Found and St A
decade ago, over 3,000 youth known as the Lost Boys of Sudan entered the United States with refugee status granted by the George W. Bush administration. They were distributed to cities across the country, offered three months of government support, and expected to survive on their own after that. Fortunately, many American communities, churches, and families embraced the refugees, who were primarily orphaned boys who had grown up in war-torn Sudan or in UN-sponsored camps for displaced people. The welcome they received was quite different from the reception that typically awaits new immigrants. Even local and national media outlets reflected positively on the newcomers. Several factors contributed to the deep connection and commitment that characterized the hospitality offered by Americans, many of whom had not previously engaged immigrant populations. The first factor lies in the power of the refugees’
Former “Lost Boys” of Sudan le transformation 22 PRISM Magazine
tanding Firm stories. Torn from their families, the Lost Boys of Sudan had experienced unimaginable tragedy in their 1,000-mile trek across Africa. And since the youth already spoke English, their accounts of escaping religious persecution, fleeing gunfire, swimming crocodile-infested rivers, eating roots, and drinking their own urine in order to survive captured the attention and pierced the hearts of those hearing their stories firsthand. The refugees’ winsome personalities, strong Christian faith, and earnest desire to integrate provided further points of connection between the two groups. And while the newcomers’ needs were many, so were the gifts of the host communities that welcomed them, and the two groups quickly discovered that they each had much to learn from the other. Woodcreek Church (formerly Richland Bible Fellowship Church) in Richardson, Tex., provides a good case study of how the refugees and their new communities both stretched and enriched each other. When four Sudanese youth, sponsored by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), arrived at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport in
September 2001, they were picked up and housed by members of Richland Bible Fellowship Church, which had a working partnership with IRC. At the time, neither the refugees nor the volunteers could have anticipated the far-reaching impact of their encounters with each other. The young men needed to learn how to shop and cook. The volunteers stepped up to help and in the process gained a fresh appreciation for the basic life skills they had always taken for granted. The newcomers needed to enroll in schools and food stamp programs. The volunteers helped them navigate the system and in the process learned about challenges most of them had never been called to face. The young men needed to learn to interview and obtain jobs, most of which paid minimum wage, and they were torn between paying their own bills and sending money back home to help relatives who were literally starving. When the volunteers helped them plan budgets, the Americans were introduced to the kind of financial dilemmas they had never before considered. As the church community worked side by side with people from government agencies, civic
ead Americans on a journey of
by Nita Thomason
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groups, and other churches, unusual partnerships developed. The experience opened the eyes and hearts of many volunteers to the plight of other underserved people in their communities. The Lost Boys’ challenges—getting quality education, finding safe housing, obtaining and maintaining adequate jobs—mirrored those faced by other disadvantaged people in the community, folks who had previously gone unnoticed by local church members. The friendships forged with the African youth would eventually result in lasting changes to the life of the body, its witness in the community, and its perspective on the world. Today, as a direct result of Refugee Resources, a nonprofit organization ministering to African immigrants, partners with insights gained from a decade of Woodcreek Church. Here women from both visit the Dallas Arboretum. relational ministry with the Lost Boys of Sudan, Woodcreek Church has a Community Impact ministry. Outreach Pastor Scott Winn explains: “Our outreach to the poor was ✓Journals such as Christianity Today, PRISM, in its infancy when we met the Lost Boys. They were and World motivated members to think more the catalyst God used to move us to be a church deeply about poverty and the Christian evanknown for the transformational relationships between gelical responsibility to engage in social justice those in need and those with resources of hope.” The issues. church utilized numerous resources as their outreach ministry developed: ✓The church developed partnerships with both community schools and local parachurch orga✓Focused Bible studies opened members’ eyes nizations that serve the needy. These partners, to the nearly 2,000 scripture verses dealing with who were already engaged in helping and empoverty and justice. God executes justice for the powering the poor, provided opportunities for oppressed, gives food to the hungry, sets prisonchurch members to engage in meaningful ways. ers free, protects strangers, and supports the fatherless and widowed (Psalm 146:7-9). Jesus The Community Impact ministry clarified underpreached the good news to the poor (Matthew standing regarding poverty, externally focused minis11:5). God commands his people to administry, and the integration of concern for the poor with ter justice, show mercy and compassion to the evangelism. Woodcreek is a medium-sized church and immigrant (Zechariah 7:9,10), and love mercy does not have a large budget for community out(Micah 6:8). reach, yet today the church regularly ministers to and alongside immigrant populations. ✓Books—such as The Hole in Our Gospel by Although the church is situated in one of the Richards Stearns; The Church of Irresistible Inwealthiest zip codes in the Dallas metroplex, just fluence by Robert Lewis, Rob Wilkins, and Bob three miles away are schools with large immigrant Buford; When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett populations and high numbers of families qualifying and Brian Fikkert; and Generous Justice by for free lunch programs. The church adopted Forman Timothy Keller—guided staff and lay leaders. Elementary School and contributes thousands of dollars of school supplies annually, hosts teacher meet✓Seminars such as the “No Need Among You: ings, provides gifts for teacher appreciation events, Including the Excluded” conference, Leaderand supplies tutors on a weekly basis for individualship Network, and the “Right Now” conferences ized instruction. Not surprisingly, a strong relationchallenged leaders to give more emphasis to ship between the principal and engaged Woodcreek externally-focused ministry. volunteers has developed.
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Refugee Resources, a small nonprofit organization ministering to African immigrants, is another community partner. Church members teach ESL classes and assist with monthly youth outreach programs. During the annual Woodcreek Community Impact weekend, members recently provided major construction help in updating classroom space for a preschool for immigrant children. Alice Wani grew up in Southern Sudan and as a teenager lost six bottom teeth. One day she shared with her Woodcreek ESL When Woodcreek Church started an ESL program last year, they were stunned by the number of students teacher the humiliation she who showed up. The classes have provided a foundation for deepening relationships among church memfeels because of the gapbers and the immigrant population in the neighborhood. ing hole in her mouth. Her story was passed on to Dr. they are eager to share. The friendships that grew Chris Miller, a dentist and member of Woodcreek, who generously offered to help. Learning of his offer, out of their interactions were based on mutual respect and a sense of deep community. Wani threw her hands in the air and praised God for Some of the refugees thrived; others strugthis marvelous gift. gled. Some of the volunteers were engaged in proLast year Woodcreek started its own ESL program called BEST (Building English Skills Together). viding immediate relief for a limited time; others became invested for the long haul, helping move “We knew there was a need in our area,” says Kay the refugees from positions of dependence to a Hurley, the program volunteer director, “but we had healthy interdependence. Innovative partnerships no idea how many to expect when we first opened saw individuals, churches, civic organizations, our doors to serve our community. We thought we parachurch organizations, and governmental agenmight get 45 students our first year. By September cies working together with a common purpose, we had 70 adult students registered and approxiand in the process lives were transformed. mately 26 children in our preschool/childcare. The After nine years of working hard and attenddiversity of our program was exciting, as we had eight countries represented in our student population. ing college classes in his new country, Abraham Akech, one of the original four Lost Boys that We are reminded constantly that not only are we Woodcreek picked up at the airport a decade ago, teaching but we are changing lives.” earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance When she first met Hurley, Vevey Sherrife, and business administration from University of originally from Mexico, was depressed and seldom Texas at Dallas. He recently landed an accountleft her house. But Hurley helped her find a job, and ing job at an international climate control comVevey was soon awarded a scholarship to attend a pany. The Woodcreek community of friends was local ESL program and began work on a Child Dethere to celebrate with him. velopment Associate certification. She now works in the BEST childcare program, as well as the church’s Mother’s Day Out program. She has since become A life-long educator, Nita Thomason teaches fuan integral part of the BEST community and a ture teachers at Collin County Community College leader in her area of service. in Plano, Tex. She currently volunteers with interVolunteers have experienced numerous blessings national students and immigrants, and she leads as they realize that people like Alice Wani, Vevey the Community Impact ministry at Woodcreek Sherrife, and the Lost Boys of Sudan may be physiChurch. Learn more at WoodcreekChurch.com. cally impoverished but possess many spiritual assets
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