Evaluation is an important aspect of ministry. The interviews conducted on the refugee ministry at Arsenal Hill Presbyterian Church (AHPC) provide a snapshot of the ministry at a point in time. Such a snapshot can be encouraging to those involved in ministry, as it provides feedback as to the value of the hours invested in serving refugees. However, in addition to just providing information about the ministry, feedback is important in assessing ways in which the ministry can improve to better meet the needs of the refugees. Excellence in ministry is a continuous process of listening and learning. Responding to the current migration crisis is so important—it is worth investing time in thoughtful evaluation.
The answers provided during the interviews
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The church intentionally seeks volunteers who know the Lord and want to make Him known to the refugees. As a consequence, signs of relationship with God and people are characteristics seen among the volunteers serving the refugees, such as prayer, fellowship, and proclamation of the gospel.
Principle 2: Refugees receive affirmation of their dignity, value, and the contribution they make.
The refugees are feeling affirmed by the church in their dignity and value. Besides approval, they showed excitement in their descriptions of the relationship with the church. They feel very appreciated when church members visit their homes and when they share their food in the events organized by the church.
Principle 3: Organizations and churches assist refugees in response to their needs without discrimination.
They feel accepted and loved by the church. They do not point out any sign of discrimination in the relationship with the volunteers. They recognize and appreciate the effort of the church members to respect and value their
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One of the results of this feeling has been the recruitment of more volunteers as the church members share with more and more people about the work they are doing. The answers showed, though, that the motivation needs to be translated into actions, especially in the public square.
Section 3: The Role of the Church
Principle 10: The local church plays a vital role in the ministry to refugees.
Even though the volunteers from outside of the church have been a great help in the work, the church members are highly involved in the refugee ministry, including the pastor and his family, which is admirable since the ESL classes happen on Sundays (when the pastoral families are very busy). The church provides its facilities, members, and other resources for the work to be done.
Principle 11: Local churches will utilize appropriate external resources for effective refugee ministry.
The volunteers are a good example of external resources that the church is utilizing in the development of refugee ministry. The church recognizes that it cannot do the work alone and has been recruiting and partnering with qualified volunteers to run the
As with any ministry, it takes a person who to be selfless and willing to make the sacrifices that have to be made daily as Ms. Lamb does. For example, she quit a f...
This part is adapted from “Developing Programs for Senior Citizens—A Handbook for churches,” produced by the Delaware County of (PA) Services for the Aging, and is included here with their permission. We gratefully acknowledge the editors: Judy Oerkvitz, Louis Colbert, Norma Thomas and Verne Dalton.
Around the world,, there are those who don’t have access to food, shelter or even clothes. Although most people wouldn't lift a finger to help the situation, the work of Caritas, Oasis and the Brotherhood of St. Laurence has a major impact on the lives of these people and although they may come from different denominations, they still work towards a common goal: helping all those in need. Their work reflects the teachings of the New Testament as well as the Catholic Social teachings, this essay will have a look at how they do that.
Within the first year of opening they had helped fifty-two girls see their greatness and help them strive for a better future.Mr. Don J. Brewster was the pastor for a catholic church in Sacramento,California. He went on his first trip to Cambodia in 2005, which was to see the missions his church has been supporting for years. Upon arrival to Svay Pak the only issue only seemed to be poverty, he played with the children, visited the pastors from the missions, and went back on his way home. The next day, after he arrived home, he turned on the news, and the headline story on NBC was “Children For ...
The life of a refugee is not just a life of trials and ordeals, but also has rewards for those who pushed through the pain.
Themes of Catholic Social Teaching, such as the Dignity of the Human Person further ensures why they are mainly focused on, due to the belief that each and every person are made in the image of God and is to be treated equally with freedom and dignity. This means that you and your neighbour, whether they are homeless or not, are to be seen as the children of God and are to be treated as such. This teaching sees these people that are “homeless” not just as a person who is without a home but also as a person experiencing stages homelessness and are to be treated with the same views and rights as any other person. By understanding the Human Rights each person is entitled to their rights in justice, rather than simply in charity.
What really sets this organization from the rest is how it is structured around their Christian faith, going into a rather historically culture where most of the population was devoted to the Roman Catholic Church. Being a Christian organization, it is rather obvious that they are not just there just to provide disaster risk reduction through aid, but as well spread the word of God with the attempt to “convert” over some people. The President of World Vision in 1987, Ted Engstrom, stated, “We analyze every project, every program we undertake, to make sure that within the [program] evangelism is a significant component. We cannot feed individuals and then let them go to hell” (qtd. in Hancock 9). This paper serves as an analysis of the fundamentals of the Christian humanitarian organization, World Vision International. As a humanitarian support, their service was of a great necessity in rebuilding Honduras that helped satisfy the voids other types of aid organizations were not able to provide or did not provide adequately by supplying disaster risk reduction to furthermore
I visited the House of Compassion which is facility in Marshalltown, IA. House of Compassion is a non-profit organization that opened twenty years ago. They are a place of hospitality for those that our hungry, homeless, or in need of medical assistance. The services they have include a supply closet, soup kitchen, emergency shelter, and a Medical Assistance Program. The supply closet enables them to supply personal hygiene products for families in need, diapers is a common need that is often forgotten by the public. The soup kitchen provides food for those that our hungry, and recently the House of Compassion as started a Garden of Compassion which they use to grow food to continue to feed and inform those that our in need. The Emergency Shelter is available for those that have no where to go. They have many beds for people to sleep in, and they are encouraged and supported while they are staying there. This is a common place for people to come in transition, in refuge, and most that come of a sense of hopelessness. Reversing this hopelessness is what the House of Compassion is hoping to do. They want to provide basic needs and help people back on their feet and experience again the hope that we have in Christ.
In the Dominican Republic, there is a great need for education, and financial support for poor families. Providing the people with a good education, and teaching a trade to the head of the household could help to solve these needs drastically. Not only this, but the service project could be used to be a good witness for Christ to these people. A service project to the Dominican Republic could not only solve the lack of education, and help impoverished families for a short time, it could provide a long-term solution, and benefit this nation greatly.
According to the author, the role of the city mission churches in the tenement areas is to find better homes for the immigrants who come to the city and are living in deplorable conditions.
Throughout the world, missions are taking place, changing lives forever and for the better. As people serve in various places of the world, they can learn a lot, not only about themselves but also about how one person can truly make a difference in another person’s life. There are many groups and organizations out there that travel together and share their stories with the world. All God’s Children is a group that travels to various third-world countries to help children in orphanages. They stay with the children in, generally, worn-down buildings or huts, with no indoor pluming or running water. Sharing how their experiences have impacted their lives, express the hardships of the children and suffering they go through, and sharing the Word of the gospel are only a few of the things most organizations do among many others such as branching out into local communities.
The Syrian Refugee Crisis has grown to be the largest refugee crisis of modern history with two million Syrians who have fled and five million displaced still inside Syrian borders. (5) The refugee crisis is causing many economic issues in countries like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and others, scarcity in essential resources such as water, overcrowding, and also many social issues in countries where Syrians are taking refuge. Not only is The Syrian Refugee Crisis having a devastating impact on Syrians themselves, but it is also reaching out to hurt neighboring countries where the refugees are seeking shelter from the violence and unrest.
Given the background the refugees escaped from, any attempt to not provide effective facility or support would deepen their woes. It can be seen how refugee’s background and experience have not been taken into consideration, and thus, revealing the difference in treatment between the two
The birds are chirping, the sun is beaming down through the clouds, and you can hear the shrieks of excitement from the neighborhood park. Walking down the street, you envision raising your family on this picture-perfect street. As the vision becomes more and more detailed, however, the shot of a gun rings out from the distance. You duck behind a parked car, wondering where the bullet came from and why. Looking around, you are shocked to see a group of adolescents standing around another child, this one laying lifeless on the ground. As you rush over to help, the group scatters, and you notice all are wearing the same sign on their beanie hats. Looking down at the body, you see that there are no shoes to be had on his feet, although there are socks. When the police arrive, it is explained to you that this was an act of youth violence, and one that is common in that part of town. A child was shot to death for wearing a pair of shoes that a member of a street gang desired.
The churches in the world play a huge role in the determination to access of food, clean water, and shelter. No matter what religious affiliation, people will donate money to churches to help this growing problem that has arisen. This is important because churches are a good way to give those in need the supplies they need. The churches give the money raised by the offerings that people donate. This is effective because there are so many churches around the world. If most people donate a little bit of money, a substantial amount of people will be helped. The Christ House is a p...