learning to our New American neighbors and celebrate when they engage in opportunities to do likewise. Students from our After School Tutoring program are participating in creative ways!

CFNA provides scholarships to three types of young people. Although most of the recipients are members of New American families, we have also supported some students whose parent(s) are studying at Concordia Seminary, or who work as missionaries to refugee and immigrant families. 

It has been a blessing to have the opportunity to meet and work with school-age children from many different countries and cultures. Each week as we help them learn, we have an opportunity to share Jesus. What a joy it is to see these young people grow in their understanding of who Jesus is, what He has done for them, and how much He loves and cares for them.

104 students from 22 different countries have also been served through the CFNA Scholarship Ministry. Almost all have made satisfactory academic progress and gone on to quality high schools, colleges, universities, and military service. In at least three cases, the fathers of three of these families have graduated from Concordia Seminary and are now on the LCMS clergy roster.

Dental health is often lost in the avalanche of things New Americans must learn as they acclimate to life in the US. Staff and volunteers at CFNA, the Lutheran Church of Webster Gardens, Christ Community Lutheran School, and Affinia Healthcare were overjoyed to be able to provide education and practical support for dental wellness for refugee families who attended the event.

Approximately 90 kids from 12 birth countries were served by more than 25 regular tutors from various Lutheran congregations and SLU on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week. In this work partnerships are everything, and the additional resources made available through these partnerships were of great value to the students and their families.

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:

Zo 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.”