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The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow,
Psalm 146:9
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
Catalyst Services, a ministry helping churches effectively partner with missionaries, recently published this guide explaining ways to identify the nations within your church in order to enrich your church body and your outreach. Immigrants, their children, international students, businesspeople, and connected ethnic congregations can all be part of helping your church body learn to “welcome the stranger” and to effectively serve internationals, both at home and abroad.
What might result from identifying the nations within your own church community?
- What if your next church missions trip overseas was led by nationals of that country?
- What if you served underneath and alongside those who grew up in that culture?
- What if your mission teams studied cross-cultural communication together and then went to serve together, enriching your relationships and understanding of the Gospel?
- What if you discipled international students and businesspeople, preparing them to go back to diverse nations and share Christ there?
Ultimately, we are all called to love our neighbors, and as those neighbors become more diverse, we can all play a part in learning more about what they believe in our pursuit of sharing the hope of Christ through relationships. Learn more about reaching the nations by starting inside your church in the full article from Catalyst Services here.
At Restoring Hope Roanoke, we love to help churches find ways to love and serve their communities! Here are just a few services we offer:
- Interested in learning more about the ethnic makeup of your church’s community? Request a neighborhood data analysis here.
- Want to learn how to welcome your refugee neighbors? Attend our Good Neighbor Team Training with Friendship House on December 3, 2021. More information is available here.
PAST RESOURCES
The Nations Inside Your Church
The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. Psalm 146:9 Catalyst Services, a ministry helping churches effectively partner with missionaries, recently published this guide explaining ways to identify…
Welcoming the Stranger
WELCOMING THE STRANGER You probably know personally someone who immigrated to this country as a child or adult. Nearly every news cycle has a story about the thousands of immigrants entering our country daily through our southern border. Whether we agree…
The Hopeful Neighborhood Field Guide
If you live somewhere and have an interest in that somewhere, then you should read this short book! Tony Cook and Don Everts offer six short sessions to help you and your church or community group pursue the common good right where…
12 Neighbors Films and Discussion Guides
12 Neighbors is a film series exploring what it truly means to love your neighbor. These high-quality videos show how churches and individuals are loving their neighbors in bold and innovative ways
SPIRITUAL FIRST AID
I know my neighbor is hurting, but I don’t know how to help him. How do I assess his needs and find the best way to care for him? Wheaton College’s Humanitarian Disaster Institute presents the Spiritual First Aid Course. This…
Mobilize My Church
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of…