World Relief Spokane hosts event to dispel immigration myths and encourage refugee support
News Story by Cassy Benefield | FāVS News
World Relief Spokane (WRS) held an information session Thursday at Sun City Church, outlining its efforts to support refugees and how local individuals and groups can contribute to the cause.
The event — “It’s a small world … and we’re all connected!” — aimed to dispel immigration myths, share facts and call the community into action based on biblical principles and compassion.
Last fiscal year, Executive Director Christi Armstrong said they welcomed 735 refugees into the area, an unprecedented amount for the organization, and a more than 50% increase from their previous high of 475.
The increase came because the Biden Administration accelerated the refugee resettlement program. It has taken a while to rebuild the program after “it was gutted in the last administration,” said Barbara Comito, WRS development director.
This year, they agreed to welcome 750.
All this growth has led the organization to plant another office in Spokane Valley, 11707 E. Sprague. They have also recently created a Friendship Center, “the happy side” of their work according to their last annual report. This center provides baby showers for new moms, opportunities for refugee women, who are often isolated at home, to gather together, and more.
The speakers discuss Bible verses and refugee statistics
Speakers of the event included Terry McGonigal, former dean of spiritual life at Whitworth, and Matthew Soerens, World Relief vice-president of advocacy and co-author of three books on immigration.
McGonigal showed how the theme of migration wove throughout the Bible, especially in the stories of Abraham, Moses and Jesus. He highlighted God’s desire in the law and through Jesus’ ministry and actions how important it was to love and care for the stranger among them.
He summed up his teaching by saying, “In the words of one scholar, justice is tested on the fringes of society among the least powerful.”
Soerens dispelled the myths and shared the facts surrounding immigration. He also encouraged the audience to help refugees because Jesus was one.
“If we’re followers of Jesus, we are followers of a refugee,” Sorenson said. “I think what’s important, from my perspective, is that this reality that our Lord and Savior was forced to flee his home at a very early age ought to inform how we would treat those who are in very similar circumstances today.”
Dispelling the worries of some Americans on receiving refugees
He shared how many refugees, asylum seekers and internally-displaced people exist currently and highlighted the great need to get them to a new home.
Soerens offered these statistics:
- Approximately 120 million people who’ve been forced to flee their home. Of these:
- About 37 million are technically refugees outside of their country of origin, with less than 1% ever getting resettled in a third country
- About 6.9 million more are in limbo status (asylum seekers)
- About 67 million are internally displaced, who fled their homes but are still in their countries of origin
He empathized with concerns some have about immigrants taking away jobs, increasing crime and fears of criminals and terrorists entering the borders.
To help alleviate these anxieties he showed conservative think tanks saying refugees are among the most vetted people who enter the U.S.
He emphasized statistics that said immigrants, legal and illegal, are less likely to commit crimes than the greater population. One strong reason is the fear of returning to their country.
Soerens also clarified economic data and said while refugees initially take from the economy, much like a child takes from their parents throughout their childhood, eventually their returns to the economies in which they resettle are much greater than what they took out.
‘The world’s greatest crisis’
With WR’s new mission statement — “to boldly engage the world’s greatest crisis in partnership with the church” — the Spokane office believed the time was right to create events such as “It’s a small world” to increase their partnerships in the community, said Comito.
While drawing the church into that mission, Comito hopes to also create partnerships with others. This includes landlords, other social service agencies, employers and other community members.
She ended the event with a quote from Khalid Hosseini’s book, “The Sea Prayer.”
“‘I have heard it said, ‘We are the uninvited. We are the unwelcome. We should take our misfortune elsewhere’,’” Comito said.
She then said to the audience of about 40, “Think about the impact of those words on a person’s soul. What if we could change the script?”
Asking the audience to give of their time, talent and treasure to the refugees they help to resettle, she encouraged them with these final words.
“Let’s make everyone feel like they are the invited, the wanted, the welcome,” she said.
Upcoming World Relief Spokane Workshop:
| Nov. 7, 6:30-7:30 p.m. “Purposeful Generosity” — Spokane Valley Library — Led by Mark Michaelis, co-founder with his wife Elisabeth of Intellitect, a software-development company in which a significant portion of the profits go to organizations fighting against extreme poverty. |
Thank you, Cassy, for this important, uplifting report on the value of welcoming refugees into our communities….so needed when there is so much fear-mongering against refugees.