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Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion and Truth in the Immigration Debate
Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang Immigration is one of the most complicated issues of our time. Voices on all sides argue strongly for action and change. Christians find themselves torn between the desire to uphold laws and the call to minister to the vulnerable. In this book World Relief staffers Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang move beyond the rhetoric to offer a Christian response to immigration. They put a human face on the issue and tell stories of immigrants' experiences in and out of the system. With careful historical understanding and thoughtful policy analysis, they debunk myths and misconceptions about immigration and show the limitations of the current immigration system. Ultimately they point toward immigration reform that is compassionate, sensible and just, as they offer concrete ways for you and your church to welcome and minister to your immigrant neighbors. |
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Across the Street and Around the World: Following Jesus to the Nations in Your Neighborhood
Jeannie Marie Small Group Guides Could God use ordinary me to change the world? In the middle of diapers, dishes, papers, or presentations, deep down, we long to live a life of purpose, with a bit of adventure. But if we do something, we think we have to do everything—and do it in Africa. In Across the Street and Around the World, Jeannie Marie shows us we can change the world right where we already live, work, play, and study—by learning to grow genuine, spiritually deep friendships with people from other countries, cultures, and faiths. In a refreshing “you-can-do-this-too” style, Marie leads us by the hand with clear steps, try-it sections, and beautifully crafted prayers. She gently guides us away from common cultural missteps, so we can offer Jesus in a winsome way, while honoring culture, faith, and family. With confidence, courage and compassion, we’ll start small, start soon, and start somewhere we already are, by first going across the street—which just may lead us around the world! |
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Loving the Stranger: Welcoming Immigrants in the Name of Jesus
Jessica A. Udall Most American Christians think that helping immigrants is a good idea in theory, but few actually get involved in the ministry of welcome because they feel afraid, concerned, or overwhelmed by busyness. Loving the Stranger addresses these fears in an understanding way, answers these concerns in a way that will resonate regardless of people's political convictions, and lays out simple ways to begin welcoming immigrants in the midst of our busy lives by simply welcoming them into our lives. |
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Finding God in the City: Making Sense of an Urban World
Brad Stanley The 21st century will go down in history as the century of global urbanization. How does God feel about the city, and how should we respond to what is being considered one of the four major challenges of our time? In this fresh approach to urban missions, Brad Stanley shares his experience and God-given insight into the value of the city and its inhabitants, and the role that the church should play in reaching cities worldwide for Christ. |
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Xplore: Welcoming the Nations Among Us
This 6-lesson Bible study invites believers to explore welcoming others for God’s glory. Welcoming is more than being friendly. It is the lifestyle of a person prioritizing God’s mission to “make disciples of all nations.” A welcomer gets involved with those around them from different cultures, developing genuine cross-cultural friendships, selflessly serving, and always being ready to share Jesus with others. Our Father has always been a welcomer and has a role for each of us to play in joining Him. Welcoming participants will explore:
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Once We Were Strangers
Shawn Smucker In 2012, Mohammad fled his Syrian village along with his wife and four sons, escaping to Jordan through the wilderness. Four years later he sat across from Shawn Smucker in a small conference room in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Though neither of them knew it, Mohammad had arrived in Shawn's life just in time. This is the story of a friendship. It is the story of a middle-aged writer struggling to make a living and a Syrian refugee struggling to create a life for his family in a strange and sometimes hostile land. It's the story of two fathers hoping for the best, two hearts seeking compassion, two lives changed forever. It's the story of our moment in history and the opportunities it gives us to show love and hospitality to the sojourner in our midst. |
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When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself
Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert Poverty is much more than simply a lack of material resources, and it takes much more than donations and handouts to solve it. When Helping Hurts shows how some alleviation efforts, failing to consider the complexities of poverty, have actually (and unintentionally) done more harm than good. But it looks ahead. It encourages us to see the dignity in everyone, to empower the materially poor, and to know that we are all uniquely needy—and that God in the gospel is reconciling all things to himself. |
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The Cross-Cultural Partnership Survival Guide:
Proven Steps for Launching Healthy Partnerships Churches of Different Cultures by John Wesley Yoder Susan Jamison has a problem. Newly hired as the Outreach Director of Fragrant Hills Church, her primary task is to build healthy partnerships with local immigrant congregations. Susan quickly realizes the complexity of the cultures involved, her unpreparedness to relate to them, and her church’s lack of readiness to thrive in a multicultural society. Discovering few sources of practical guidance, she quickly feels overwhelmed and inadequate. Will Susan be able to build healthy partnerships with diverse immigrant ministry leaders, and guide her monocultural church into a multicultural future? The author skillfully intertwines his personal journey and real-world stories with the fictional narrative of Susan’s dilemma. Readers will discover practical steps to build the kind of healthy cross-cultural partnerships essential for the future of American Christianity. |
